Circassian pronouns

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In the Circassian language, pronouns belong to the following groups: personal, demonstrative, possessive, interrogative, adherent and indefinite.

Contents

Personal pronouns

In Adyghe, personal pronouns are only expressed in first person, second person and reflexive second-person in singular and plural forms.

CaseFirst-personSecond-personReflexive third-person
CyrillicIPACyrillicIPACyrillicIPA
SingularAbsolutiveсэsaоwaежьjaʑ
Ergativeсэsaоwaежьjaʑ
Instrumentalсэркӏэsart͡ʃʼaоркӏэwart͡ʃʼaежькӏэjaʑt͡ʃʼa
Adverbialсэрэуsarawорэуwarawежьрэуjaʑraw
PluralAbsolutiveтэtaшъоʃʷaежьхэрjaʑxar
Ergativeтэtaшъоʃʷaежьхэмэjaʑxama
Instrumentalтэркӏэtart͡ʃʼaшъоркӏэʃʷart͡ʃʼaежьхэмкӏэjaʑxamt͡ʃʼa
Adverbialтэрэуtarawшъорэуʃʷarawежьхэрэуjaʑxaxaw
сэоусэплъэы
[sawawəsapɬə]
IyouI am looking at you
"I am looking at you."
мыӏофырсэркӏэкъины
[məʔʷafərsart͡ʃʼaqəjnə]
thiswork (abs.)for mehard
"this work is hard for me."
ежьсэкъысиӏуагъ
[jaʑsaqəsəjʔʷaːʁ]
him/herI(s)he told me
"he told me himself."

Demonstrative pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns are мы "this", мо "that", а "that". There is a contradistinction between 'мы' and 'мо' on how far the referred object is. The pronoun 'а' is neutral on this matter. Third person pronouns are expressed as demonstrative pronouns.

CaseBasic demonstratives
амомы
CyrillicIPACyrillicIPACyrillicIPA
SingularAbsolutiveарaːrморmorмырmər
Ergativeащaːɕмощmoɕмыщməɕ
Instrumentalащкӏэaːɕt͡ʃʼaмощкӏэmoɕt͡ʃʼaмыщкӏэməɕt͡ʃʼa
Adverbialарэуaːrawморэуmorawмырэуməraw
PluralAbsolutiveахэрaːxarмохэрmoxarмыхэрməxar
Ergativeахэмэaːxamaмохэмэmoxamaмыхэмэməxama
Instrumentalахэмкӏэaːxamt͡ʃʼaмохэмкӏэmoxamt͡ʃʼaмыхэмкӏэməxamt͡ʃʼa
Adverbialахэрэуaːxarawмохэрэуmoxarawмыхэрэуməxaraw
мороуимашинэ
[morwawəjmaːʃina]
this (abs.)youyour car
"That is your car."
ащкъысиӏуагъэрмыщесӏотэжьыгъ
[aːɕqəsəjʔʷaːʁarməɕqəjnə]
that (erg.)the thing (s)he told methis (erg.)I told him back
"I told this person the things that person told me."
ахэмкӏэмыджанэумощщыгъэрдахэ
[aːxamt͡ʃʼad͡ʒaːnawmoɕɕəʁərdaːxa]
for them (ins.)thisshirt (adv.)that (erg.)the thing (s)he is wearingbeautiful
"According to them, the shirt this person is wearing is beautiful."

The demonstrative pronouns джэ "that", дымы "this over here" and дымо "that over there" also exist in Circassian. There is a contradistinction between 'дымы' and 'дымо' on how far the referred object is. The pronoun 'джэ' is also neutral on this matter.

