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Abaza language

{{Short description|Northwest Caucasian language}}{{Expand language|topic=|langcode=fr|otherarticle=Abaza (langue)|date=February 2025}}

{{More citations needed|date=October 2022}}

{{Infobox language

| name = Abaza

| nativename = {{lang|abq|абаза бызшва}} {{tlit|abq|abaza byzshwa}}

| states = North Caucasus

| region = Karachay-Cherkessia

| ethnicity = Abazins

| speakers = 49,800

| date = 2010–2014

| ref = e19

| familycolor = Caucasian

| fam1 = Northwest Caucasian

| fam2 = Abazgi

| nation = {{flag|Russia}}

  • {{flag|Karachay-Cherkessia}}

| iso3 = abq

| glotto = abaz1241

| glottorefname = Abaza

| notice = IPA

| script = Cyrillic, Latin

| map = Lang Status 60-DE.svg

| mapcaption = {{center|{{small|Abaza is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger{{cite web |url=https://en.wal.unesco.org/countries/russian-federation/languages/abaza |title=Abaza in Russian Federation

|work=UNESCO WAL |access-date=22 June 2024}}}}}}

| dia1 = Ashkherewa

| dia2 = T'ap'anta

}}

Abaza ({{lang|abq|абаза бызшва}}, {{lang|abq-Latn|abaza byzshwa}}; {{langx|ady|абазэбзэ}}) is a Northwest Caucasian language spoken by Abazins in Russia. The language has gone through several different orthographies based primarily on Latin and Cyrillic letters. Its consonant-to-vowel ratio is remarkably high; making it quite similar to many other languages from the same parent chain. The language evolved in popularity{{clarify|reason=What is this referring to? Was there a lot of change in the language at the time or was it standardized at this time? What kind of "popularity"?|date=July 2019}} in the mid to late 1800s, but has become an endangered language.{{Cite journal|title=The Structure and System in the Abaza Verbal Complex|journal=Transactions of the Philological Society|volume=55|pages=127–176|doi=10.1111/j.1467-968X.1956.tb00566.x|year = 1956|last1 = Allen|first1 = W. S.}}

Abaza is spoken by approximately 35,000 people in Russia, where it is written in a Cyrillic alphabet, as well as another 10,000 in Turkey, where the Latin script is used.

It consists of two dialects, the Ashkherewa dialect and the T'ap'anta dialect, which is the literary standard. The language also consists of five subdialects known as Psyzh-Krasnovostok, Abazakt, Apsua, Kubin-Elburgan and Kuvin.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/abazians.shtml|title=The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire|website=www.eki.ee|access-date=2017-02-10}}

Abaza, like its relatives in the family of Northwest Caucasian languages, is a highly agglutinative language. For example, the verb in the English sentence "He couldn't make them give it back to her" contains four arguments (a term used in valency grammar): he, them, it, to her. Abaza marks arguments morphologically, and incorporates all four arguments as pronominal prefixes on the verb.Dixon, R.M.W. (2000). "A Typology of Causatives: Form, Syntax, and Meaning". In Dixon, R.M.W. & Aikhenvald, Alexendra Y. Changing Valency: Case Studies in Transitivity. Cambridge University Press. p 57

It has a large consonantal inventory (63 phonemes) coupled with a minimal vowel inventory (two vowels). It is very closely related to Abkhaz,{{cite encyclopedia |editor-first=Dale H. |editor-last=Hoiberg |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |title=Abkhaz |edition=15th |year=2010 |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. |volume=I: A-ak Bayes |location=Chicago, Illinois |isbn=978-1-59339-837-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/33 33] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency/page/33 }} but it preserves a few phonemes which Abkhaz lacks, such as a voiced pharyngeal fricative. Work on Abaza has been carried out by W. S. Allen, Brian O'Herin, and John Colarusso.

History

Different forms of cultural assimilation contributed to its fall in use in areas of Russia, and over time its overall endangerment. The language can be broken into five different dialects and has several unique grammatical approaches to languages. The Abaza language was at its peak usage in the mid to late 19th century.

Abaza speakers along the Greater and Lesser Laba, Urup, and Greater and Lesser Zelenchuk rivers are from a wave of migrants in the 17th to 18th centuries who represent the Abaza speakers of today. The end of the Great Caucasian War in 1864 provided Russia with power and control of the local regions and contributed to the decrease in the popularity of pre-existing local languages prior to the war.

