Adyghe (West Circassian)
Language Information
Adyghe (West Circassian) is an official language alongside Russian in the Republic of Adygea, an enclaved federal subject located in the southwestern North Caucasus region. It is also spoken in parts of neighboring regions like the Krasnodar Krai.
Adyghe belongs to the Northwest Caucasian (or Abkhazo-Adyghian) language family. It is completely unrelated to the Indo-European family (which includes English and Russian).
The native heartland of the Adyghe people is the historical region of Circassia along the Black Sea. Following the Russo-Circassian War and the subsequent Circassian genocide in the 1860s, up to 90% of the population was expelled by the Russian Empire into Ottoman territories. This explains why there are millions of ethnic Circassians living in the Middle East and Turkey today, heavily outnumbering those left in their Caucasus homeland.
Adyghe belongs to the Northwest Caucasian (or Abkhazo-Adyghian) language family. It is completely unrelated to the Indo-European family (which includes English and Russian).
The native heartland of the Adyghe people is the historical region of Circassia along the Black Sea. Following the Russo-Circassian War and the subsequent Circassian genocide in the 1860s, up to 90% of the population was expelled by the Russian Empire into Ottoman territories. This explains why there are millions of ethnic Circassians living in the Middle East and Turkey today, heavily outnumbering those left in their Caucasus homeland.
- Language Family
- Caucasian
- Subgroup
- Northwest Caucasian
Adyghe (West Circassian) Language Sample
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1
Adyghe
Цӏыф пстэури шъхьэфитэу, ялъытэныгъэрэ яфэшъуашэхэмрэкӏэ зэфэдэу къалъфы. Акъылрэ зэхэшӏыкӏ гъуазэрэ яӏэшъы, зыр зым зэкъош зэхашІэ азфагу дэлъэу зэфыщытынхэ фае.English translation
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Source: OHCHR translations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights