Adyghe (адыгэбзэ)

Adyghe is a North West Caucasian language spoken by about 300,000 people mainly in the Republic of Adygea in the Russian Federation. Adyghe, which is also known as West Circassian, is also spoken in Turkey, Israel and Jordan.

Adyghe is closely related to Kabardian, and to a lesser extent to Ubykh, Abkhaz and Abaza. According to the UNESCO Map of the World's Languages in Danger (2009), Adyghe is vulnerable.

Since 1938 Adyghe has been written with a version of the Cyrillic alphabet. Between 1927 and 1938 it was written with the Latin alphabet, and before 1927 it was written with the Arabic alphabet. The literary language is based on the Chemguy dialect.

Cyrillic alphabet for Adyghe

Adyghe alphabet and pronunciation

Hear the Adyghe alphabet with example words:

Download an Adyghe alphabet chart (Excel)

Sample text in Adyghe

ЦIыф пстэури шъхьэфитэу, ялъытэныгъэрэ яфэшъуашэхэмрэкIэ зэфэдэу къалъфы. Акъылрэ зэхэшIыкI гъуазэрэ яIэшъы, зыр зым зэкъош зэхашІэ азфагу дэлъэу зэфыщытынхэ фае.

Transliteration

C̣əf pstăwri ŝḥăfităw, jāłətănəġără jāfăŝwašăxăмrăč̣̍ă zăfădăw qałfə. Āqəlră zăxăṣ̂əč̣̍ ġwazără jāʾăŝə, zər zəм zăqoš zăxaṣ̂ă azfagw dăłăw zăfəš̍ətənxă faе.

Hear a recording of this text

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Source: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Documents/UDHR_Translations/ady.pdf

Sample video in Adyghe

Information about Adyghe | Phrases | Numbers | Tower of Babel

Links

Information about Adyghe language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adyghe_language
http://www.circassianworld.com/pdf/North_West_Caucasian_Hewitt.pdf

Adyghe Language Guide - online lessons
http://cakhasa.com/classes/portable_idx.html

Adyghe transliteration tool
http://www.translitteration.com/transliteration/en/adyghe/ala-lc/

Recordings in Adyghe
http://globalrecordings.net/en/program/C18820

Northwest Caucasian languages

Abaza, Abhkaz, Adyghe, Kabardian, Ubykh

Languages written with the Cyrillic alphabet

Abaza, Abkhaz, Adyghe, Aghul, Akhvakh, Akkala Sámi, Aleut, Altay, Alyutor, Andi, Archi, Assyrian / Neo-Assyrian, Avar, Azeri, Bagvalal, Balkar, Bashkir, Belarusian, Bezhta, Bosnian, Botlikh, Budukh, Bulgarian, Buryat, Chamalal, Chechen, Chelkan, Chukchi, Chulym, Chuvash, Crimean Tatar, Dargwa, Daur, Dolgan, Dungan, Enets, Erzya, Even, Evenki, Gagauz, Godoberi, Hinukh, Hunzib, Ingush, Interslavic, Itelmen, Juhuri, Kabardian, Kaitag, Kalderash Romani, Kalmyk, Karaim, Karakalpak, Karata, Karelian, Kazakh, Ket, Khakas, Khanty, Khinalug, Khorasani Turkic, Khwarshi, Kildin Sámi, Kili, Komi, Koryak, Krymchak, Kryts, Kubachi, Kumandy, Kumyk, Kurdish, Kyrgyz, Lak, Lezgi, Lingua Franca Nova, Lithuanian, Ludic, Macedonian, Mansi, Mari, Moksha, Moldovan, Mongolian, Montenegrin, Nanai, Negidal, Nenets, Nganasan, Nivkh, Nogai, Old Church Slavonic, Oroch, Orok, Ossetian, Pontic Greek, Romanian, Rushani, Russian, Rusyn, Rutul, Selkup, Serbian, Shor, Shughni, Siberian Tatar, Sirenik, Slovio, Soyot, Tabassaran, Tajik, Talysh, Tat, Tatar, Teleut, Ter Sámi, Tindi, Tofa, Tsakhur, Tsez, Turkmen, Tuvan, Ubykh, Udege, Udi, Udmurt, Ukrainian, Ulch, Urum, Uyghur, Uzbek, Veps, Votic, Wakhi, West Polesian, Xibe, Yaghnobi, Yakut, Yazghulami, Yukaghir (Northern / Tundra), Yukaghir (Southern / Kolyma), Yupik (Central Siberian)

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 31.03.22

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