Proto-Northwest Caucasian language

Proto-Northwest Caucasian (sometimes abbreviated PNWC), also Proto-Adyghe-Abazgi or Proto-Adyghe-Abkhaz, is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Northwest Caucasian languages.

Proto-Northwest Caucasian
PNWC
Reconstruction ofNorthwest Caucasian languages
Lower-order reconstructions

Phonology

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Consonants

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Proto-NWC Proto-Abazgi Ubykh Proto-Circassian
*p
*pː b b
*b
*pʼ
*f
*w
*m
*pʲ p t
*pʲː b (tʷ~dʷ)
*bʲ b d
*pʼʲ tʷʼ
*pʷ p f p
*bʷ f f b
*pʷʲ tsʲ
*bʷʲ dzʲ d
*pʷʲʼ tsʲʼ tʷʼ
*pˤ p p
*pˤː
*bˤ b b
*pˤʼ pˤʼ
*mˤ m m
*t
*tː t
*d
*tʼ
*r r d-,r~ʁ tː-,r
*n
*rʲ r ɮ dz
*tʷ t
*tʷː d(ʷ)
*dʷ d
*tʷʼ
*tʷʲ ts
*tʷʲʼ tʷʼ tʷʼ tsʼ
*ts s-c
*tsː ts tsː
*dz dz dz~z
*tsʼ
*s
*z z dz~z z
*tsʲ (s)
*tsʲː dzʲ(?) ts tsː
*dzʲ dz~z
*tsʲʼ tsʼ
*sʲ s
*zʲ z dzʲ~zʲ z
*tsʷ sʷ-
*tsʷː tsʷ tsʷ tsʷː
*dzʷ dzʷ
*tsʷʼ
*sʷ
*zʷ dzʷ~zʷ
*tsʷʲ (tʃ) tsʲ
*dzʷʲ dʒ~ʒ dʒʲ dzʲ
*tsʷʲʼ tʃʼ tʃʲʼ tsʲʼ
*sʷʲ tʃʷ
*zʷʲ dzʲ~zʲ ʒʷ
*tʃ tsʲ ts s
*dʒ dzʲ dz dz~z
*tʃʼ tsʲʼ tsʼ tsʲʼ(?)
*ʃ(~ʃː) s s
z z
*tɕ
*tɕː dzʲ(~tɕ) tɕː
*dʑ dʑ~ʑ
*tɕʼ
ʃ(?) ɕ ʃ
*ɕː ʃ ɕ ʃː
ʒ ʑ ʒ
*j
*tʃʷ
*tʃʷː tɕː
*dʒʷ dzʷ~zʷ dʑ~ʑ
*tʃʷʼ tʃʼ tʃʼ tɕʼ