The Abaza language was not a written language until the Latin alphabet was adopted in 1932–1933 to write it. The Cyrillic script was later utilized to write the language in 1938. A small amount of books, pamphlets, and a newspaper were published in the Abaza language afterwards.{{Cite book|last=Akiner|first=Shirin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gd-3AAAAQBAJ|title=Islamic Peoples Of The Soviet Union|publisher=Routledge|year=1986|isbn=978-1-136-14274-1|pages=238–239|language=en}}

Geographic distribution

The Abaza language is spoken in Russia and Turkey. Although it is endangered, it is still spoken in several regions in Russia. These include Kara-Pago, Kubina, Psyzh, El'burgan, Inzhich-Chukun, Koi-dan, Abaza-Khabl', Malo-Abazinka, Tapanta, Krasnovostochni, Novokuvinski, Starokuvinski, Abazakt and Ap-sua.{{Cite web|url=https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/10125/RS|title=Abaza in Russia}}

Phonology

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|+ Consonant phonemes of Abaza[http://starling.rinet.ru/Texts/caucpref.pdf Starostin, Sergei A.; Nikolayev, Sergei L. (1994). A North Caucasian Etymological Dictionary: Preface, pp. 194-196][http://titus.fkidg1.uni-frankfurt.de/didact/caucasus/nwkklaut.htm Consonant Systems of the North-West Caucasian Languages (TITUS DIDACTICA)]

rowspan="2" colspan="2" |

! rowspan="2" | Labial

! colspan="2" | Alveolar

! colspan="3" | Postalveolar

! colspan="3" | Velar

! colspan="3" | Uvular

! colspan="2" | Pharyngeal

! rowspan="2" | Glottal

class=small

! plain

! sib.

! plain

! pal.

! lab.

! plain

! pal.

! lab.

! plain

! pal.

! lab.

! plain

! lab.

colspan=2 | Nasal

| {{IPAlink|m}}

| {{IPAlink|n}}

|

|

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rowspan="3" | Plosive/
Affricate

