Proto-Northwest Caucasian language explained
Proto-Northwest Caucasian (sometimes abbreviated PNWC), also Proto-Adyghe-Abazgi or Proto-Adyghe-Abkhaz, is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Northwest Caucasian languages.
Phonology
Consonants
Proto-NWC | | Ubykh | Proto-Circassian |
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|
| b | b | pː |
|
|
| xʷ |
|
|
| p | tʷ | t |
| b | (tʷ~dʷ) | tː |
| b | dʷ | d |
| pʼ | tʷʼ | tʼ |
| p | f | p |
| f | f | b |
| tsʲ | tʷ | – |
| dzʲ | dʷ | d |
| tsʲʼ | tʷʼ | tʼ |
| p | vˤ | p |
| – | bˤ | pː |
| b | bˤ | b |
| – | pˤʼ | pʼ |
| m | mˤ | m |
|
| t | tː |
|
|
| r | d-,r~ʁ | tː-,r |
|
| r | ɮ | dz |
| tʷ | t |
| d(ʷ) | tʷ | tː |
| d |
| tʼ |
| tʷ | – | ts |
| tʷʼ | tʷʼ | tsʼ |
| s-c |
| ts | tsː |
| dz | dz~z |
|
|
| z | dz~z | z |
| (s) |
| dzʲ(?) | ts | tsː |
| dz~z |
| tsʼ |
| s |
| z | dzʲ~zʲ | z |
| sʷ- |
| tsʷ | tsʷ | tsʷː |
| – | dzʷ |
|
|
| dzʷ~zʷ | zʷ |
| (tʃ) | – | tsʲ |
| dʒ~ʒ | dʒʲ | dzʲ |
| tʃʼ | tʃʲʼ | tsʲʼ |
| sʲ | tʃʷ | sʲ |
| dzʲ~zʲ | ʒʷ | zʲ |
| tsʲ | ts | s |
| dzʲ | dz | dz~z |
| tsʲʼ | tsʼ | tsʲʼ(?) |
| sʲ | s | s |
| zʲ | z | z |
|
| dzʲ(~tɕ) | tɕ | tɕː |
| dʑ~ʑ |
|
| ʃ(?) | ɕ | ʃ |
| ʃ | ɕ | ʃː |
| ʒ | ʑ | ʒ |
|
| tʃ | tʃ | tɕ |
| zʷ | tʃ | tɕː |
| dzʷ~zʷ | dʒ | dʑ~ʑ |
| tʃʼ | tʃʼ | tɕʼ |
| sʷ | ʃ | ʃ |
| ʃ | ʃ | ʃː |
| zʲ(?) | ʒ | ʒ |
| tʃ | tɕ | tʃ |
| dʒ~ʒ | tɕ | tʃː |
| tʃʼ | tɕʼ | tʃʼ |
| ʃʷ | ʃʷ | sʲ |
| ʃ | sʷ | ʃː |
| ʒʷ | ʒʷ | zʲ |
| x | ɕ | tɕ |
| ts | (sʲ) | tɕː |
| l | ɮ | tħ |
| x/tsʼ | tsʲʼ | tɕʼ |
| – | sʲ | ɕ |
| x | sʲ | ɕː |
| l | d-,Ø~j | tħ-,ɮ |
| xʲ | ɕ | tɕ |
| ɣʲ | ʁ(~zʲ) | ɣ |
| ɕ | tɬʼ | tɬʼ |
| ɕ | ɬ | ɬ |
| ʑ | ɮ | ɮ |
| r-,l~ɣʲ | ɮ | d- |
| tsʷ | tsʷ | tʃ |
| tsʷ | tsʷ | tʃː |
| l | w | ħ |
| tsʼ(ʷ) | tsʼ(ʷ) | tʃʼ |
| ʃ | sʷ | x(ʷ) |
| ʃ | s(ʷ) | ɕː |
| tʃʷ | f | x |
| ʒʷ | dʑ | tɕː |
| dʒʷ | dʒ | ɮ |
| tʃʷʼ | tsʼ | tɕʼ |
| ʃ | ʃʷ | x(ʷ) |
| ʒ | ʒʷ | ɣʲ |
| k | kʲ | kʲ |
| ɡ | ɡʲ | ɡʲ |
| kʼ | kʲʼ | kʲʼ |
| x | ɕ | x |
| ɣ | ɣ~ʁ | ɣ |
