Besleney Kabardian dialect

The Besleney Kabardian dialect (Adyghe: Беслъэнеибзэ, Besłæneibzæ [bejsɬanejəbza]) is one of the East Circassian dialects and usually considered a dialect of Kabardian. However, because the Besleney tribe lived at the center of Circassia, the Besleney dialect also shares a large number of features with dialects of Western Circassian.

Besleney Kabardian dialect
Native to	Turkey
Ethnicity	Besleney
Language family	Northwest Caucasian Circassian Kabardian Besleney Kabardian dialect
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–

Phonology

Palatalized velar stops

Like some other Kabardian dialects, the Besleney dialect has a palatalized voiced velar stop [ɡʲ] ⟨гь⟩, a palatalized voiceless velar stop [kʲ] ⟨кь⟩ and a palatalized velar ejective [kʲʼ] ⟨кӏь⟩ that were merged with дж [d͡ʒ], ч [t͡ʃ] and кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in most Circassian dialects.^[1]

• Besleney гь [ɡʲ] became дж [d͡ʒ] in other dialects:

Meaning	Besleney		Standard Adyghe		Kabardian
	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA
chicken	гед	ɡʲad	чэты	t͡ʃatə	джэд	d͡ʒad
cat	геду	ɡʲadəw	чэтыу	t͡ʃatəw	джэду	d͡ʒadəw
shirt	гянэ	ɡʲaːna	джанэ	dʒaːna	джанэ	dʒaːna
to study to read	еген	jaɡʲan	еджэн	jadʒan	еджэн	jadʒan
glass	абгь	ʔaːbgʲ	апч	ʔaːpt͡ʃ	абдж	ʔaːbd͡ʒ
game	гегу	ɡʲagʷ	джэгу	d͡ʒagʷ	джэгу	d͡ʒagʷ
bitter	дыгь	dəɡʲ	дыджы	dəd͡ʒə	дыдж	dəd͡ʒ
sick	сымаге	səmaːɡʲa	сымаджэ	səmaːd͡ʒa	сымаджэ	səmaːd͡ʒa
evil	бзаге	bzaːɡʲa	бзаджэ	bzaːd͡ʒa	бзаджэ	bzaːd͡ʒa
valley	къолаге	qʷalaːɡʲa	къоладжэ	qʷalaːd͡ʒa	къуэладжэ	qʷalaːd͡ʒa
noon	щэгегъо	ɕaɡʲaːʁʷa	щэджагъо	ɕad͡ʒaːʁʷa	шэджагъуэ	ʃad͡ʒaːʁʷa
infidel	геур	ɡʲaːwər	джаур	d͡ʒaːwər	джаур	d͡ʒaːwər

• Besleney кь [kʲ] became ч [t͡ʃ] in other dialects:

Meaning	Besleney		Standard Adyghe		Kabardian
	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA
throat	кий	kʲəj	чый	t͡ʃəj	чий	t͡ʃəj
spleen	ке	kʲa	чэ	t͡ʃa	чэ	t͡ʃa
to cough	пскен	pskʲan	псчэн	pst͡ʃan	псчэн	pst͡ʃan

• Besleney кӏь [kʲʼ] became кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in other dialects:

Meaning	Besleney		Standard Adyghe		Kabardian
	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA
egg	кӏенкӏе	kʲʼankʲʼa	кӏэнкӏэ	t͡ʃʼant͡ʃʼa	кӏэнкӏэ	t͡ʃʼant͡ʃʼa
ceiling	кӏяфэ	kʲʼaːfa	кӏашъо	t͡ʃʼaːʃʷa	кӏафэ	t͡ʃʼaːfa
rope	кӏяпсэ	kʲʼaːpsa	кӏапсэ	t͡ʃʼaːpsa	кӏапсэ	t͡ʃʼaːpsa
gun	кӏерахъо	kʲʼaraːχʷa	кӏэрахъо	t͡ʃʼaraːχʷa	кӏэрахъуэ	t͡ʃʼaraːχʷa
long	кӏихь	kʲʼəħ	кӏыхьэ	t͡ʃʼəħa	кӏыхь	t͡ʃʼəħ
to kill	укӏин	wkʲʼən	укӏын	wt͡ʃʼən	укӏын	wt͡ʃʼən
to move away	ӏукӏин	ʔʷəkʲʼən	ӏукӏын	ʔʷət͡ʃʼən	ӏукӏын	ʔʷət͡ʃʼən
key	ӏункӏибзэ	ʔʷənkʲʼəbza	ӏункӏыбзэ	ʔʷənt͡ʃʼəbza	ӏункӏыбз	ʔʷənt͡ʃʼəbz
beard	жьакӏе	ʑaːkʲʼa	жакӏэ	ʒaːt͡ʃʼa	жьакӏэ	ʑaːt͡ʃʼa
poor	тхьэмыщкӏь	tħaməɕkʲʼ	тхьамыкӏ	tħaːmət͡ʃʼ	тхьэмыщкӏэ	tħaməɕt͡ʃʼa
to be ashamed	укӏитэн	wəkʲʼətan	укӏытэн	wət͡ʃʼətan	укӏытэн	wət͡ʃʼətan