! voiceless

| {{IPAlink|p}}

| {{IPAlink|t}}

|{{IPAlink|t͡s}}

|{{IPAlink|t̠͡ʃ}}

| {{IPAlink|t͡ɕ}}

| {{IPAlink|t̠͡ʃʷ}}

| {{IPAlink|k}}

| {{IPAlink|kʲ}}

| {{IPAlink|kʷ}}

| {{IPAlink|q}}

|

| {{IPAlink|qʷ}}

|

|

| {{IPAlink|ʔ}}

ejective

|{{IPAlink|pʼ}}

|{{IPAlink|tʼ}}

|{{IPAlink|t͡sʼ}}

|{{IPAlink|t̠͡ʃʼ}}

|{{IPAlink|t͡ɕʼ}}

|{{IPAlink|t̠͡ʃʷʼ}}

|{{IPAlink|kʼ}}

|{{IPAlink|kʲʼ}}

|{{IPAlink|kʷʼ}}

|{{IPAlink|qʼ}}

|{{IPAlink|qʲʼ}}

|{{IPAlink|qʷʼ}}

|

|

|

voiced

| {{IPAlink|b}}

| {{IPAlink|d}}

|{{IPAlink|d͡z}}

|{{IPAlink|d̠͡ʒ}}

| {{IPAlink|d͡ʑ}}

| {{IPAlink|d̠͡ʒʷ}}

| {{IPAlink|ɡ}}

| {{IPAlink|ɡʲ}}

| {{IPAlink|ɡʷ}}

|

|

|

|

|

|

rowspan="3" | Fricative

! voiceless

| {{IPAlink|f}}

| {{IPAlink|ɬ}}

| {{IPAlink|s}}

| {{IPAlink|ʃ}}

| {{IPAlink|ɕ}}

| {{IPAlink|ʃʷ}}

| {{IPAlink|x}}

| {{IPAlink|xʲ}}

| {{IPAlink|xʷ}}

|

|

|

| {{IPAlink|ħ}}

| {{IPAlink|ħʷ}}

|

ejective

| {{IPAlink|fʼ}}

|{{IPAlink|ɬʼ}}

|

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voiced

| {{IPAlink|v}}

| {{IPAlink|ɮ}}

| {{IPAlink|z}}

| {{IPAlink|ʒ}}

| {{IPAlink|ʑ}}

| {{IPAlink|ʒʷ}}

| {{IPAlink|ɣ}}

| {{IPAlink|ɣʲ}}

| {{IPAlink|ɣʷ}}

|

|

|

| rowspan="2" |{{IPAlink|ʕ}}

| rowspan="2" |{{IPAlink|ʕʷ}}

|

colspan="2" | Approximant

|

|{{IPAlink|l}}

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| {{IPAlink|j}}

| {{IPAlink|w}}

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colspan="2" | Trill

|

| {{IPAlink|r}}

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The vowels {{IPA|[o, a, u]}} may have a {{IPAslink|j}} in front of it. The vowels {{IPAblink|e}} and {{IPAblink|i}} are allophones of {{IPAslink|a}} and {{IPAslink|ə}} (respectively) before palatalized consonants, while the vowels {{IPAblink|o}} and {{IPAblink|u}} are allophones of {{IPAslink|a}} and {{IPAslink|ə}} (respectively) before labialized consonants. The vowels {{IPAblink|e}}, {{IPAblink|o}}, {{IPAblink|i}}, and {{IPAblink|u}} can also occur as variants of the sequences /{{IPA|aj}}/, /{{IPA|aw}}/, /{{IPA|əj}}/ and /{{IPA|əw}}/.

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! !! Front !! Central !! Back

Close

| ({{IPAlink|i}}) || || ({{IPAlink|u}})

Mid

| ({{IPAlink|e}}) || {{IPAlink|ə}} || ({{IPAlink|o}})

Open

| ||{{IPAlink|a}} ||

Orthography

= Arabic script =

Around the late 19th to early 20th centuries, there were attempts to write Abaza with the Arabic script, but none of these attempts took hold.{{Cite book |last=Клычев |first=Р. Н. |title=Kavkazskie âzyki |last2=Чкадуа |first2=Л. П. |date=2001 |publisher=Academia |isbn=978-5-87444-079-4 |editor-last=Institut âzykoznaniâ |series=Âzyki mira |location=Moskva |chapter=Абазинский язык}}

= Latin script (1932–1938) =

File:Abaza latin alphabet.jpg

In 1932, the first widely used Abaza alphabet was created using the Latin script. It was used until 1938.{{cite book |author=Г. П. Сердюченко |url=http://apsnyteka.org/file/serdyuchenko_g_abazinsky_alfavit_i_orfografia_1938.pdf |title=Абазинский алфавит и орфография на русской графической основе |date=1938 |publisher=Чернациздательство |location=Ежово-Черкесск |pages=26}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

| style="width:5em;" |A a
{{IPA|[a]}}

| style="width:5em;" |B ʙ
{{IPA|/b/}}

| style="width:5em;" |C c
{{IPA|/t͡s/}}

| style="width:5em;" |Ç ç
{{IPA|/t͡sʼ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |D d
{{IPA|/d/}}

| style="width:5em;" |E e
{{IPA|[e]}}

| style="width:5em;" |F f
{{IPA|/f/}}

| style="width:5em;" |ꟻ 11x11px
{{IPA|/ʃʷ/}}

style="width:5em;" |G g
{{IPA|/ɡ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |Ɡ 16x16px
{{IPA|/d͡ʒ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |10x10px 9x9px
{{IPA|/ʔ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |H ɦ
{{IPA|/ħ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |Ɥ ɥ
{{IPA|/t͡ɕ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |10x10px 11x11px
{{IPA|/t͡ɕʼ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |I i
{{IPA|[i]}}

| style="width:5em;" |J j
{{IPA|/ʒʷ/}}

style="width:5em;" |K k
{{IPA|/k/}}

| style="width:5em;" |Ⱪ ⱪ
{{IPA|/kʼ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |L l
{{IPA|/l/}}

| style="width:5em;" |L̦ l̦
{{IPA|/ɬ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |M m
{{IPA|/m/}}

| style="width:5em;" |N n
{{IPA|/n/}}

| style="width:5em;" |O o
{{IPA|[o]}}

| style="width:5em;" |P p
{{IPA|/p/}}

style="width:5em;" |9px 7px
{{IPA|/pʼ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |Q q
{{IPA|/qʼ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |Ꝗ ꝗ
{{IPA|/d͡ʒ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |Ƣ ƣ
{{IPA|/ɣ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |R r
{{IPA|/r/}}

| style="width:5em;" |S s
{{IPA|/s/}}

| style="width:5em;" |Ş ş
{{IPA|/ʃ/}}

|10x10px 10x10px
{{IPA|/ɕ/}}

style="width:5em;" |T t
{{IPA|/t/}}

| style="width:5em;" |Ț ț
{{IPA|/tʼ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |U u
{{IPA|/w/, [u]}}

