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Circassian names
Latinized Alphabet
 
As you know, there is no officially accepted adigha alphabet yet. However this one is a successful attempt to help adighas throughout the world to read in adigha language. 
 I put some adigha vocabulary on the web. Those who want to learn some adighabza and don't know slavic alphabet  will find this one very handy.  
Material is based on Amjad Jaimoukha alphabet and examples.
 
Underlined letters are those that you have to stress, when you pronounce the word. 
Also, according to this alphabet the way the word adigha is written is not right. It should be adiga. However, due to this long-time-ago-accepted way of writing this word I will leave it as exception and will keep on saying adigha instead of adiga.
 
 
A  | B  | Ch | Ch' | D | DZ | Ei | F | F' | G | Gh | Ghw | Gw | H | I | Iy | J | K | Kw | Kw' | Q | Qw | Q' | Q'w | L | Lh | Lh' | M | N | O | P | P' | R | S | Sh | Sh' | Sch | T | T' | Ts | U | V | W | X | Xw | X' | Y | Z | Zh | Zch | ' | 
A a
a sounds like adgiha,
ade (father), 
dame (shoulder),
dahe (beautiful) 
remember: e sounds like in a word dad
Ch' ch'  (KI kI)
Ch' sounds like Chest with a glottal stop.
Dech'n (come out)
Ch'e (tail, end)
remember: e sounds like mad
 
Gw gw
sounds like g (good) with narrowed lips
Gw (heart) so simple :)
Degw (deaf)
remember: e sounds like in the  word dad
 
Q' q' (the hardest of all the sounds)
sounds like glottal k+h (home), Qh
q'a (grave)
 
B b 
nobe (today) 
remember: e sounds like in a word dad
D d
Dene (where)
Dawe (how)
remember: a sounds like adigha, e sounds like dad
 

 
H h
Sounds like in the word home  The way we pronounce hawa (no).
He (dog)
Heme (or)
remember: e sounds like in the word dad
Q'w  q'w
sounds like glottal kh with narrowed lips 
Q'wa (pig)
remember: a sounds like in the word adigha

 
Ch ch
ch sounds like in a word chair
Chezy (turn to do smth.)
remember: y sounds like in a word cool.
DZ dz
Dze (tooth)
remember: e sounds like dad

 
I i
I pronounced very  quickly if there is no soft sound i between hard sounds (almost like d-ghe, t-ghe).
Dighe (sun)
Tighe
remember: gh sounds like french r, e sounds like mad. Stress underlined letters when read!
L l 
Sounds like mild l. The middle part of your tongue must touch the roof of your mouth. The way we say word libzha.
Li (meat)
Libzha
Mil (ice)
remember:  words with i pronounced as if there is no of this sound at all. F. ex. mil sounds like ml,  Also stress the underlined letters when read.
Ch' ch'  (KI kI)
Ch' sounds like Chest with a glottal stop.
Dech'n (come out)
Ch'e (tail, end)
remember: e sounds like mad
E e
e sounds like dad
dade (grandpa, pap)
nane (grandma, mom)
nape (face)
remember: a sounds like adigha
Iy iy
Iy sounds like i in the words  ill but harder.
Iy-a (he has)
Iy-a (he had) depends on the sound stressed
remember: a sounds like adigha
 Lh lh
sounds like thud L sound (something in between L and h)
Lh (blood)
Lhaqwe (leg, feet)
remember: qw sounds like glottal k with narrowed lips, e sounds like in the word mad  

 
Ch' ch'  (KI kI)
Ch' sounds like Chest with a glottal stop.
Dech'n (come out)
Ch'e (tail, end)
remember: e sounds like mad
Ei ei
sounds like in the word kept, cell.
Sasei (mine)
remember: a sounds like in the word adigha
J j
sounds like in the word general
Jeg (play)
jana (sweater, blouse)
 
Lh' lh'
sounds like harsh (strong) and abrupt Lh 
Lh'i (man)
Lh'ighe (courage)
remember: i is always very short, almost no sound, gh sounds like French r.
 
Ch' ch'  (KI kI)
Ch' sounds like Chest with a glottal stop.
Dech'n (come out)
Ch'e (tail, end)
remember: e sounds like mad
F f
Fe (you)
Qafe (dance)
remember: e sounds like in a word mad, a sounds like in a word adigha
 
K k
came from Russian language, sounds like in the word call
Stakan (glass cup, russian) often Stachan .
 

 
 
M m
me! (take it!)
Mira
Mode! (over there!)
remember: e sounds like mad, i is almost not pronounced (m-ra), a sounds like adigha.
Don't forget to stress underlined letters.
 
