Caucasian Scripts

Caucasian alphabet systems based upon the Cyrillic script

J. Gippert The following tables include Georgian as well as those autochthonous Caucasian languages that have acquired the state of a "literary language" on the basis of the Cyrillic alphabet in Soviet times. Besides the letters as used in the modern language, the Georgian column contains (in parentheses) the additional characters of Old Georgian and [in brackets] those diacritic combinations that are used by Georgian Caucasologists for rendering sounds from other Caucasian languages not represented in Georgian (according to the list as given in Annual of Ibero-Caucasian Linguistics, vol. 1 after p. 326). The phonetic equivalents (in the second column) have to be regarded as tentative.

Transcription

phonetic

Abkhaz

Abaza

Adyghe

Cabardian

Chechen

Ingush

Avar

Lak

Dargwa

Lezgian

Tabasaran

Georgian

a) Labial consonants:

b

b

b

b

b

b

b

b

b

b

(b)

b

b

b

p

pc

Œ

p

p

p

p

p

p

p

p

p

p

f

p¯

p:

pp

pp

[f ]

p˙

p

p'

p'

p

p˙ °

p°

v

v

v

(v)

f

f

f

(f)

p

p'

p'

p'

p'

p'

p'

p'

[p°]

c c

p'u v f

c

(f')

e

pp

f

f

f

(f)

f ˙ w

f

w

u

u

u

u

v

v

v

v

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

b, v

v

v

v

f

f

f

[f] [f] ˙ [u] ˆ

f' v m

m

m

m

Caucasian alphabet systems based upon the Cyrillic script

Transcription

phonetic

Abkhaz

Abaza

Adyghe

Cabardian

Chechen

Ingush

Avar

Lak

Dargwa

Lezgian

Tabasaran

Georgian

b) Dental and alveolar consonants:

d

d

d

d

d

d

d

d

d

d

d

d

d

d

t

tc

é

t

t

t

t

t

t

t

t

t

t

t

¯t

t:

tt

tt

[t ]

t

e

tt

c

˙

t

t

t'

t'

t'

t'

t'

t'

t'

t'

t'

t'

4

j

j

i

i /

i /

i /

i /

i /

i /

i /

i /

i /

i /

(j)

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

d°

d°

dÓ

t°

t°c

éÓ

¯t°

t°:

t°

˙

t°

y

dz

Á

dz

dz

dz

dz

z

z

c

tsc

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c¯

ts:

cc

cc

c ˙

ts

c'

c'

c¯ ˙ z

ts : z

z

z

z

z

z

z

z

z

z

z

z

z

s

s

s

s

s

s

s

s

s

s

s

s

s

s

s¯

s:

ss

ss

y°

dz°

ÁÓ

dzu

zv

[&°]

c°

ts°

cÓ

cu

cv

[c°]

c¯ °

ts°:

ccv

[c°]

c° ˙

ts°

c'v

[~°]

z°

z°

zv

[z°]

s°

s°

sv

[s°]

[d°]

c'

c'

c'

t'v

[4°]

dz

z

z

&

c

c

c

c

cc

cc

[c ]

c'

c'

~

c'

[~ ]

“Ó

e

c

c

c

c'c'

[s ]

e

c'

[t°]

e

c'

ttv

e

“

t'u

[t°] e

tÓ

tv

c

Caucasian alphabet systems based upon the Cyrillic script

q

[%]

È

q'

k'

k'

[$]

9h

9h

9h

[x]

wh

<

<

[}]

cˇ |

tÿ

˜

c| ˇ ˙

tÿ

c

˜

ž|

y

š|

ÿ

s| ˇ

˙

ÿ

c

y ˇ

dy

6

d9

cˇ

tÿc

â

tw

cˇ¯

tÿ:

cˇ ˙

tÿ

cˇ¯ ˙

tÿ :

ž

y

9

9

9

9

9

9

9

9

9

9

9

x/[x ]

š

ÿ

w

w

w

w

w

w

w

w

w

w

w

}/[} ]

š¯

ÿ:

<

<

y ˇ°

dy°

d9v

9v

[#°]

cˇ °

tÿ°c

qv

qv

[%°]

cˇ¯ °

tÿ°:

9&

[%°]

c° ˇ ˙

tÿ°

q'v

q&

[$°]

ž°

y°

9Ó

9v

9v

[x°]

š°

ÿ°

wÓ

wv

wv

[}°]

zˆ

zˆ

9&

9h

[z′]

sˆ

sˆ

w&

<

[s′]

sˆ ˙ z°

sˆ

w'

<'

zˆ°

9&u

[s′] ˙ [z°] ′

sˆ°

sˆ°

w&u

[s°] ′

sˆ ° ˙

sˆ°

w'u

[s°] ˙′

˜

dy

˜

Georgian

q

Tabasaran

q

Lezgian

q

Dargwa

[#]

Lak

Cabardian d9

Avar

Adyghe d9

Ingush

Abaza d9h

Chechen

Abkhaz 6h

y ˇ|

˜

phonetic

Transcription

c) Palatal consonants:

˜

q

q

q

q

qq

qq

q'

q'

9

q

q

q

%/[% ]

qq

qq

[% ]

q'

q'

$/[$ ]

q'

[$ ]

e

e

[} ]

e

e

c

c

q'q'

e

q'

9

e

q'

d9

e

q'

9

e

w'

9

e

«

q&

d9

[s′] ˙ #/[# ] e

c

c

c c

Caucasian alphabet systems based upon the Cyrillic script

Chechen

l

l

ł

√

(tl)

l&

l&

ł¯

√:

l

˙

√

¯l

˙

√:

kl

[k]√ c:

l'

