Language/Abkhazian/Pronunciation/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation
The Abkhazian alphabet is a unique writing system developed specifically for the Abkhaz language, spoken in the Republic of Abkhazia and by members of the Abkhaz diaspora. This alphabet is notable for its ability to capture the rich phonetic inventory of Abkhaz, which includes a wide range of sounds not found in many other languages. The creation and evolution of the Abkhazian alphabet reflect the language's complex phonological system and the historical and cultural influences on the region.
Alphabet and IPA pronunciation[edit | edit source]
The Abkhazian alphabet is particularly noteworthy for its extensive use of digraphs (pairs of letters used to represent a single sound) and its inclusion of letters that represent distinct sounds not commonly found in European languages. These features are essential for accurately conveying the rich array of Abkhaz phonemes, including its multiple ejective consonants and a series of unique fricatives and affricates.
The current Cyrillic-based alphabet includes 62 characters, making it one of the larger alphabets used today. This size is necessary to accommodate the Abkhaz language's extensive phonetic inventory, which includes sounds that are rare or nonexistent in most other languages.
The table below consists of a diverse set of characters, each with its own specific pronunciation indicated by the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). This system aims to provide a standardized representation of sounds to facilitate clear communication and study across different languages.
| Letter | Name | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| А а | А | /ɑ/ |
| Б б | Бы | /b/ |
| В в | Вы | /v/ |
| Г г | Гы | /ɡ/ |
| Гь гь | Гьы | /ɡʲ/ |
| Гә гә | Гәы | /ɡʷ/ |
| Ӷ ӷ | Ӷы | /ʁ/ |
| Ӷь ӷь | Ӷьы | /ʁʲ/ |
| Ӷә ӷә | Ӷәы | /ʁʷ/ |
| Д д | Ды | /d/ |
| Дә дә | Дәы | /d͡b/ |
| Е е | Е | /ɛ/ |
| Ж ж | Жы | /ʐ/ |
| Жь жь | Жьы | /ʒ/ |
| Жә жә | Жәы | /ʒᶣ/ |
| З з | Зы | /z/ |
| Ӡ ӡ | Ӡы | /d͡z/ |
| И и | Иы | /j, jɨ, ɨj, i/ |
| К к | Кы | /kʼ/ |
| Кь кь | Кьы | /kʼʲ/ |
| Кә кә | Кәы | /kʼʷ/ |
| Қ қ | Қы | /kʰ/ |
| Қь қь | Қьы | /kʲʰ/ |
| Қә қә | Қәы | /kʷʰ/ |
| Ҟ ҟ | Ҟы | /qʼ/ |
| Ҟь ҟь | Ҟьы | /qʼʲ/ |
| Ҟә ҟә | Ҟәы | /qʼʷ/ |
| Л л | Лы | /l/ |
| М м | Мы | /m/ |
| Н н | Ны | /n/ |
| О о | О | /ɔ/ |
| П п | Пы | /pʼ/ |
| Ԥ ԥ | Ԥы | /pʰ/ |
| Р р | Ры | /r/ |
| С с | Сы | /s/ |
| Т т | Ты | /tʼ/ |
| Тә тә | Тәы | /t͡pʼ/ |
| Ҭ ҭ | Ҭы | /tʰ/ |
| Ҭә ҭә | Ҭәы | /t͡pʰ/ |
| У у | Уы | /w, wɨ, ɨw, u/ |
| Ф ф | Фы | /f/ |
| Х х | Хы | /χ/ |
| Хь хь | Хьы | /χʲ/ |
| Хә хә | Хәы | /χʷ/ |
| Ҳ ҳ | Ҳы | /ħ/ |
| Ҳә ҳә | Ҳәы | /ħᶣ/ |
| Ц ц | Цы | /t͡sʰ/ |
| Цә цә | Цәы | /t͡ɕᵛʰ/ |
| Ҵ ҵ | Ҵы | /t͡sʼ/ |
| Ҵә ҵә | Ҵәы | /t͡ɕʼᵛ/ |
| Ч ч | Чы | /t͡ʃʰ/ |
| Ҷ ҷ | Ҷы | /t͡ʃʼ/ |
| Ҽ ҽ | Ҽы | /t͡ʂʰ/ |
| Ҿ ҿ | Ҿы | /t͡ʂʼ/ |
| Ш ш | Шы | /ʂ/ |
| Шь шь | Шьы | /ʃ/ |
| Шә шә | Шәы | /ʃᶣ/ |
| Ы ы | Ы | /ɨ/ |
| Ҩ ҩ | Ҩы | /ɥ ~ ɥˤ/ |
| Џ џ | Џы | /d͡ʐ/ |
| Џь џь | Џьы | /d͡ʒ/ |
| Ь ь | /ʲ/ | |
| Ә ә | /ʷ,ᶣ,ᵛ/ |
Development and History[edit | edit source]
The Abkhazian alphabet has undergone several changes since its inception. Initially, the Christian missionaries in the Caucasus region adapted the Georgian script for Abkhaz in the early 19th century. However, this script was not widely used. Later, in the 19th century, a Cyrillic-based script was developed but also did not gain widespread acceptance.
The most significant change came in the 20th century when the Abkhazian linguist Nikolai Marr developed a new alphabet based on the Latin script in the 1920s. This alphabet was designed to more accurately represent Abkhaz phonetics. However, in the 1930s, as part of broader Soviet policies, the writing system was switched to a Cyrillic-based alphabet, which, with modifications, is still in use today.