Shapsug Adyghe dialect

Subdialects

• The Black Sea coast dialects
• *Natukhai dialect
• *Shapsug dialect
• **North Shapsugs, Great Shapsugs, Kuban Shapsugs dialect.
• ***Kfar Kama dialect : Shapsug dialect spoken by the villagers of Kfar Kama in Israel.
• **South Shapsugs, Small Shapsugs, Coastal Shapsugs Black Sea Shapsugs dialect.
• *Hakuchi dialect

  Phonology

Palatalized velar stops

• Shapsug гь became дж in other dialects:
• Shapsug кь became ч in other dialects:
• Shapsug кӏь became кӏ in other dialects:

  Retroflex affricates

• Chemguy чъ became ч in Shapsug :
• Chemguy чӏ became кӏ in Shapsug :

  Dropped consonants

• The consonant м is dropped before bilabial stops б, п, пӏ :
• The consonant н is dropped before postalveolar affricates дж, ч, кӏ and before alveolar stops д, т, тӏ :
• The consonant р is dropped before a voiceless alveolar stop т :

  Aspirated consonants

• Shapsug пʰ ↔ п in other dialects :
• Shapsug тʰ ↔ т in other dialects :
• Shapsug цʰ ↔ ц in other dialects :
• Shapsug шʰ ↔ щ in other Adyghe dialects :
• Shapsug кь ↔ ч in other dialects :
• Shapsug кʰу ↔ ку in other dialects :
• Shapsug къʰ ↔ къ in other Adyghe dialects :
• Shapsug къуʰ ↔ къу in other Adyghe dialects :
• Shapsug чъʰу ↔ чу in Temirgoy:

  Others

• Shapsug сӏ ↔ цӏ in other dialects:

• Shapsug щу ↔ шъу in Standard:
• Shapsug жьу ↔ жъу in Standard:

• Shapsug с ↔ ц in Standard:
• Shapsug шъухъу ↔ шхъу in Standard:
• Shapsug р ↔ н in Standard:
• Shapsug ф ↔ м in Standard:
• Shapsug ц ↔ с in Standard:

  Grammar differences

Instrumental case

• Shapsug: Кӏалэр Адыгэбзэгьэ мэгущаӏэ ↔ Standard: Кӏалэр Адыгэбзэкӏэ мэгущаӏэ - "The boy speaks Adyghe language".
• Shapsug: Къэлэмымгьэ сэтхэ ↔ Standard: Къэлэмымкӏэ сэтхэ - "I write with the pencil".

  Desirement mood

• Туканым сыкӏорагъу - "I want to go to the shop".
• Есыпӏэм рэкӏорэгъуагъ - "he wanted to go to the pool".
• Къэкӏорэгъот кӏалэр - "The boy would want to come".
• Тутын уешъорагъуа? - "Do you want to smoke cigarette?".
• Нэущы уздэгущаӏэрагъу - "I want to speak with you tomorrow".
• Сышхэрагъу игь - "I want to eat now".

  Upward prefix

Demonstratives

2. : а ӏанэ — that table
3. : а пшъашъэ — that girl
4. : а кӏалэм еӏо — that boy is saying

• The determiner 'а' /ʔaː/ refer to a referent that is far away and invisible to both the speaker and the listener. It is similar to the English language determiner, but with the condition that the referent has to be invisible or far away.

2. : у ӏанэ — that table
3. : у пшъашъэ — that girl
4. : у кӀалэм еӀо — that boy is saying

• The determiner 'у' refer to a referent that is visible and in a known distance from both the speaker and the listener. It is similar to the English language determiner, but with the condition that the referent has to be visible.

2. : мы ӏанэ — this table
3. : мы пшъашъэ — this girl
4. : мы кӀалэм еӀо — this boy is saying
5. : мы мэгъэ — this year

• The determiner 'мы' refer to a referent that is close to both the speaker and the listener. It is exactly like the English language determiner.

2. : дыу ӏанэ — that table over there
3. : дыу пшъашъэ — that girl over there
4. : дыу кӀалэм еӀо — that boy over there is saying
5. : дыу цӀыфэр улъэгъуа? — Do you see that person over there?

• The determiner 'дыу' refer to a referent that is visible. This determiner is used when the speaker wants to emphasizes that the object is in his sight, so that the listener will expect the referent to be the thing he looks at. It is usually used to introduce a new referent, for example it can be used to refer to a stranger on the street or to refer to a certain object on the field that is visible. This determiner might be used while pointing one's finger at the people or objects in question.

2. : дымы ӏанэ — this table over here
3. : дымы пшъашъэ — this girl over here
4. : дымы кӀалэм еӀо — this boy over here is saying
5. : дымы цӀыфэр улъэгъуа? — Do you see this person over here?

• The determiner 'дымы' refer to a referent that is visible. This determiner is similar to the determiner дымо. This is used instead of дымо when the referent is very near. Like the determiner дымо, it might be used while pointing one's finger at the referent in question. Even without pointing fingers the listener will expect the referent to be the thing the speaker looks at. It can be used to point on objects in a room for example.

2. : гьэ ӏанэ — that table
3. : гьэ пшъашъэ — that girl
4. : гьэ кӏалэм еӏо — that boy is saying

• The determiner 'гьэ' refer to a referent which is usually invisible. This determiner is used when the referent in the conversation is clear to both the speaker and the listener. Someone would use this determiner in order to emphasizes that both he and the listener have the same referent in mind.

  У vs. Мо

Sample

Future tense

Interrogative words

• шъыд.
• лӏэу.

Location

Big suffix (~фо)

• The standard Adyghe's suffix -шхо /-ʃxʷa/ which means big or mighty is -фo /-fˠa/ in the Shapsug dialect :

  Positional prefix directly (джэхэ~)

• The standard Adyghe's positional prefix -жэхэ /-ʒaxa/ which designates action directed at something or someone forcefully is -джэхэ /-d͡ʒaxa/ in the Shapsug dialect :

  Positional prefix merging (го~)

• In the Shapsug and Natukhai dialects, the verbal prefix го~ /ɡʷa-/ designates process of joining or merging with an object on a body. This positional conjugation does not exist in other Circassian dialects. for example :

  Vocabulary

Sample text