| style="width:5em;" |V v
{{IPA|/v/}}

| style="width:5em;" |X x
{{IPA|/x/}}

| style="width:5em;" |10x10px 7x7px
{{IPA|/q/}}

| style="width:5em;" |X13x13px x11x11px
{{IPA|/x/}}

| style="width:5em;" |13x13px y
{{IPA|/ʕ/}}

style="width:5em;" |Z z
{{IPA|/z/}}

| style="width:5em;" |Z̧ z̧
{{IPA|/d͡ʒʷ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |Ƶ ƶ
{{IPA|/ʒ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |Ʒ ʒ
{{IPA|/d͡z/}}

| style="width:5em;" |11x11px 12x12px
{{IPA|/ʑ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |10x10px 11x11px
/tɕʼʷ/

| style="width:5em;" |10x10px 10x10px
/tɕʷ/

| style="width:5em;" |12x12px 10x10px
{{IPA|/t͡ʃ/}}

style="width:5em;" |12x12px 8x8px
{{IPA|/t͡ʃʼ/}}

| style="width:5em;" |Ь ь
{{IPA|[ə]}}

| style="width:5em;" |I ı
{{IPA|/ʲ/}}

|

|

|

|

|

= Cyrillic script (1938–present) =

Since 1938, Abaza has been written with the version of the Cyrillic alphabet shown below.[https://eki.ee/knab/lat/kblabq.pdf Abaza (Place Names Database, Institute of the Estonian Language)][http://omniglot.com/writing/abaza.htm Abaza alphabet, pronunciation and language (Omniglot)]