*ʃʷ ʃ ʃ
*ʃʷː ʃ ʃ ʃː
*ʒʷ zʲ(?) ʒ ʒ
*tɕʷ
*tɕʷː dʒ~ʒ tʃː
*tɕʷʼ tʃʼ tɕʼ tʃʼ
*ɕʷ ʃʷ ʃʷ
*ɕʷː ʃ ʃː
*ʑʷ ʒʷ ʒʷ
*tɬ x ɕ
*tɬː ts (sʲ) tɕː
*dɮ l ɮ
*tɬʼ x/tsʼ tsʲʼ tɕʼ
ɕ
*ɬː x ɕː
*l l d-,Ø~j tħ-,ɮ
*tɬʲ ɕ
*dɮʲ ɣʲ ʁ(~zʲ) ɣ
*tɬʲʼ ɕ tɬʼ tɬʼ
*ɬʲ (~ɬʲʼː) ɕ ɬ ɬ
*ɮʲ ʑ ɮ ɮ
*lʲ r-,l~ɣʲ ɮ d-
*tɬʷ tsʷ tsʷ
*tɬʷː tsʷ tsʷ tʃː
*dɮʷ l w ħ
*tɬʷʼ tsʼ(ʷ) tsʼ(ʷ) tʃʼ
*ɬʷ ʃ x(ʷ)
*ɬʷː ʃ s(ʷ) ɕː
*tɬʷʲ tʃʷ f x
*tɬʷʲː ʒʷ tɕː
*dɮʷʲ dʒʷ ɮ
*tɬʷʲʼ tʃʷʼ tsʼ tɕʼ
*ɬʷʲ (~ɬʷː) ʃ ʃʷ x(ʷ)
*ɮʷʲ ʒ ʒʷ ɣʲ
*k k
ɡ ɡʲ ɡʲ
*kʼ kʲʼ kʲʼ
*x x ɕ x
ɣ ɣ~ʁ ɣ
*kʲ
*ɡʲ ɡʲ ɡʲ
*xʲ ɕ
*ɣʲ ɣʲ ʑ
*kʷ
*kʷː ɡʷ ɡʷ kʷː
*ɡʷ
*kʷʼ
*xʷ x x(ʷ)
*ɡʲʷ ɡʷ ɡʲ 1 ɡʷ
*kʷʲʼ kʷʼ kʲʼ kʷʲʼ
*xʷʲ
*ɣʷʲ(?) ʁʲ ʁʷ
*q (ħ) q q-
*qː q q
ɣ ʁ ʁ
*qʼ
ħ χ χ
ʕ ʁ ʁ
*qʲː q
*ɢʲ ɣʲ ʁʲ
*qʲʼ qʲʼ qʲʼ ʔ
*χʲ ħ χʲ
*ʁʲ ʕ ʁʲ ʁ
*qʷ ħʷ qʷ-,qʷː
*qʷː qʷː
*ɢʷ ɣʷ ʁʷ ʁʷ
*qʷʼ qʷʼ qʷʼ qʷː
*χʷ ħʷ χʷ χʷ
*ʁʷ ʕʷ ʁʷ ʁʷ
*qʷʲ ħ(ʷ) qʷ-
*qʷʲː qʷː
*ɢʷʲ ɣ(ʷ) ʁʲ ʁʷ
*qʷʲʼ ʕʷ(qʷʼ?) qʲʼ ʔʷ
*χʷʲ ħ(ʷ) χʲ χʷ
*ʁʷʲ ʕ(ʷ) ʁʲ ʁʷ
*qˤː ʕ
*qˤʼ ħ(?) qˤʼ
*χˤ χˤ χ
*ʁˤ ʕ ʁˤ ʁ
*qˤʲ q q(ˤ) ħ
*qˤʲː ʔ ʔ
*qˤʲʼ ħ ʔ
*χˤʲ ħ χ(ˤ) ħ
*ʁˤʲ ʕ ʁ j
*qˤʷ ħʷ χˤʷ qʷ-
*qˤʷː ʕʷ qˤ(ʷ) qʷː
*qˤʷʼ qʷʼ(qʷ) qˤʷʼ qʷː
*χˤʷ ħʷ χˤʷ χʷ
*ʁˤʷ (ħʷ?) ʁˤʷ ʁʷ
*qˤʷʲ χʷ ħ
*qˤʷʲː ʕʷ qʷʼ ʔʷ
*qˤʷʲʼ ħʷ qʷʼ ʔʷ
*ʁˤʷʲ ʕʷ w w~ʁʷ
  1. In Circassian and Abkhaz, gʷǝ is heart and in Ubykh it's gʲǝ.