CaseOther demonstratives
дымодымыджэ
CyrillicIPACyrillicIPACyrillicIPA
SingularAbsolutiveдыморdəmorдымырdəmərджэрd͡ʒar
Ergativeдымощdəmoɕдымыщdəməɕджэщd͡ʒaɕ
Instrumentalдымощкӏэdəmoɕt͡ʃʼaдымыщкӏэdəməɕt͡ʃʼaджэщкӏэd͡ʒaɕt͡ʃʼa
Adverbialдыморэуdəmorawдымырэуdəmərawджэрэуd͡ʒaraw
PluralAbsolutiveдымохэрdəmoxarдымыхэрdəməxarджэхэрd͡ʒaxar
Ergativeдымохэмэdəmoxamaдымыхэмэdəməxamaджэхэмэd͡ʒaxama
Instrumentalдымохэмкӏэdəmoxamt͡ʃʼaдымыхэмкӏэdəməxamt͡ʃʼaджэхэмкӏэd͡ʒaxamt͡ʃʼa
Adverbialдымохэрэуdəmoxarawдымыхэрэуdəməxarawджэхэрэуd͡ʒaxaraw
дымощицуакъэишъоолъэгъуа?
[dəmoɕjət͡sʷaːqajəʃʷawaɬaʁʷaː]
that over there (erg.)his shoeits colordo you see it?
"Do you see the color of that person's shoe over there?"
джэхэмэсадэгущыӏагъ
[d͡ʒaxamasaːdaɡʷəɕəʔaːʁ]
those (erg.)I spoke to them
"I spoke to them."
дыморкӏалэукъысэуагъэр
[dəmort͡ʃʼaːɮawqəsawaːʁar]
that over there (abs.)boy (adv.)the one that hit me
"That is the boy that hit me over there."

Interrogative pronoun

The interrogative pronoun is тэ "which".

Case
CyrillicIPA
SingularAbsolutiveтэрtar
Ergativeтэщtaɕ
Instrumentalтэщкӏэtaɕt͡ʃʼa
Adverbialтэрэуtaraw
PluralAbsolutiveтэхэрtaxar
Ergativeтэхэмэtaxama
Instrumentalтэхэмкӏэtaxamt͡ʃʼa
Adverbialтэхэрэуtaxaraw

Auxiliary interrogative words:

хэткъэкӏуагъэ?
[xatqakʷʼaːʁa]
whothe person that came
"Who came?"
сыдкӏалэмыцӏэ?
[sədt͡ʃʼaːɮamət͡sʼa]
whatthe boy (erg.)his name
"What is the boy's name?"
непэтыдэущыӏэщт?
[najpatədawɕəʔaɕt]
todaywhereyou will be there
"Today where will you be?"

Possessive pronouns

CaseFirst-personSecond-personThird-personReflexive third-person
CyrillicIPACyrillicIPACyrillicIPACyrillicIPA
SingularAbsolutiveсэсыйsasəjоуйwawəjийjəjежьыйjaʑəj
Ergativeсэсыйsasəjоуйwawəjийjəjежьыйjaʑəj
Instrumentalсэсыемкӏэsasəjamt͡ʃʼaоуемкӏэwawəjamt͡ʃʼaиемкӏэjəjamt͡ʃʼaежьыемкӏэjaʑəjamt͡ʃʼa
Adverbialсэсыеуsasəjawоуеуwawəjawиеуjəjawежьыеуjaʑəjaw
PluralAbsolutiveтэтыйtatəjшъошъуйʃʷaʃʷəjяйjaːjежьыяйjaʑəjaːj
Ergativeтэтыйtatəjшъошъуйʃʷaʃʷəjяйjaːjежьыяйjaʑəjaːj
Instrumentalтэтыемкӏэtatəjamt͡ʃʼaшъошъуемкӏэʃʷaʃʷəjamt͡ʃʼaяемкӏэjaːjamt͡ʃʼaежьыяимкӏэjaʑəjaːjəmt͡ʃʼa
Adverbialтэтыеуtatəjawшъошъуеуʃʷaʃʷəjawяеуjaːjawежьыяеуjaʑəjaːjaw
мыджэгуалъэхэрсэсиех
[məd͡ʒaɡʷaːɬaxarsasəjax]
thistoys (abs.)they are mine
"these toys are mine."
дымоунэплъэгъурэсэсый
[dəmowənapɬaʁʷərasasəj]
that over therehousewhat one you're seeingmine
"That house you are seeing is mine."
мыроуяежья?
[mərwawəjaːjaʑjaː]
this (abs.)is it yours?is it his?
"Is this yours or his?"

The nouns in Adyghe are different by their accessory signs[ clarification needed ], which are broken down into the natural attribute and the property attribute. The natural attribute is for body parts and kin relationships (e.g. 'son', 'sister'). All other words belong to the property attribute.