| kʲ | – | kʲ |
| ɡʲ | – | ɡʲ |
| xʲ | sʲ | ɕ |
| ɣʲ | zʲ | ʑ |
|
| ɡʷ | ɡʷ | kʷː |
|
|
| xʷ | x | x(ʷ) |
| ɡʷ | ɡʲ 1 | ɡʷ |
| kʷʼ | kʲʼ | kʷʲʼ |
| sʷ | xʲ | xʷ |
| zʷ | ʁʲ | ʁʷ |
| (ħ) | q | q- |
| q | q | qː |
| ɣ | ʁ | ʁ |
| qʼ | qʼ | qː |
| ħ | χ | χ |
| ʕ | ʁ | ʁ |
| q | qʲ | – |
| ɣʲ | ʁʲ | – |
| qʲʼ | qʲʼ | ʔ |
| ħ | xʲ | χʲ |
| ʕ | ʁʲ | ʁ |
| ħʷ | qʷ | qʷ-,qʷː |
| qʷ | qʷ | qʷː |
| ɣʷ | ʁʷ | ʁʷ |
| qʷʼ | qʷʼ | qʷː |
| ħʷ | χʷ | χʷ |
| ʕʷ | ʁʷ | ʁʷ |
| ħ(ʷ) | xʲ | qʷ- |
| – | qʲ | qʷː |
| ɣ(ʷ) | ʁʲ | ʁʷ |
| ʕʷ(qʷʼ?) | qʲʼ | ʔʷ |
| ħ(ʷ) | χʲ | χʷ |
| ʕ(ʷ) | ʁʲ | ʁʷ |
| ʕ | – | qː |
| ħ(?) | qˤʼ | qː |
| – | χˤ | χ |
| ʕ | ʁˤ | ʁ |
| q | q(ˤ) | ħ |
| ʔ | qʼ | ʔ |
| ħ | qʼ | ʔ |
| ħ | χ(ˤ) | ħ |
| ʕ | ʁ | j |
| ħʷ | χˤʷ | qʷ- |
| ʕʷ | qˤ(ʷ) | qʷː |
| qʷʼ(qʷ) | qˤʷʼ | qʷː |
| ħʷ | χˤʷ | χʷ |
| (ħʷ?) | ʁˤʷ | ʁʷ |
| qʷ | χʷ | ħ |
| ʕʷ | qʷʼ | ʔʷ |
| ħʷ | qʷʼ | ʔʷ |
| ʕʷ | w | w~ʁʷ | |
- In Circassian and Abkhaz, gʷǝ is heart and in Ubykh it's gʲǝ.
The most noticeable changes are:
Grammar
Numbers
English | Proto-NWC Schulze | Proto-NWC Colarusso | | Abkhaz | Abaza | Ubykh | | Adyghe | Kabardian |
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One | za | – | za-kʼə | akʼə | zakʼə | za | zə | zə | zə |
Two | tʼqʷʼa | tʼqʼo | ʕʷ-ba | ɥ-ba | ʕʷ-ba | tʼqʷʼa | tʷʼə | tʷʼə | tʷʼə |
Three | λ:ə | (y-)x̂ə/a | χ-ba | χ-ba/x-ba | χ-ba | ʂa | ɕə | ɕə | ɕə |
Four | pʼλʼa | – | pɕ-ba | pɕ-ba | pɕ-ba | pʼɬʼə | t͡ɬə | pɬʼə | pɬʼə |
Five | sx̂ʷə | (w-/y-)ćx̂ə | χʷ-ba | χʷ-ba/xʷ-ba | χʷ-ba | ɕxə | txʷə | tfə | txʷə |
Six | ɬʷə | (w-)x̂cə | tʃʷba? | f-ba | t͡s-ba | fə | xə | xə | xə |
Seven | bδə | ɣə́ | bəʑ-ba | bəʑ-ba | bəʑ-ba | blə | bɮə | blə | bɮə |
Eight | – | (w-/y-)ɣə/a | aʕ-ba | aa-ba | aʕ-ba | ʁʷa | jə | jə | jə |
Nine | bğʷʲə | ɣə́ | – | ʑʷ-ba | ʒʷ-ba | bʁʲə | bʁʷə | bʁʷə | bʁʷə |
Ten | bćʼʷə | (p-/w-)źə́/źá | – | ʑʷa-ba | ʒʷa-ba | ʑʷə | pʃʼə | pʃʼə | pɕʼə | |
Words
English | Proto-NWC | | Abkhaz | Abaza | Ubykh | | Adyghe | Kabardian |