[4c°]

kl ˙

[k]√ :

kh

[l′]

l

l

l

l

r

r

r

r

r

—

g|

g

˜

k|

k

c

˜

k| ˙

k

c

˜

g|

g

˜

x|

x

˜

g

Avar l

[l/l ]

l&

[l‘]

l&l&

[l‘]

˜

Lak

Ingush l

l'

e

c

(l')

Georgian

Cabardian

l

Tabasaran

Adyghe

(lh)

Lezgian

Abaza

ø

Dargwa

phonetic

l

Abkhaz

Transcription

d) Lateral and velar consonants:

[l‘]

l'

˙

c

[l‘] e

˙

c

(lh) r

r

r

r

r

l

l

l

l

l

r

r

r

r

r [rh] ˜

rx' gh

[g ]

ıh

kh

[{ ]

kh

k'h

[k ]

¢h

g&h

[| ]

xh

xh

[X ]

g

g

g

k

kc

ı

k

k¯

kc:

k ˙

k

k¯ ˙ g

k: g

¢

g&

g

g

x

x

x

x

x

x

x¯

x:

g°

g°

gu

gv

gu

gu

gv

gv

[g°]

k°

k°c

ıu

kv

ku

ku

kv

kv

[{°]

¯ k°

k°:

kkv

kkv

[{°]

k°

k'v

k'v

[k°]

x°

˜

˜

˜

˜

gh

g

g

g

g

g

g

k

k

k

k

k

k

k

{

kk

kk

kk

kk

[{ ]

k'

k'

k'

k'

k

k'

k'

[k ]

xh

xh

g&

g

[|‘/g‘]

xh

xh

[X/X‘] [X‘]

xhxh

c

˙

k°

ku

k'v

g°

g°

¢u

ghv

x°

xu

xv

k'u

k'u

e

c

c

k'k'

e

k'

e

k'

g

e

k

(k)

g

[|°] xu

xu

[X‘°]

Caucasian alphabet systems based upon the Cyrillic script

q

qc

Georgian

G

Tabasaran

˜

G

Lezgian

x

Dargwa

˜

x|

Lak

”

k&h

Avar

c

g| ˙

Ãh

Ingush

q

Chechen

˜

q˙ |

Cabardian

q

Adyghe

q|

Abaza

G

Abkhaz

phonetic

G|

˜

Transcription

e) Uvular, pharyngeal und laryngeal consonants:

˜

˜

c

[q ]

e

[Q ]

k& kx&

kx

kx

x&

x&

x&

x&

[ Q]

q¯

q:

q˙

q

q˙¯

q:

g˙

”

g&

g&

g'

g'

g&

g&

x

x

x&

x&

x

x

x

x

x¯

x:

xx

xx

G°

G°

q°

q°c

x& k&

k&

k&

kh

kh

k&

k&

[Q ]

kh

kh

q e

k&

k&

[q ]

x

g&

g&

|

x

x

X e

[X ] [Q°]

kx&u

x&v

x&v

[ Q]

q°

g° ˙

”°

x°

x°

c

$

h ˙

¯h

Ãu

k&v

[Q°]

k&u

khv

khv

[q°]

g&u

g&u

g&v

g&v

[|°]

x&u

x&u

xv

xv

[X°]

k&v

c

g' ˝

x'

xh

&

'

xh

'

'

g'

g'

g'

[O]

xh

xh

x'

x'

x'

[h ]

&

&

&

&

&

&

&

[]

x'

x'

gh

gh

gh

gh

gh

h

e

q˙ °

k&v

e

q°:

[Q°] c

x&v

e

c

c

k&

k&u q¯ °

e

k&

Ã

(Q) c

x&

h

h

c

°

$°

√

g'v

[O°]

h°

h°

˝u

x'v

[h°] [ °]

('h)

[ ]

˜

?

'u

c

|

c

?°

c

°

˜

c

?

c

c

Caucasian alphabet systems based upon the Cyrillic script

æ:

ah

ah

a ¯

a$

e

e

e¯

e:

e

„

¯

e

„:

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

a¯

a

y

(e)

y

(e)

y

e

a [¯a]

a

[˘a] ({)

|

|

|

|

y

y

[¨a] [¯a] ¨

ah e

Georgian

a¨¯

Tabasaran

ah

|

Lezgian

ah

|

Dargwa

æ

a

Lak

ä

a

Avar

•

a

Ingush

a˘

a

Chechen

a:

Cabardian

a¯

Adyghe

a

Abaza

phonetic

a

Abkhaz

Transcription

f) Plain vowels and real diphthongs:

e

|,e

e

ah

[¨a]

|, e

e ([)/[e] ¯

(y)

[y]

a,{

[y] ¯

e¯

„$

i

i

¯ı

i:

o

o

o¯

o:

o

(O)/[o] ¯

ö

ø

oh

[o] ¨

o¨¯

ø

oh

¯¨ [o]

o ¯

o$

u

u

u¯

| (e) i

o

(i)

(o)

(i)

(o)

i

o

i

i

i/ i

i/ i

o

o

i

i

[e] i

i

i

[i] ¯ o

o

[o] ¨

oh u

(u)

(u)

u

u

u

u:

u

uv

ü

y

uh

u¨¯

y:

uh

u ¯

u$

oa

[o]a

ie

[i]e

uo

[u]o

i

u

u

u

u

u

u [u] ¯

uh

(uh)

[u] ¨ ¯¨ [u]

uh

[u] ¨

oa

[o] ¯

e

e

[e]

o

o

[o]