Hatuqay dialect

Sounds Sound shifts Proto-Circassian is reconstructed as having a four-way laryngeal contrast in its stop series: voiced, voiceless unaspirated, voiceless aspirated, and ejective. While most modern Circassian varieties have neutralized the distinction between voiceless unaspirated and voiceless aspirated stops, the Hatuqay dialect generally maintains the original four-way contrast. == Grammar ==

Instrumental case The Hatuqay dialect exhibits distinct phonetic shifts when compared to the West Circassian literary standard (based largely on the Chemguy dialect). In the instrumental case the noun has the suffix -джэ (unlike other dialects that has the suffix -кӏэ): Interrogative words The word "what" in Standard Adyghe is сыд while in Hatuqay it is шъыд and from it derives different terms. Hatuqay has other words for "what": • шъыд • дыра Aspirated consonants Third-person plural possessive prefix In the West Literary standard, the third-person plural possessive prefix is а-. However, the Hatuqay dialect uses я-, a feature it shares with the Shapsug dialect and the Kabardian (East Circassian) language: Preverbs The preverb къы- functions freely across all dialects, sub-dialects, and the Adyghe literary language: къы-одэӏу —- "he/she listens to you." However, in standart Adyghe, when this preverb meets a personal marker, the vowel component of the preverb къы- drops out (elision) in rapid speech. However, in the Hatuqay dialect, the vowel is typically retained. For example: In several instances, dialects and sub-dialects present different phonetic variants of the same preverbs: Presumptive and Obligatory Moods In the standart dialect, both presumptive mood expressing probability ("likely," "probably") and the obligatory mood expressing necessity ("must," "necessary") are the same. However, in Hatuqay, they are distinguished: The morphological formants of the Hatuqay dialect largely coincide with those of the Bzhedug dialect. This is particularly evident in preverbs like къа-, фа-, and ха-, which utilize a different vowel sound than their Chemguy counterparts: A specific phonetic difference observed in Hatuqay is the inversion of the vowels ы and э in reflexive and spatial preverbs: Gerund forms The dialect features gerund forms ending in -рэ, such as кӏорэ ("going") or чъэрэ ("running"). == Vocabulary ==

The Hatuqay dialect shares a lot of its vocabulary with Bzhedug and Chemguy, and also employs some unique words: Despite being a Western dialect, it also shares some vocabulary with Kabardian: Since the Hatuqay dialect is not spoken in the Caucasus and spoken mostly in Turkey, only the Turkey variant of the Hatuqay dialect exists today. In addition to native terms, there are Turkish loanwords that do not exist in literary Adyghe, which are occasionally used alongside native equivalents: Like other diaspora variants of the Adyghe language, internationalisms in the Hatuqay dialect have been borrowed via Turkish, thus differ slightly from literary Adyghe which borrowed them from Russian: == Etymology and classification ==

Classification Circassian languages are divided into two groups: "West Circassian", known in English as "Adyghe", and "East Circassian", known in English as "Kabardian". The two are closely related and mutually intelligible to some degree. Both Adyghe and Kabardian speakers refer to their language as "Adyghe" and consider the eastern and western language variants to be dialects of one Circassian Adyghe language, rather than two related languages. Hatuqay is classified as a dialect of West Circassian, or Adyghe. Within the western group, Hatuqay is classified as one of the "Steppe dialects", a subgroup of that also includes the Chemguy, Abzakh and Bzhedug dialects, Thus, it can be considered an "in-between" dialect. Although a dialect of Western Circassian (Adyghe), it is considered the closest among the Western dialects to East Circassian. The name has been the subject of a folk etymology, which explains it as referring to the Hittites ('Son of Hittite'). A study about Circassians in Kayseri found that local Circassians frequently claimed descent from the Hittites. The etymology of Hattusa, capital of the Hittite Empire, is explained with Circassian хьэтӏу (two dogs) + щхьэ (head), which supposedly refers to the two sphinx statues guarding the gate of Hattusa. Some connected the Circassians with the Hattians rather than Hittites; and some authors explained the etymology of "Hatuqay" as "Hatti-Son". The Adyghe Encyclopedia published in Russia compares Hattian mythology and Nart sagas, including stories found in the Hatuqay Nart corpus. == History and distribution ==

Historically, the Hatuqay dialect was spoken in the Hatuqay Principality, which was originally located near the Black Sea coast, as well as the southern banks of the Kuban, a little further down from where the Afips (Афыпс) river flows. Many Nart sagas have been recorded in variants of the Hatuqay dialect. The Hatuqay dialect was recorded by Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi in the 17th century, who visited the Hatuqay region:Following the Circassian genocide and exile, the Hatuqay population was dispersed, the tribe effectively disappeared from the map. Currently, there are no remaining speakers of the Hatuqay dialect in the Caucasus region. Almost the entire Hatuqay tribe was exiled; The dialect survives in the diaspora, specifically in Turkey. It is spoken in approximately 20 Circassian villages located in the Pınarbaşı district of the Kayseri province (spesifically around Çörümşek valley), Consequently, Circassian dialectology studies conducted within the Caucasus rarely mention or analyze Hatuqay. Thus, the collection of data from the diaspora in Turkey is considered essential to filling the gaps in the study of this dialect. Data on the Hatuqay dialect is largely drawn from acoustic analyses of diaspora communities. Among Circassians in Kayseri, mastery of Kabardian is considered a primary social competency, regardless of an individual's tribe. Consequently, some Hatuqays primarily use Kabardian in their daily interactions. Some Hatuqay Circassians in Kayseri do not know Hatuqay at all and speak Kabardian instead of their native Hatuqay dialect. In Kayseri, there are also some Circassians of Shapsug and Makhosh origin who now identify as Hatuqay. == Sample text ==

Spesific examples to demonstrate changes in the Hatuqay dialect: == Notes ==