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

| style="width:5em;" | А а
{{IPA|[a]}}

| style="width:5em;" | Б б
{{IPA|/b/}}

| style="width:5em;" | В в
{{IPA|/v/}}

| style="width:5em;" | Г г
{{IPA|/ɡ/}}

| style="width:5em;" | Гв гв
{{IPA|/ɡʷ/}}

| style="width:5em;" | Гъ гъ
{{IPA|/ɣ/}}

| style="width:5em;" | Гъв гъв
{{IPA|/ɣʷ/}}

| style="width:5em;" | Гъь гъь
{{IPA|/ɣʲ/}}

Гь гь
{{IPA|/ɡʲ/}}

| Гӏ гӏ
{{IPA|/ʕ/}}

| Гӏв гӏв
{{IPA|/ʕʷ/}}

| Д д
{{IPA|/d/}}

| Дж дж
{{IPA|/d͡ʒ/}}

| Джв джв
{{IPA|/d͡ʒʷ/}}

| Джь джь
{{IPA|/d͡ʑ/}}

| Дз дз
{{IPA|/d͡z/}}

Е е
{{IPA|[e]}}

| Ё ё
{{IPA|[jo]}}

| Ж ж
{{IPA|/ʒ/}}

| Жв жв
{{IPA|/ʒʷ/}}

| Жь жь
{{IPA|/ʑ/}}

| З з
{{IPA|/z/}}

| И и
{{IPA|[i]}}

| Й й
{{IPA|/j/}}

К к
{{IPA|/k/}}

| Кв кв
{{IPA|/kʷ/}}

| Къ къ
{{IPA|/qʼ/}}

| Къв къв
{{IPA|/qʷʼ/}}

| Къь къь
{{IPA|/qʲʼ/}}

| Кь кь
{{IPA|/kʲ/}}

| Кӏ кӏ
{{IPA|/kʼ/}}

| Кӏв кӏв
{{IPA|/kʷʼ/}}

Кӏь кӏь
{{IPA|/kʲʼ/}}

| Л л
{{IPA|/l/}}

| Ль ль
{{IPA|/ɮ/}}

| Лӏ лӏ
{{IPA|/ɬʼ/}}

| М м
{{IPA|/m/}}

| Н н
{{IPA|/n/}}

| О о
{{IPA|[o]}}

| П п
{{IPA|/p/}}

Пӏ пӏ
{{IPA|/pʼ/}}

| Р р
{{IPA|/r/}}

| С с
{{IPA|/s/}}

| Т т
{{IPA|/t/}}

| Тл тл
{{IPA|/ɬ/}}

| Тш тш
{{IPA|/t͡ʃ/}}

| Тӏ тӏ
{{IPA|/tʼ/}}

| У у

{{IPA|/w/, [u]}}

Ф ф
{{IPA|/f/}}

| Фӏ фӏ
{{IPA|/fʼ/}}

| Х х
{{IPA|/x/}}

| Хв хв
{{IPA|/xʷ/}}

| Хъ хъ
{{IPA|/q/}}

| Хъв хъв
{{IPA|/qʷ/}}

| Хь хь
{{IPA|/xʲ/}}

| Хӏ хӏ
{{IPA|/ħ/}}

Хӏв хӏв
{{IPA|/ħʷ/}}

| Ц ц
{{IPA|/t͡s/}}

| Цӏ цӏ
{{IPA|/t͡sʼ/}}

| Ч ч
{{IPA|/t͡ɕ/}}

| Чв чв
{{IPA|/t͡ʃʷ/}}

| Чӏ чӏ
{{IPA|/t͡ɕʼ/}}

| Чӏв чӏв
{{IPA|/t͡ʃʷʼ/}}

| Ш ш
{{IPA|/ʃ/}}

Шв шв
{{IPA|/ʃʷ/}}

| Шӏ шӏ
{{IPA|/t͡ʃʼ/}}

| Щ щ
{{IPA|/ɕ/}}

| Ъ ъ
{{IPA|/ʔ/}}

| Ы ы
{{IPA|[ə]}}

| Э э
{{IPA|[e]}}

| Ю ю
{{IPA|[ju]}}

| Я я
{{IPA|[ja]}}

The digraphs Лӏ and Фӏ are dialectal, and are therefore absent from the literary language and the official alphabet.{{Cite book|last=Сердюченко|first=Г. П.|title=Абазинский алфавит и орфография на русской графической основе|location=Ежово-Черкесск|publisher=Чернациздательство|year=1938|language=ru}}{{Cite web |title= Abaza (абаза бызшва)|url=https://www.omniglot.com/writing/abaza.htm|website=omniglot}}

Media

{{ill|Sultan Laguchev|ru|Лагучев, Султан Шамелевич}}, a singer-songwriter famous{{cn|date=July 2024}} in Russia, writes and performs songs in the Abaza language, including "Абыгъь гӏважьква" and "БаъапI бара." He has written an additional song in Russian entitled "Мы абазины" ('We are Abazins') about Abazinia.

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • {{lang|ru|Генко А. Н. Абазинский язык. Грамматический очерк наречия Тапанта. Москва-Лениград: АН СССР, 1955.}} {{in lang|ru}}
  • {{lang|ru|Ломтатидзе К. В. Тапантский диалект абхазского языка (с текстами). Тбилиси: Издательство Академии Наук Грузинской ССР, 1944.}} {{in lang|ru}}
  • {{lang|ru|Ломтатидзе К. В. Ашхарский диалект и его место среди других абхазско-абазинских диалектов. С текстами. Тбилиси: Издательство Академии Наук Грузинской ССР, 1954.}} {{in lang|ru}}
  • {{lang|ru|Мальбахова-Табулова Н. Т. Грамматика абазинского языка. Фонетика и морфология. Черкесск, 1976.}} {{in lang|ru}}
  • {{lang|ru|Чирикба В. А. Абазинский язык. В: Языки Российской Федерации и Соседних Государств. Энциклопедия. В трех томах. Т. 1. A-И. Москва: Наука, 1998, с. 1–8.}} {{in lang|ru}}
  • Allen, W.S. Structure and system in the Abaza verbal complex. In: Transactions of the Philological Society (Hertford), Oxford, 1956, p. 127-176.
  • {{lang|de|Bouda K. Das Abasinische, eine unbekannte abchasische Mundart. In: ZDMG, BD. 94, H. 2 (Neue Folge, Bd. 19), Berlin-Leipzig, 1940, S. 234–250.|italic=no}} {{in lang|de}}
  • O’Herin, B. Case and agreement in Abaza. Summer Institute of Linguistics, September 2002.

External links

{{Incubator|code = abq}}

  • [http://abazinka.ru The first in the world Abaza–Russian and Russian–Abaza online dictionaries]
  • [http://starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/response.cgi?root=new100&morpho=0&basename=new100\ncc\wcc&limit=-1 Abaza basic lexicon at the Global Lexicostatistical Database]
  • [http://archive.phonetics.ucla.edu/Language/ABQ/abq.html Recordings in Abaza language]
  • World Atlas of Language Structures information on [http://wals.info/languoid/lect/wals_code_abz Abaza]
  • [https://abaza.org/en/221 Speak Abaza: past, present and future of the Abaza language] - World Abaza Congress


{{Northwest Caucasian languages}}

{{Languages of the Caucasus}}

{{Languages of Russia}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abaza Language}}

Category:Agglutinative languages

Category:Definitely endangered languages

Category:Northwest Caucasian languages

Category:Indigenous languages of European Russia

Category:Languages of Turkey

Category:Karachay-Cherkessia

Category:Abazins

Category:Endangered Caucasian languages

Category:Vertical vowel systems

Category:Languages written in Cyrillic script