25.06.2018

By Dr. Philol. Khibla Amichba​

The Abkhazian alphabet was worked out by Uslar in 1862 on the basis of Russian graph. After that the Abkhazian literary language began forming. The graph of Abkhazian writing was changed many times. In 1926 an analytical alphabet of Marr appeared. In 1928 - there was an alphabet on Latin graphical basis, in 1938 - on the Georgian basis and since 1954 - on the Russian one.

The working Abkhazian alphabet contains 40 signs, which can give 62 phonemes as well as in combinations and by themselves.

The Abkhazo-Adygian languages have the richest consonant systems in the world in spite of the fact, that they are very poor with the vocal ones. In the Abkhazian, Abazian and Ubykh languages there are only two vowel phonems: (a) and (?) wich can form other vowels (e), (o), (i),(u) as a result of assimilation and combining with half-vowels, wich haven’t phonem meaning in vocabulary.

Consonant system of the Ubykh language is characterized by 80 phonems,the Abkhazian literary language by 55 ones (the Bzyp dialect - b? 67 ones). The peculiarity of the Abkhazo-Adygian languages is the presence of the whistling and hissing spirants and affricates. There are palatalized and unpalatalized, labialized and unlabialized consonants. In the Abkhazian language the roots usually contain one syllable (ab - a father, a-tsla - a tree a.o.).

The stress in the Abkhazian language is dynamic, intensive, but not fixed (a’la - an eye, al’a - a dog, a’cva - a dream, acv'? - a skin a.o.). Assimilation, reduction and combining are widespread in phonetic process.

The morphological type of the Abkhaz is characterized as agglutinative (with polysynthetizm).The simple system of the names and complex system of verbs are very typical for morphology in this language. The Abkhazian language differs from the other Caucasian languages by the absence of declination, that is compensated by the verb structure. The number, locative particles are the same for both a name and a verb. The nouns are divided into two classes: a class of a person and a class of a thing. Common nouns have definite and indefinite, possessive categories, number and other grammar classes.

Adjectives don’t differ from the nouns morphologically. Qualitative adjectives are put after the nouns (auau’ bzia - a nice man). Relative adjectives stand before the definite word (alasa kasy- a wollen shawl). Comparative degree is expressed by the description (eiha ibziou - better). Numerals are characterised by the expression of ? person category or a thing category /adzy-one(a person class),aky-one(a thing class)/.There are 3 personal pronouns.The categories of a woman and a man are marked in the 2 and 3 person singular, and in the 3 person singular the category of a man is combined with a category of a thing. Personal pronouns have full and short forms /sara - sa - I/.

Pronoun-possesive prefixes are used in the function of possesive pronouns (s-napy - my hand).

Verb in the Abkhazian language is characterized b? a complex system of conjugation and word-building. There are some peculia- rities which depend on static and dynamic, transitivity and int-ransitivity of a verb. Transitivity and intransitivity of a verb is defined b? a place of person class showing in the verb itself /for example a verb of labile construction: transitive verb “isdzakh’ueit” – “ I am sewing smth", intransative verb “sdzakhueit” “I sew".

The dynamic verbs have all the forms of tenses and moods. Negative affix is' “m” /sykam – “I am not here”/.

There is also a personal - class inclination, it means that the verbs are inclined by persons and by grammatical categories of a person and a thing.

There are some moods in the Abkhazian language: indicative, imperative, conditional, subjunctive, finite and infinitive forms.

The system of preverbs is very complex. There are preverbs only of direction /”aa" - to the speaker, "na" - from the speaker/ and the preverbs-bases, which are from the roots –a’-tza-la-ra -to go under smth, a-kha-la-'ra- to go upstairs/, a very rich system of preverbs in verbs is compensating by a weak development of postpositions.

Morphologically the verb can express the categories of causative, reciprocity, possibility a.o. There are no voices in the Abkhazian language. The position of transitivity of the verb to the voice is neutral.

Different tense forms in Infinitive with relational prefixes (i) and (z), which mean a subject and an object in dependence from the verb and person, expressed in it, are used as preverbs.

Adverbial modifiers are morphologically expressed in a verb by means of verbal particles /s - the adverbial modifier of reason, sh - the adverbial modifier of manner, akh’- the adverbial modifier of place, an -the adverbial modifier of time/.

The qualitative adverbs are the verbal adverbs with suffixes /ny - ipshdza-ny – beautifully/. Some particular adverbs are represented without any special affixes.

In the Abkhazian language the postpositions and preverbs are used instead of prepositions in verbs. There are no conjunctions (relative pronouns “what”, “who” “which”, “when”), because the subordinate clause is absent in the Abkhazian language. The function of conjunctions are expressed with verbal particles.

