# Besleney Kabardian dialect

The Besleney Kabardian dialect (Adyghe: Беслъэнеибзэ, Besłæneibzæ [bejsɬanejəbza]) is one of the East Circassian dialects and usually considered a dialect of Kabardian. However, because the Besleney tribe lived at the center of Circassia, the Besleney dialect also shares a large number of features with dialects of Western Circassian.

## Phonology
### Palatalized velar stops

Like some other Kabardian dialects, the Besleney dialect has 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 Circassian dialects.
* Besleney гь [ɡʲ] became дж [d͡ʒ] in other dialects:
| Meaning | Besleney | Besleney | Standard Adyghe | Standard Adyghe | Kabardian | Kabardian |
| Meaning | Cyrillic | IPA | Cyrillic | IPA | Cyrillic | IPA |
| chicken | гед | ɡʲad | чэты | t͡ʃatə | джэд | d͡ʒad |
| cat | геду | ɡʲadəw | чэтыу | t͡ʃatəw | джэду | d͡ʒadəw |
| shirt | гянэ | ɡʲaːna | джанэ | dʒaːna | джанэ | dʒaːna |
| to study to read | еген | jaɡʲan | еджэн | jadʒan | еджэн | jadʒan |
| glass | абгь | ʔaːbgʲ | апч | ʔaːpt͡ʃ | абдж | ʔaːbd͡ʒ |
| game | гегу | ɡʲagʷ | джэгу | d͡ʒagʷ | джэгу | d͡ʒagʷ |
| bitter | дыгь | dəɡʲ | дыджы | dəd͡ʒə | дыдж | dəd͡ʒ |
| sick | сымаге | səmaːɡʲa | сымаджэ | səmaːd͡ʒa | сымаджэ | səmaːd͡ʒa |
| evil | бзаге | bzaːɡʲa | бзаджэ | bzaːd͡ʒa | бзаджэ | bzaːd͡ʒa |
| valley | къолаге | qʷalaːɡʲa | къоладжэ | qʷalaːd͡ʒa | къуэладжэ | qʷalaːd͡ʒa |
| noon | щэгегъо | ɕaɡʲaːʁʷa | щэджагъо | ɕad͡ʒaːʁʷa | шэджагъуэ | ʃad͡ʒaːʁʷa |
| infidel | геур | ɡʲaːwər | джаур | d͡ʒaːwər | джаур | d͡ʒaːwər |
* Besleney кь [kʲ] became ч [t͡ʃ] in other dialects:
| Meaning | Besleney | Besleney | Standard Adyghe | Standard Adyghe | Kabardian | Kabardian |
| Meaning | Cyrillic | IPA | Cyrillic | IPA | Cyrillic | IPA |
| throat | кий | kʲəj | чый | t͡ʃəj | чий | t͡ʃəj |
| spleen | ке | kʲa | чэ | t͡ʃa | чэ | t͡ʃa |
| to cough | пскен | pskʲan | псчэн | pst͡ʃan | псчэн | pst͡ʃan |
* Besleney кӏь [kʲʼ] became кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in other dialects:
| Meaning | Besleney | Besleney | Standard Adyghe | Standard Adyghe | Kabardian | Kabardian |
| Meaning | Cyrillic | IPA | Cyrillic | IPA | Cyrillic | IPA |
| egg | кӏенкӏе | kʲʼankʲʼa | кӏэнкӏэ | t͡ʃʼant͡ʃʼa | кӏэнкӏэ | t͡ʃʼant͡ʃʼa |
| ceiling | кӏяфэ | kʲʼaːfa | кӏашъо | t͡ʃʼaːʃʷa | кӏафэ | t͡ʃʼaːfa |
| rope | кӏяпсэ | kʲʼaːpsa | кӏапсэ | t͡ʃʼaːpsa | кӏапсэ | t͡ʃʼaːpsa |
| gun | кӏерахъо | kʲʼaraːχʷa | кӏэрахъо | t͡ʃʼaraːχʷa | кӏэрахъуэ | t͡ʃʼaraːχʷa |
| long | кӏихь | kʲʼəħ | кӏыхьэ | t͡ʃʼəħa | кӏыхь | t͡ʃʼəħ |
| to kill | укӏин | wkʲʼən | укӏын | wt͡ʃʼən | укӏын | wt͡ʃʼən |
| to move away | ӏукӏин | ʔʷəkʲʼən | ӏукӏын | ʔʷət͡ʃʼən | ӏукӏын | ʔʷət͡ʃʼən |
| key | ӏункӏибзэ | ʔʷənkʲʼəbza | ӏункӏыбзэ | ʔʷənt͡ʃʼəbza | ӏункӏыбз | ʔʷənt͡ʃʼəbz |
| beard | жьакӏе | ʑaːkʲʼa | жакӏэ | ʒaːt͡ʃʼa | жьакӏэ | ʑaːt͡ʃʼa |
| poor | тхьэмыщкӏь | tħaməɕkʲʼ | тхьамыкӏ | tħaːmət͡ʃʼ | тхьэмыщкӏэ | tħaməɕt͡ʃʼa |
| to be ashamed | укӏитэн | wəkʲʼətan | укӏытэн | wət͡ʃʼətan | укӏытэн | wət͡ʃʼətan |