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I | – | sa/sarˈa | sa/sarˈa | sa/sarˈa | səsan | sa | sa | sa |
Heart | ɡʲʷə | ɡʷə | ɡʷə | ɡʷə | ɡʲə | ɡʷə | ɡʷə | ɡʷə |
Sea | – | – | – | – | ɕʷa | xə | xə | xə |
They sell it | – | – | – | – | aːɕan | – | jaːɕan | jaːɕan |
I go | – | – | – | – | skʲʼan | skʷʼan | skʷʼan | skʷʼan |
I say | – | – | – | – | sqʼan | – | sʔʷan | sʔʷan |
Language/tongue | bǝźA | bzǝ | aːbz | bzǝ | bza | bza | bza | bza |
Red | – | – | – | – | pɬə | pɬəʑ | pɬəʑ | pɬəʑ |
Book, Letter | – | – | – | – | txəɬ | txəɬ | txəɬ | txəɬ |
top of the back | – | – | – | – | txə | txə | txə | txə |
Ox | c:ʷǝ | t͡sʷə | á-ć̌ | t͡ʃʷə | t͡sʷə | t͡sʷːə | t͡sʷə, t͡ʃʷə | və |
Blood | – | – | – | – | ɬa | ɬə | ɬə | ɬə |
Month/Moon | – | – | aːmza | məzə | məʒa | maːza | maːza | maːza |
Beard | – | – | – | – | ʒaːkʼʲa | ʒaːkʼʲa | ʒaːt͡ʃʼa | ʒaːt͡ʃʼa |
Dust | – | – | – | – | saːpa | saːpa | saːpa | saːba |
Barefoot | – | – | – | – | ɬapsʼə | ɬapsʼa | ɬapt͡sʼa | ɬapt͡sʼa |
Donkey | – | – | – | – | t͡ʃədə | ʃədə | ʃədə | ʃədə |
Hedgehog | – | – | – | – | pəzʲə | pəʐ | pəʐ | – |
Water | – | – | – | – | bzə | psə | psə | psə |
Fault | – | – | – | – | laːʑa | laːʑa | laːʑa | laːʑa |
House | ʁ́Iʷǝna | – | – | ʕʷna | – | wəna | wəna | wəna |
Mother | (a)nǝ | (a)nǝ | á-n | anǝ | na | aːna | nə | aːna |
Father | (a)ṕ:ǝ | ab | ab | aba | tʷǝ | at:a | tǝ | aːda |
heavy | anǝTa | xanǝta | á-χ́anta | χ́anta | – | want:aʁʷ | wantaʁʷ | wandaʁʷ |
cattle-shed | anǝTa | bawǝ-ra | bora | a-bóra, -bówra | bow | – | – | bow |
guest | – | – | – | – | pč̣́a | ħa-č̣́á | ħaṣ́a | ħāč̣́a |
mountain / hill | bǝɣA | – | bʁa | – | – | bɣǝ | bɣǝ | bɣǝ |
measles / scarlet fever / navel | bǝč̣́ǝ | bǝč̣́ǝ | a-bč̣́ǝ́ | bč̣́ǝ | bǝč̣́ǝ́ | – | nǝbǝǯ́ | bǝnža |
dust / bubble / blister | bǝbǝ | – | á-bǝb | – | – | psǝ-bǝb | psǝ-bǝb | psǝ-bǝb | |
See also
References
- STAROSTIN, Sergei A.; NIKOLAYEV, Sergei L. (1994). A North Caucasian Etymological Dictionary: Preface.
External links