# Abaza language

Abaza (абаза бызшва, abaza byzshwa; Adyghe: абазэбзэ) is a Northwest Caucasian language spoken by Abazins in Russia. The language has gone through several different orthographies based primarily on Latin and Cyrillic letters. Its consonant-to-vowel ratio is remarkably high; making it quite similar to many other languages from the same parent chain. The language evolved in popularity in the mid to late 1800s, but has become an endangered language.
Abaza is spoken by approximately 35,000 people in Russia, where it is written in a Cyrillic alphabet, as well as another 10,000 in Turkey, where the Latin script is used. It consists of two dialects, the Ashkherewa dialect and the T'ap'anta dialect, which is the literary standard. The language also consists of five subdialects known as Psyzh-Krasnovostok, Abazakt, Apsua, Kubin-Elburgan and Kuvin.
Abaza, like its relatives in the family of Northwest Caucasian languages, is a highly agglutinative language. For example, the verb in the English sentence "He couldn't make them give it back to her" contains four arguments (a term used in valency grammar): he, them, it, to her. Abaza marks arguments morphologically, and incorporates all four arguments as pronominal prefixes on the verb.
It has a large consonantal inventory (63 phonemes) coupled with a minimal vowel inventory (two vowels). It is very closely related to Abkhaz, but it preserves a few phonemes which Abkhaz lacks, such as a voiced pharyngeal fricative. Work on Abaza has been carried out by W. S. Allen, Brian O'Herin, and John Colarusso.

## History

Different forms of cultural assimilation contributed to its fall in use in areas of Russia, and over time its overall endangerment. The language can be broken into five different dialects and has several unique grammatical approaches to languages. The Abaza language was at its peak usage in the mid to late 19th century.
Abaza speakers along the Greater and Lesser Laba, Urup, and Greater and Lesser Zelenchuk rivers are from a wave of migrants in the 17th to 18th centuries who represent the Abaza speakers of today. The end of the Great Caucasian War in 1864 provided Russia with power and control of the local regions and contributed to the decrease in the popularity of pre-existing local languages prior to the war.
The Abaza language was not a written language until the Latin alphabet was adopted in 1932–1933 to write it. The Cyrillic script was later utilized to write the language in 1938. A small amount of books, pamphlets, and a newspaper were published in the Abaza language afterwards.

## Geographic distribution

The Abaza language is spoken in Russia and Turkey. Although it is endangered, it is still spoken in several regions in Russia. These include Kara-Pago, Kubina, Psyzh, El'burgan, Inzhich-Chukun, Koi-dan, Abaza-Khabl', Malo-Abazinka, Tapanta, Krasnovostochni, Novokuvinski, Starokuvinski, Abazakt and Ap-sua.

## Phonology

Consonant phonemes of Abaza :
| | | Labial | Alveolar | Alveolar | Postalveolar | Postalveolar | Postalveolar | Velar | Velar | Velar | Uvular | Uvular | Uvular | Pharyngeal | Pharyngeal | Glottal |
| | | Labial | plain | sib. | plain | pal. | lab. | plain | pal. | lab. | plain | pal. | lab. | plain | lab. | Glottal |
| Nasal | Nasal | m | n | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Plosive/ Affricate | voiceless | p | t | t͡s | t̠͡ʃ | t͡ɕ | t̠͡ʃʷ | k | kʲ | kʷ | q | | qʷ | | | ʔ |
| Plosive/ Affricate | ejective | pʼ | tʼ | t͡sʼ | t̠͡ʃʼ | t͡ɕʼ | t̠͡ʃʷʼ | kʼ | kʲʼ | kʷʼ | qʼ | qʲʼ | qʷʼ | | | |
| Plosive/ Affricate | voiced | b | d | d͡z | d̠͡ʒ | d͡ʑ | d̠͡ʒʷ | ɡ | ɡʲ | ɡʷ | | | | | | |
| Fricative | voiceless | f | ɬ | s | ʃ | ɕ | ʃʷ | x | xʲ | xʷ | | | | ħ | ħʷ | |
| Fricative | ejective | fʼ | ɬʼ | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Fricative | voiced | v | ɮ | z | ʒ | ʑ | ʒʷ | ɣ | ɣʲ | ɣʷ | | | | ʕ | ʕʷ | |
| Approximant | Approximant | | l | | | | | | j | w | | | | ʕ | ʕʷ | |
| Trill | Trill | | r | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
The vowels [o, a, u] may have a /j/ in front of it. The vowels [e] and [i] are allophones of /a/ and /ə/ (respectively) before palatalized consonants, while the vowels [o] and [u] are allophones of /a/ and /ə/ (respectively) before labialized consonants. The vowels [e], [o], [i], and [u] can also occur as variants of the sequences /aj/, /aw/, /əj/ and /əw/.
| | Front | Central | Back |
| Close | (i) | | (u) |
| Mid | (e) | ə | (o) |
| Open | | a | |