### Palato-alveolar affricates

The palato-alveolar affricate consonants дж [d͡ʒ], ч [t͡ʃ] and кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] and the retroflex affricate consonants чъ [ʈʂ] and чӏ [ʈʂʼ] became palato-alveolar дж [d͡ʒ], дж [d͡ʒ], кӏ [t͡ʃʼ], дж [d͡ʒ] and кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in Besleney while in Kabardian they became alveolo-palatal ж [ʒ], ж [ʒ], щӏ [ɕʼ], ж [ʒ] and щӏ [ɕʼ].
* Western ч [t͡ʃ] became дж [d͡ʒ] in Besleney and ж [ʒ] in Kabardian :
| Meaning | Besleney | Besleney | Standard Adyghe | Standard Adyghe | Kabardian | Kabardian |
| Meaning | Cyrillic | IPA | Cyrillic | IPA | Cyrillic | IPA |
| cow | джэм | d͡ʒam | чэм | t͡ʃam | жэм | ʒam |
| spear | бджы | bd͡ʒə | пчы | pt͡ʃə | бжы | bʒə |
| goat | бджэн | bd͡ʒan | пчэн | pt͡ʃan | бжэн | bʒan |
| village | джылэ | d͡ʒəla | чылэ | t͡ʃəɮa | жылэ | ʒəɮa |
| night | джэщ | d͡ʒam | чэщы | t͡ʃaɕə | жэщ | ʒam |
* Western кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] survived in Besleney and became щӏ [ɕʼ] in Kabardian :
| Meaning | Besleney | Besleney | Standard Adyghe | Standard Adyghe | Kabardian | Kabardian |
| Meaning | Cyrillic | IPA | Cyrillic | IPA | Cyrillic | IPA |
| young man | кӏалэ | t͡ʃʼaːla | кӏалэ | t͡ʃʼaːɮa | щӏалэ | ɕʼaːla |
| new | кӏэ | t͡ʃʼa | кӏэ | t͡ʃʼa | щӏэ | ɕʼa |
| guest | хьакӏэ | ħaːt͡ʃʼa | хьакӏэ | ħaːt͡ʃʼa | хьащӏэ | ħaːɕʼa |
* Western чъ [ʈʂ] became дж [d͡ʒ] in Besleney and ж [ʒ] in Kabardian :
| Meaning | Besleney | Besleney | Standard Adyghe | Standard Adyghe | Kabardian | Kabardian |
| Meaning | Cyrillic | IPA | Cyrillic | IPA | Cyrillic | IPA |
| tree | джыг | d͡ʒəɣ | чъыгы | ʈʂəɣə | жыг | ʒəɣ |
| to sleep | джен | d͡ʒajn | чъыен | ʈʂəjan | жейн | ʒajn |
| to run | джэн | d͡ʒan | чъэн | ʈʂan | жэн | ʒan |
| to run down | еджэхын | jad͡ʒaxən | ечъэхын | jaʈʂaxən | ежэхын | jaʒaxən |
| goat | аджэ | aːd͡ʒa | ачъэ | aːʈʂa | ажэ | aːʒa |
| door | бджэ | bd͡ʒa | пчъэ | pʈʂa | бжэ | bʒa |

### Others

* Besleney чъ [t͡ʂ] ↔ ш [ʃ] in other dialects:
| Meaning | Besleney sub-dialect | Besleney sub-dialect | Standard Kabardian | Standard Kabardian | Standard Adyghe | Standard Adyghe |
| Meaning | Cyrillic | IPA | Cyrillic | IPA | Cyrillic | IPA |
| horse | чъы | t͡ʂə | шы | ʃə | шы | ʃə |
| sister | чъыпхъу | t͡ʂəpχʷ | шыпхъу | ʃəpχʷ | шыпхъу | ʃəpχʷ |
| wedding | нысачъэ | nəsaːt͡ʂa | нысашэ | nəsaːʃa | нысашэ | nəsaːʃa |