There is a number of interjections in Abkhaz. They are: address /ua/, the interjection of blame /nykh-nykh/, motive /hai, amarja/, pity /gusha/.

The main member of the sentence is a verb. Besides a verb-predicate, there are also a noun and an object /direct and indirect/. There are not complex sentences in the Abkhazian language. Function of the subordinate sentences make verbal adverbs, participial and other infinitive constructions.

Vocabulary of the Abkhazian language mainly forms age-old root of the word and its derivatives. Nowadays about 400 words expose, they are rising to the old language condition /which ???? the natural phenomena, names of elements of wild flora and fauna, terms of relationship, numerals of the first ten and so on/.

Apparent specific character of vocabulary, which differs the Abkhazian from all the other Abkhazo-Adygian language, makes a rich stratum of navigation terms and it testifies the close contact of the Abkhazians to a sea /ag’ba - a ship, ashkhua - a boat, a-pra -a sail, azhvua - an oar /.

Onomatopoeia is one of the conciderable way of word-building and is highly developed in the Abkhazian language.

Vocabulary is mainly increased by means of word-building and borrowings. Besides of many new Russisms, the most considerable stratum of borrowings make up the Turkisms. In the Abkhazian language they all came out from Turkish and then with its help Arabisms and persisms appeared too.

Intra-group lexica1 borrowings are related to the times of hegemony of Adyg feudal lords in the North-West Caucasus /adygisms are in Ubykh and Abkhazo-Abazian dialects /in the Abkhazian language "adagua - the Kabardian "dagu"- "deaf”, Abkh. "apasa"- Kabardian "pas”- "early"/.

There are some difficulties to expose such borrowings because they are not clearly detached from their promordial common Vocabulary.

Side by side with above-named borrowings, the Indo-Europeisms are represented, they are especially close by their onomatopoeia to their old Indian correspondences:in Abkhaz "akata" - "net"' -Old.-Ind. katah - "net", in Adygean "as’a”, Kabardian "az’a"-" “he- goat”, Abkh.-'adzar'"- kids - Indian "ajah” - "he-goat".

In common, a definite cultural tradition, of Romap-names is observed in Kolhida and in Abkhazia independently from times and ways of its penetration. So in II century one ruler's name was Julian, in the YIIc. - the region Lazica was ruled by Sergiy, in the YIII -Absyi ruler Marin was known.

The similar tradition of Abkhazo-Italian cultural and historical mutual relations was renewed in the Middle Age Period, when the Italian, trading stations were existed, on the East Shore of the Black Sea.

The question is, that in XIY-XY c. Genoese trading stations were in the following places: in Gagra /Gacary/, near the village Alahadzy /Santa-Sofia/, in Pitzunda /Pezonda/, in the region of Gudauta /Cavo di Buxo/, in Novy Aphon /Nicoffa/, in Sukhum /Sevastopoli/ and by the river Ingur /Sant-Angelo/. The most important Genoese settlement in Abkhazia was Sebastopol /Sukhum/, which was protector's residence of all trading stations on the Black Sea Shore of the Caucasus.

All this testifies, that the versatile relations were never broken between Eastern Black Sea Shore and tne Mediterranean,in particular, the Apennines.The historical phenomena always found its reflexion here, and first of all, in the language. The Abkhazian language preserved its wonderful archaic system and sounding and represents itself like an inexhaustible well of information of the Abkhazian ancient history.

At the same time, it is enriching and widening,and it reflexes the present day of the Abkhazians, being a state language of the Republic Abkhazia and a native language of the Abkhazians abroad.

The Abkhazian language is the language of Republican newspapers and magazines. Numerous belles-lettres, social and political, teaching and methodical literature for different educational institutions are published. Radio and local television programmes are conducted in Abkhaz. The State Theatre, Philharmonic Society and other hearths of national culture perform original and translated plays in the Abkhazian language. Schools, High educational institutions, radio, television, theatre, belles-lettres help widespreading of the Abkhazian literary language.

Many large epic works, novels and stories are created in the Abkhazian language. They are characterized, by an usual expressiveness. The main works of the Abkhasian writers, short stories by Lakrba, novels by Gulia and Shinkuba are translated into many foreign languages.

Besides the Abkhazians, many other nationalities are represented on the territory of Abkhazia: they are — the Russians, the Ukrainians, the Byelorussians, the Greeks, the Turks, the Tatars, the Armenians, the Jaws and the others. They all love and respect the Abkhazian language. Many of them know it perfectly; their children learn it at school, special teaching and methodical literature is created for them.

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