PrefixMeaning
CyrillicIPA
Singular1st personс- or сы-/s-/ or /sə-/"my"
2nd personп- or у-/p-/ or /w-/"your"
3rd personы-/ə-/"his"
Plural1st personтэ- or т-/ta-/ or /t-/"our"
2nd personшъо- or шъу-/ʃʷa-/ or /ʃʷə-/"your"
3rd persona-/aː-/"their"
ышынахьыкӏэицӏэАслъан
[əʃənaːħət͡ʃʼajət͡sʼaaːsɬaːn]
his younger brotherhis nameAslan
"His younger brother's name is Aslan."
сэслъакъомэузы
[sasɬaːqʷamawzə]
Imy legit is hurting
"my leg hurts."
PrefixMeaning
CyrillicIPA
Singular1st personси-/səj-/"my"
2nd personуи-/wəj-/"your"
3rd personи-/jə-/"his"
Plural1st personти-/təj-/"our"
2nd personшъуи-/ʃʷəj-/"your"
3rd personя-/jaː-/"their"
сэсицӏэАслъан
[sasəjt͡sʼaaːsɬaːn]
Imy nameAslan
"My name is Aslan."
сэсиунэишъофыжьы
[sasəjwənajəʃʷafəʑə]
Imy houseits colorwhite
"The color of my house is white."
яджанэхэрнахьдахэхуиджанэхэмэ
[jaːd͡ʒaːnaxarnaːħdaːxaxwəjd͡ʒaːnaxama]
their clothes (abs.)morebeautiful (plural)your clothes (erg.)
"Their clothes are more beautiful than yours."

Indefinite pronoun

In Adyghe whole one - зыгорэ.[ clarification needed ] Serves for indication of all notions corresponding to English words "someone", "something", "someone", "something", "sometime", "somewhere", etc.

Changes either as noun – in number and in cases:

CaseSingular formPlural form
CyrillicIPACyrillicIPA
Absolutiveзыгорэzəɡʷaraзыгорэхэрzəɡʷaraxar
Ergativeзыгорэмzəɡʷaramзыгорэхэмэzəɡʷaraxama
Instrumentalзыгорэ(м)кӏэzəɡʷara(m)t͡ʃʼaзыгорэхэ(м)кӏэzəɡʷaraxa(m)t͡ʃʼa
Adverbialзыгорэуzəɡʷarawзыгорэхэуzəɡʷaraxaw
зыгорэпчъэмкъытеуагъ
[zəɡʷarapt͡ʂamqətajwaːʁ]
someone (abs.)door (erg.)(s)he knocked it
"someone has knocked the door."
кӏалэ горэмбэнанэрешхы
[t͡ʃʼaːɮa ɡʷarambanaːnajaʃxə]
some boy (erg.)the banana (abs.)he eats
"some boy is eating the banana"
пшъэшъэдахэ горэммыркъысиӏуагъ
[pʂaʂadaːxa ɡʷarammərqəsiʔʷaːʁ]
girlsome pretty (erg.)thishe/she told me
"some pretty girl told me this"

Circassian adherent pronouns:

Examples:

Хэти зышъхьамысыжьэу 1оф ыш1эн фае "Everyone must work hard".
Сыдрэ 1офри дэгъу, угу къыбде1эу бгъэцак1эмэ "Each job is good if it is made with soul".
Зыгори чэщдэсым къэкӏощтэп "Nobody will come to the party".
Пстэури экзамыным феджэх "Everyone is studying for the exam".
Ышъхьэкӏэ къыкӏонэу зэрэфамые къыӏуагъ "He said himself that he doesn't want to come".
Зыр къещхымэ унэм икӏыщтэп "One will not go out of the house if it is raining".
Зыхэр чэщым къыдэкӏыщтых, зыхэр къыдэкӏыщтыхэп "Some will go out in the night, some won't".

Indicatory pronouns

PronounCyrillicIPAMeaning
сэсэрыsarəit is me
оорыwarəit is you
ежьежьырjaʑərit is him
тэтэрыtarəit is us
шъошъорыʃʷarəit is you (plural)
ежьхэежьхэрjaʑəxarit is them
DeterminerCyrillicIPAMeaning
аарыaːrəthat one indeed
джэджарыd͡ʒaːrəexactly that one indeed
моморыmorəthat one
дыодыуарыdəwaːrəthat one over there
дымыдымарыdəmaːrəthis one over here
мымарыmaːrəthis one
тэтарыtaːrəwhich one
сэрыкъэшъугъотын фае
[sarəqaʃʷəʁʷatən faːja]
it is methe one you must find
"the one you must find is me."
арыкъысиIуагъэ
[aːrəqəsiʔʷaːʁa]
that isthe thing he told me
"that is what he told me"
дыморыкIалэусфэсIуагъэ
[dəmorət͡ʃaːlawsəfasʔʷaːʁa]
that is over thereboy (adv.)the thing i talked about
"here is the boy i talked about"

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References

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