Kabardian (къэбэрдеибзэ)

Kabardian is a North West Caucasian language with about 650,000 speakers mainly in the Kabardian-Balkar and Karachay-Circassian Republics of Russia. It is also spoken in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the USA. Kabardian is also known as East Circassian or Upper Circassian.

Kabardian first appeared in writing in 1923 in a version of the Latin alphabet. Since 1936 it has been written with the Cyrillic alphabet. Like other Caucasian languages, Kabardian has very few vowels and a large number of consonants. Some of the consonants are written using combinations of as many as four letters.

Kabardian alphabet

Kabardian alphabet

Sample text in Kabardian

ЩӀэдзапӀэм деж Псалъэр щыӀащ. Ар Тхьэм и деж щыӀащ, а Псалъэри Тхьэуэ аращ.

Transliteration
Ščlèdzaplèm dež Psalʺèr ščylašč. Ar Txʹèm i dež ščylašč, a Psalʺèri Txʹèuè arašč

Translation

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(John 1: 1)

Source: http://www.language-museum.com/k/kabardian.htm

Links

Further details of the Kabardian language
http://languageserver.uni-graz.at/ls/lang?id=3045
http://jurthasan.chat.ru/FAM.HTM

Caucasian languages

Northeast Caucasian: Aghul, Akhvakh, Archi, Avar, Chechen, Dargwa, Godoberi, Hunzib, Ingush, Lak, Lezgian, Tabassaran, Tsez, Udi

Northwest Caucasian: Abaza, Abhkaz, Adyghe, Kabardian, Ubykh

South Caucasian (Kartvelian): Georgian, Laz, Mingrelian, Svan

Other languages written with the Cyrillic alphabet

Learn Chinese Characters with the Omniglot Chinese app