Ch' ch'  (KI kI)
Ch' sounds like Chest with a glottal stop.
Dech'n (come out)
Ch'e (tail, end)
remember: e sounds like mad
F' f'
sounds like in the word fall with a glottal stop
F' (good)
s-f'ef' ( I like it)
remember:  e sounds like mad, 
Kw kw
sounds like cool (k with narrowed lips)
Kw - middle
 

 
 
N n
ne (eye)
negw (face)
remember: e sounds like mad, gw sounds like g (goal) with narrowed lips
Don't forget to stress underlined letters!!!
Ch' ch'  (KI kI)
Ch' sounds like Chest with a glottal stop.
Dech'n (come out)
Ch'e (tail, end)
remember: e sounds like mad
G g 
This sound is a difference between g and h . The way we pronounce the word adiga [adig+ha], not simply g as in goal.
Gin (medicine)
Zhig (tree)
remember: i sounds like in the word adigha, zh sounds like djeg without d 
 
K'w k'w 
sounds like harsh and abrupt K before w
nakw'a (let's go)
Sokw'a (I go)
Kw'a (he went)
 

 
O o
sounds like ou
Sode (I agree)
Nok'wa (he is coming)
Mode (over there!)
remember: e sounds like mad, a sounds like adigha, k'w sounds like harsh K before w (not kw, cool)
 
Ch' ch'  (KI kI)
Ch' sounds like Chest with a glottal stop.
Dech'n (come out)
Ch'e (tail, end)
remember: e sounds like mad
Gh gh
sounds like french r 
Ghe (year)
Ghasa (educated, well-tought)
remember: a like in a word adigha, e like in a word dad 
Q q
sounds like glottal k (tongue far back)
Qak'wa! (come here)
adaqa (cock)
remember: k'w sounds like abrupt k before w, a sounds like in the word adigha
P p
pe (nose)
pa-a (cap) make little pause between two a's
remember: e sounds like mad. Pronouncing the words stress the underlined letters!
 
Ch' ch'  (KI kI)
Ch' sounds like Chest with a glottal stop.
Dech'n (come out)
Ch'e (tail, end)
remember: e sounds like mad
Ghw  ghw
position of the tongue just like french r, but with  narrowed lips.
Ghwde (big fly)
Ghwr (thin)
remember: e sounds like in the word dad
Qw qw
sounds like glottal k with narrowed lips
Qwe (son)
Qwazhe (village)
remember: e sounds like dad, a sounds like adigha,  zh sounds like dj without d.
 
P' p'
sounds like harsh and abrupt p
P'asta (you know what is that!)
P'azhy? (really)

 
 
 
 
 
R r 
mir (this)
Warad (song, music)
note: Mir is pronounced like m-r. 
T' t'
pronounced like t with glottal stop.
Yat'e (mud)
nat'e (forehead)
note: Y like in the word York, a like in the word adigha, e like on the word mad
X x
German pronunciation of ch in ich or
russian h
xade (garden)
xame (strange)
note: a like in adigha, e like in the word man
 
Zh zh
hard j without d
zhe (mouth)
zhach'e (beard)
mazhe (comp)
note: ch' sounds like ch with glottal stop
 

 
S s
Sabe (dust)
Sabin (Soap)
note: e like in the word man, a like in the word adigha
Ts ts
pronounced like in the word cats
Tsi (hair, fur)
Tsijane (sweater)
note: i pronounced like ts-jane. 
XW xw
pronounced like x with narrowed lips
 
Zhc zhc
pronounced like jam without d
zchen (to run)
zchem (cow)
q'wazhe (village)
note: q' sounds like q with glottal stop
 
Sh sh
pronounced like English sh
Pshashe (girl)
note: e like in the word mad
Ts' ts'
pronounced like ts with a glottal stop
ts'e (name)
ts'eri'we (famous)
note: that i sounds like ts'er-we
X' x'
harh h, equvalent of french r but for h (sorry for weird  explanation)
x'ibar (story)
x'arzine (good)
x'arbiz (water-mellon)
 note: i like x'-bar, x'arz-ne
 
Some words start with sound '. This mean that the next letter will have a glottal stop .
'e (hand)
'ne (table)
note: if you say ane it will mean "mother" not table.

 
Sh'e sh'e
pronounced with the glottal stop. 
Sh'ale (boy)
Sh'aqwo (bred)
note: qw pronounced as a glottal k with narrowed lips
U u
pronounced like moon
Qaru (strenth)
pud (cheap)
note: that q sounds like glottal k
 
X'w  x'w
pronounced like x' with narrowed lips
x'wmen (to guard)
x'wash ( it is ok, enough, became)
note: e sounds like man

 

  
Sch sch
Pronounced like something in between sh and ch,
or mild sh
Schey (tea)
Sche (milk)
note: e is like in the word mad, y is like in the word York (see further)
V v
vaghwe (star)
vi (bull)
vaqe (shoes)
note:  gh sounds like french r,
i sounds like v-, q sounds like glottal k 
Y y
sounds like York
Yape (first)
Yat'e (mud)
note: t' sounds like t with glottal stop
 

 

  
T t 
Thampe (list, leaf)
note: forget about English combination th, h is like i the word hell, e like in the word mad.
W w
pronounced like woman
wne (house)
wes (snow)
woschh (rain)
note: e sounds like man,
sch is the sound between sh and ch (mild sh), h sounds like in the word home
Z z
mez (forest)
zi (one)
note that i sounds like z-, e sounds like man
 

 

 
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