Palato-alveolar affricates

The palato-alveolar affricate consonants дж [d͡ʒ], ч [t͡ʃ] and кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] and the retroflex affricate consonants чъ [ʈʂ] and чӏ [ʈʂʼ] became palato-alveolar дж [d͡ʒ], дж [d͡ʒ], кӏ [t͡ʃʼ], дж [d͡ʒ] and кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in Besleney while in Kabardian they became alveolo-palatal ж [ʒ], ж [ʒ], щӏ [ɕʼ], ж [ʒ] and щӏ [ɕʼ].^[2][3]

• Western ч [t͡ʃ] became дж [d͡ʒ] in Besleney and ж [ʒ] in Kabardian :

Meaning	Besleney		Standard Adyghe		Kabardian
	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA
cow	джэм	d͡ʒam	чэм	t͡ʃam	жэм	ʒam
spear	бджы	bd͡ʒə	пчы	pt͡ʃə	бжы	bʒə
goat	бджэн	bd͡ʒan	пчэн	pt͡ʃan	бжэн	bʒan
village	джылэ	d͡ʒəla	чылэ	t͡ʃəɮa	жылэ	ʒəɮa
night	джэщ	d͡ʒam	чэщы	t͡ʃaɕə	жэщ	ʒam

• Western кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] survived in Besleney and became щӏ [ɕʼ] in Kabardian :

Meaning	Besleney		Standard Adyghe		Kabardian
	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA
young man	кӏалэ	t͡ʃʼaːla	кӏалэ	t͡ʃʼaːɮa	щӏалэ	ɕʼaːla
new	кӏэ	t͡ʃʼa	кӏэ	t͡ʃʼa	щӏэ	ɕʼa
guest	хьакӏэ	ħaːt͡ʃʼa	хьакӏэ	ħaːt͡ʃʼa	хьащӏэ	ħaːɕʼa

• Western чъ [ʈʂ] became дж [d͡ʒ] in Besleney and ж [ʒ] in Kabardian :

Meaning	Besleney		Standard Adyghe		Kabardian
	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA
tree	джыг	d͡ʒəɣ	чъыгы	ʈʂəɣə	жыг	ʒəɣ
to sleep	джен	d͡ʒajn	чъыен	ʈʂəjan	жейн	ʒajn
to run	джэн	d͡ʒan	чъэн	ʈʂan	жэн	ʒan
to run down	еджэхын	jad͡ʒaxən	ечъэхын	jaʈʂaxən	ежэхын	jaʒaxən
goat	аджэ	aːd͡ʒa	ачъэ	aːʈʂa	ажэ	aːʒa
door	бджэ	bd͡ʒa	пчъэ	pʈʂa	бжэ	bʒa

Others

• Besleney чъ [t͡ʂ] ↔ ш [ʃ] in other dialects:

Meaning	Besleney sub-dialect		Standard Kabardian		Standard Adyghe
	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA
horse	чъы	t͡ʂə	шы	ʃə	шы	ʃə
sister	чъыпхъу	t͡ʂəpχʷ	шыпхъу	ʃəpχʷ	шыпхъу	ʃəpχʷ
wedding	нысачъэ	nəsaːt͡ʂa	нысашэ	nəsaːʃa	нысашэ	nəsaːʃa

See also

• Hakuchi Adyghe dialect
• Shapsug Adyghe dialect
• Bzhedug Adyghe Dialect
• Abzakh Adyghe dialect