The most noticeable changes are:

Grammar

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Numbers

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English Proto-NWC Schulze Proto-NWC Colarusso Proto-Abazgi Abkhaz Abaza Ubykh Proto-Circassian Adyghe Kabardian
One za za-kʼə akʼə zakʼə za
Two tʼqʷʼa tʼqʼo ʕʷ-ba ɥ-ba ʕʷ-ba tʼqʷʼa tʷʼə tʷʼə tʷʼə
Three λ:ə (y-)x̂ə/a χ-ba χ-ba/x-ba χ-ba ʂa ɕə ɕə ɕə
Four pʼλʼa pɕ-ba pɕ-ba pɕ-ba pʼɬʼə t͡ɬə pɬʼə pɬʼə
Five sx̂ʷə (w-/y-)ćx̂ə χʷ-ba χʷ-ba/xʷ-ba χʷ-ba ɕxə txʷə tfə txʷə
Six ɬʷə (w-)x̂cə tʃʷba? f-ba t͡s-ba
Seven bδə ɣə́ bəʑ-ba bəʑ-ba bəʑ-ba blə bɮə blə bɮə
Eight (w-/y-)ɣə/a aʕ-ba aa-ba aʕ-ba ʁʷa
Nine bğʷʲə ɣə́ ʑʷ-ba ʒʷ-ba bʁʲə bʁʷə bʁʷə bʁʷə
Ten bćʼʷə (p-/w-)źə́/źá ʑʷa-ba ʒʷa-ba ʑʷə pʃʼə pʃʼə pɕʼə

Words

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English Proto-NWC Proto-Abazgi Abkhaz Abaza Ubykh Proto-Circassian Adyghe Kabardian
I sa/sarˈa sa/sarˈa sa/sarˈa səsan sa sa sa
Heart ɡʲʷə ɡʷə ɡʷə ɡʷə ɡʲə ɡʷə ɡʷə ɡʷə
Sea ɕʷa
They sell it aːɕan jaːɕan jaːɕan
I go skʲʼan skʷʼan skʷʼan skʷʼan
I say sqʼan sʔʷan sʔʷan
Language/tongue bǝźA bzǝ aːbz bzǝ bza bza bza bza
Red pɬə pɬəʑ pɬəʑ pɬəʑ
Book, Letter txəɬ txəɬ txəɬ txəɬ
top of the back txə txə txə txə
Ox c:ʷǝ t͡sʷə á-ć̌ t͡ʃʷə t͡sʷə t͡sʷːə t͡sʷə, t͡ʃʷə
Blood ɬa ɬə ɬə ɬə
Month/Moon aːmza məzə məʒa maːza maːza maːza
Beard ʒaːkʼʲa ʒaːkʼʲa ʒaːt͡ʃʼa ʒaːt͡ʃʼa
Dust saːpa saːpa saːpa saːba
Barefoot ɬapsʼə ɬapsʼa ɬapt͡sʼa ɬapt͡sʼa
Donkey t͡ʃədə ʃədə ʃədə ʃədə
Hedgehog pəzʲə pəʐ pəʐ
Water bzə psə psə psə
Fault laːʑa laːʑa laːʑa laːʑa
House ʁ́Iʷǝna ʕʷna wəna wəna wəna
Mother (a)nǝ (a)nǝ á-n anǝ na aːna aːna
Father (a)ṕ:ǝ ab ab aba tʷǝ at:a aːda
heavy anǝTa xanǝta á-χ́anta χ́anta want:aʁʷ wantaʁʷ wandaʁʷ
cattle-shed anǝTa bawǝ-ra bora a-bóra, -bówra bow bow
guest pč̣́a ħa-č̣́á ħaṣ́a ħāč̣́a
mountain / hill bǝɣA bʁa bɣǝ bɣǝ bɣǝ
measles / scarlet fever / navel bǝč̣́ǝ bǝč̣́ǝ a-bč̣́ǝ́ bč̣́ǝ bǝč̣́ǝ́ nǝbǝǯ́ bǝnža
dust / bubble / blister bǝbǝ á-bǝb psǝ-bǝb psǝ-bǝb psǝ-bǝb

See also

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References

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  • STAROSTIN, Sergei A.; NIKOLAYEV, Sergei L. (1994). A North Caucasian Etymological Dictionary: Preface.
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