The Shapsug dialect (Template:Lang-ady; Template:Lang-kbd) is a dialect of Adyghe.[1] The Shapsug dialect is spoken by the Shapsugs, which are one of the largest Circassian population in the diaspora outside Republic of Adygea, alongside Abzakhs. The Shapsug dialect is very similar to the Natukhai dialect and together, they make the Black Sea coast dialects of Adyghe. The Shapsug dialect consists of three main sub dialects: Great Shapsug (North Shapsug), Small Shapsug (South Shapsug) and Hakuchi. The Shapsug dialect is best known as the dialect with palatalizedvelarstops.
In the Shapsug and Natukhai dialects there is 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 Adyghe dialects.[2][3][4][5] Note that the Shapsug dialect also has ч [t͡ʃ], дж [d͡ʒ] and кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in words like чэмы "cow", джэмышх "spoon" and кӏалэ "boy".
Shapsug гь [ɡʲ] became дж [d͡ʒ] in other dialects:
The retroflex affricate consonants чъ [ʈʂ] and чӏ [ʈʂʼ] (that exist in Chemguy and Bzhedug dialects) merged with the palato-alveolar affricate consonants ч [t͡ʃ] and кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in the Shapsug and Natukhai dialects.[6]
In the Shapsug dialect (Like the Bzhedug dialect) there exist a series of aspirated consonants (/pʰ/ /tʰ/ /ʃʰ/ /t͡sʰ/ /t͡ʃʰ/ /t͡ʂʰ/ /t͡ɕʰʷ/ /kʲʰ/ /kʰʷ/ /qʰ/ /qʰʷ/) that became plain consonants in other dialects:[8][9]
In the Shapsug and Natukhai dialects (like Bzhedug and Abzakh) there exist a labialized voiceless alveolo-palatal affricate[t͡ɕʷ]⟨чъу⟩ that correspond to [t͡sʷ]⟨цу⟩ in standard Adyghe Temirgoy.
The labializedretroflex consonants шъу [ʂʷ] and жъу [ʐʷ] in the literary Temirgoy dialect are alveolo-palatal щу [ɕʷ] and жьу [ʑʷ] in the Black Sea coast dialects of Adyghe (Shapsug dialect and Natukhai dialect).
In the instrumental case the noun has the suffix -мгьэ (-mɡʲa) or -гьэ (-gʲa) unlike other dialects that has the suffix -мкӏэ (-mt͡ʃa) or -кӏэ (-t͡ʃa).
Shapsug: Кӏалэр Адыгэбзэгьэ мэгущаӏэ ↔ Standard: Кӏалэр Адыгэбзэкӏэ мэгущаӏэ - "The boy speaks (using) Adyghe language".
Shapsug: Къэлэмымгьэ сэтхэ ↔ Standard: Къэлэмымкӏэ сэтхэ - "I write (using) with the pencil".
Future tense
In the Great Shapsug sub dialect (like Bzhedug) the future tense suffix is ~эт (~at) and in some cases ~ыт (~ət) unlike the Small Shapsug sub dialect that has (like Chemirguy) the Suffix ~щт (~ɕt)).
The standard Adyghe's suffix -шхо /-ʃxʷa/ which means big or mighty is -фo /-fˠa/ in the Shapsug dialect :
Meaning
Shapsug
Chemirguy
Cyrillic
IPA
Cyrillic
IPA
mighty God
тхьэфo
tħafˠa
тхьэшхо
tħaʃxʷa
large house
унэфo
wənafˠa
унэшхо
wənaʃxʷa
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 :
Meaning
Shapsug
Chemirguy
Cyrillic
IPA
Cyrillic
IPA
to collide with
джэхэхьэн
d͡ʒaxaħan
жэхэхьэн
ʒaxaħan
to hit someone
джэхэон
d͡ʒaxawan
жэхэон
ʒaxawan
to throw at someone
джэхэдзэн
d͡ʒaxad͡zan
жэхэдзэн
ʒaxad͡zan
to look steadily at
джэхэплъэн
d͡ʒaxapɬan
жэхэплъэн
ʒaxapɬan
to jump on someone for assault
джэхэпкӏьэн
d͡ʒaxapkʲʼan
жэхэпкӏэн
ʒaxapt͡ʃʼan
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 :
Meaning
Adyghe
Notes
Cyrillic
IPA
to throw at
годзэн
ɡʷad͡zan
to throw an object on a steed or someone's neck
to merge to
гохьэн
ɡʷaħan
to merge with an object
to look at
гоплъэн
ɡʷapɬan
to look at a steed or someone's neck
to fit at to fall at
гофэн
ɡʷafan
to fit on a steed or someone's neck an object to fall on a steed or someone's neck
to take from
гохын
ɡʷaxən
to take an object a steed or someone's neck
to come down from
гокӏын
ɡʷat͡ʃʼən
to get off a steed or someone's neck
to put at
голъхьэн
ɡʷaɬħan
to put an object on a steed or someone's neck
to stand on
гоуцон
ɡʷawt͡sʷan
to beat up someone
to fall from
гозын
ɡʷazən
to fall from the body of something or someone
цум
бжъитӏу
гот
цу-м
бжъ-итӏу
го-т
[t͡sʷəm
bʐəjtʷʼ
ɡʷat]
ox (erg.)
two horns
it have on his body
"the ox have two horns."
шыор
шым
гос
шыо-р
шы-м
го-с
[ʃəwar
ʃəm
ɡʷas]
the horseman (abs.)
horse (erg.)
(s)he is sitting on a body
"the horseman is sitting on the horse."
лӏыжъым
зылъакъо
готэп
лӏыжъы-м
зы-лъакъо
го-тэ-п
[ɬʼəʐəm
zəɬaːqʷa
ɡʷatap]
the old man (erg.)
one leg
(s)he doesn't have on his body
"the old man doesn't have one leg."
шым
зеохьыжьым
кӏалэу
госэр
гозэгъ
шы-м
зеохьы-жь-ым
кӏалэ-у
го-сэ-р
го-зэ-гъ
[ʃəm
zajwaħəʑəm
t͡ʃʼaːɮaw
ɡʷasar
ɡʷazaʁ]
house (erg.)
to get out of control
boy (adv.)
the one on the body
(s)he fell off the body
"when the horse got out of control the boy sitting on it fell."