## Orthography

Since 1938, Abaza has been written with the version of the Cyrillic alphabet shown below.
| А а [a] | Б б /b/ | В в /v/ | Г г /ɡ/ | Гв гв /ɡʷ/ | Гъ гъ /ɣ/ | Гъв гъв /ɣʷ/ | Гъь гъь /ɣʲ/ |
| Гь гь /ɡʲ/ | Гӏ гӏ /ʕ/ | Гӏв гӏв /ʕʷ/ | Д д /d/ | Дж дж /d͡ʒ/ | Джв джв /d͡ʒʷ/ | Джь джь /d͡ʑ/ | Дз дз /d͡z/ |
| Е е [e] | Ё ё [jo] | Ж ж /ʒ/ | Жв жв /ʒʷ/ | Жь жь /ʑ/ | З з /z/ | И и [i] | Й й /j/ |
| К к /k/ | Кв кв /kʷ/ | Къ къ /qʼ/ | Къв къв /qʷʼ/ | Къь къь /qʲʼ/ | Кь кь /kʲ/ | Кӏ кӏ /kʼ/ | Кӏв кӏв /kʷʼ/ |
| Кӏь кӏь /kʲʼ/ | Л л /l/ | Ль ль /ɮ/ | Лӏ лӏ /ɬʼ/ | М м /m/ | Н н /n/ | О о [o] | П п /p/ |
| Пӏ пӏ /pʼ/ | Р р /r/ | С с /s/ | Т т /t/ | Тл тл /ɬ/ | Тш тш /t͡ʃ/ | Тӏ тӏ /tʼ/ | У у /w/, [u] |
| Ф ф /f/ | Фӏ фӏ /fʼ/ | Х х /x/ | Хв хв /xʷ/ | Хъ хъ /q/ | Хъв хъв /qʷ/ | Хь хь /xʲ/ | Хӏ хӏ /ħ/ |
| Хӏв хӏв /ħʷ/ | Ц ц /t͡s/ | Цӏ цӏ /t͡sʼ/ | Ч ч /t͡ɕ/ | Чв чв /t͡ʃʷ/ | Чӏ чӏ /t͡ɕʼ/ | Чӏв чӏв /t͡ʃʷʼ/ | Ш ш /ʃ/ |
| Шв шв /ʃʷ/ | Шӏ шӏ /t͡ʃʼ/ | Щ щ /ɕ/ | Ъ ъ /ʔ/ | Ы ы [ə] | Э э [e] | Ю ю [ju] | Я я [ja] |
The digraphs Лӏ and Фӏ are dialectal, and are therefore absent from the literary language and the official alphabet.

## Sample text

| Cyrillic Alphabet | Romanization |
| Алaквa aбaгa джвыквырцaн, йдырцун. Абaгa гӏaпсaн, aпсып гязaнкъвнaмгaхaзуaзтӏ. Алaквa «aбaр, ужвыбырг aбaгa йaмцӏaсуaштӏ» - ухӏвaуaтa йaхьыдзун. Арi aбaгa гвы aнaтын, зынлa aдгьыл тшыднaршвылтӏ. Швaбыжтa йымгӏвaйсуaз aлaквa гвы aрымтуaтa aбaгa йaхъыкъятӏ. Арaъa aбaгa хӏaйля чӏкӏвын тлaныкъвaлa йпaн, aхӏврa йылaщщтӏ. Арi aпштa, aбaгa йубузтын, йгӏaух...Хӏaрa хӏколхоз йызлaнхaуa тшы щaрдa эмaпӏ. Ауaт тшы брулькӏ рылaпӏ. Ауи «Бруль» aхьызпӏ. Аколхозник Адaмей a Бруль aцӏaйхӏвaн, мышӏ гaрa aбнз дaлaцaгӏ. | Alakva abaga džvıkvıran, ydırcun. Abaga g°apsan, apsıp gyazank''vnamgahazuazt°. Alakva «abar, užbıbırg abaga yamc°asyašt°» - uh°vauata yah'ıdzun. Ari abaga gvı anatın, zınla adg'ıl tšıdnaršvılt°. Švabıžta yımg°vaysuaz alakva gvı arımtuata abaga yah''ık''yat°. Ara''a abaga h°aylya č°k°vın tlanık''vala ypan, ah°vra yılaśśt°. Ari apšta, abaga yubuztın, yg°auh... H°ara h°kolhoz yızlanhaua tšı śarda emap°. Auat tšı brul'k° rılap°. Aui «Brul'» ah'ızp°. Akolhoznik Adamey a Brul' ac°ayh°van, mıš° gara abnz dalacag°. |

## Notable speakers

Sultan Laguchev, a singer-songwriter famous in Russia, writes and performs songs in the Abaza language, including "Абыгъь гӏважьква" and "БаъапI бара." He has written an additional song in Russian entitled "Мы абазины" ('We are Abazins') about Abazinia.