|
No.
|
LATINIZED ALPHABET
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NEAREST ENGLISH EQUIVALENT
|
EXAMPLES TO ILLUSTRATE PRONUNCIATION
|
CYRILLIC EQUIVALENT
|
|
1
|
A a
|
dad, mad, bad
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ade: there, father; dame:
shoulder, wing
|
A a
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2
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B b
|
best, bar, big
|
nobe: today; yibe: orphan;
nibe: stomach
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3
|
Ch ch
|
chest, chair
|
chezu: turn; chin: whirligig;
chise: sack, bag
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|
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4
|
Ch' ch'
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ch in chest followed by a glottal stop
|
ch'e: tail, end; ch'i:
handle; xech'in: to come out of a mass (say of water)
|
|
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5
|
D d
|
D d
|
dene: where; dane: silk;
dawe: how, argument
|
|
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6
|
Dz dz
|
hides, bides
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dze: tooth, army; dzi:
defect; dzeqen: to taste
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|
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7
|
E e
|
the schwa
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ade: father; nape: face;
qwdame: branch
|
|
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8
|
ey (never in initial position)
|
short and non-diphthongal ay in day
|
zeyk'we: campaign, outing
|
|
|
9
|
F f
|
F f
|
fe: you (plural), skin; qefen:
to dance; fin: to rot, decay
|
|
|
10
|
F' f'
|
f followed by a glottal stop
|
f'i: of good quality; f'ane:
hoe, muttock
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|
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11
|
G g
|
no equivalent
|
zhig: tree; gin: gun-powder;
ghwegin: to weep, cry
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|
|
12
|
Gh gh
|
no equivalent
|
ghashch'e: life; ghatxe:
spring; gher: prisoner, captive
|
|
|
13
|
Ghw ghw
|
no equivalent
|
ghwegw: way, path, road; ghwneghw:
neighbour; ghwse: mate
|
|
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14
|
Gw gw
|
good
|
gw: heart; degw: deaf
|
|
|
15
|
H h
|
no equivalent
|
he: dog; heme: or
|
|
|
16
|
I i (only initial in interjections)
|
bin, din, sin
|
zhig: tree; tighe: present;
dighe: sun
|
|
|
17
|
iy (never initial)
|
see
|
siy: my; txilhiybl: seven
books
|
|
|
18
|
J j
|
J j
|
jegwn: to play; jide:
axe; yejap'e: school
|
|
|
19
|
K k
|
K k
|
there are no native words in literary kabardian that have this
sound; used only in dialects and loan words, e.g., stekan:
cup
|
|
|
20
|
Kw kw
|
cou in could
|
kw: middle, centre; kwse:
stripe; dekwn: to cram
|
|
|
21
|
Kw' kw'
|
as above with glottal stop after the k
|
k'wen: to go; qek'wen:
to come; k'wedizhin: to disappear
|
|
|
22
|
L l
|
L l
|
li: meat; mil: ice; delen:
pie
|
|
|
23
|
Lh lh
|
no equivalent
|
lhap'e: expensive; lhaqwe:
foot, leg
|
|
|
24
|
Lh' lh'
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no equivalent
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lh'i: man; lh'ighe: courage
|
|
|
25
|
M m
|
M m
|
mode: there; me: here,
take it
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|
|
26
|
N n
|
N n
|
ne: eye; naze: cross-eyed
(person)
|
|
|
27
|
O o
|
the American sound of oa in coat
|
sode: I accept; sok'we:
I am going, I go; mode: there, at that place
|
|
|
28
|
P p
|
P p
|
pe: nose; pich'in: to
pick (fruit)
|
|
|
29
|
P' p'
|
p followed by a glottal stop
|
P'ere: really?; p'aste:
Circassian pasta
|
|
|
30
|
Q q
|
no equivalent
|
qak'we: come here; adaqe: cock
|
|
|
31
|
Q' q'
|
no equivalent (a combination of q and x')
|
q'able: grave
|
|
|
32
|
Qw qw
|
no equivalent (q followed by the sound of w
in woman)
|
qwelen: speckled, spotted; meqw:
hay
|
|
|
33
|
Q'w q'w
|
no equivalent (q' followed by the sound of w
in woman)
|
q'we: pig, swine
|
|
|
34
|
R r
|
trilled R
|
mereym: Friday; mir:
this; mor: that
|
|
|
35
|
S s
|
S s
|
simaje: sick, ill (person); sabe:
dust
|
|
|
36
|
Sch sch
|
no equivalent
|
pschasche: girl, maid; schen:
to sell; mische: bear
|
|
|
37
|
Sch' sch'
|
previous letter followed by a glottal stop
|
sch'ale: boy, lad; sch'enighe:
knowledge, science
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|
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38
|
Sh sh
|
shoot
|
shey: tea; shaqe: ink;
shi: horse; she: milk
|
|
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39
|
T t
|
T t
|
tane: calf; qat: level,
layer; sit: what?
|
|
|
40
|
T' t'
|
t followed by a glottal stop
|
t'i: ram; t'in: to dig
(a hole); yat'e: mud
|
|
|
41
|
Ts ts
|
cats, bits
|
tsi: hair; tsijane: blouse
|
|
|
42
|
Ts' ts'
|
previous letter followed by a glottal stop
|
ts'e: name; mats'e: grass-hopper;
ts'eri'we: famous
|
|
|
43
|
U u
|
moon
|
qaru: strength; pud:
cheap
|
|
|
44
|
V v
|
V v
|
vi: bull; vaghwe: star;
vaqe: shoes
|
|
|
45
|
W w
|
woman
|
wine: house; wane: saddle;
wok'we:
you are going; psinsch'ew: quickly
|
|
|
46
|
X x
|
no equivalent (German pronunciation of ch in ich)
|
xame: strange, foreign; xade:
garden
|
|
|
47
|
X' x'
|
no equivalent (may be represented by kh in English)
|
x'arzine: of high quality; x'arbiz:
water-melon
|
|
|
48
|
Xw xw
|
X followed by the sound of w in woman
|
xw: wheat; qeschexwn:
to buy
|
|
|
49
|
X'w x'w
|
X' followed by the sound of w in woman
|
x'wmen: to guard, protect; x'wn:
to become
|
|
|
50
|
Y y
|
York
|
yape: first; yiden: to
accept, concur
|
|
|
51
|
Z z
|
Z z
|
zi: one; mez: forest;
dez: full
|
|
|
52
|
Zch zch
|
no equivalent
|
zche: mouth; zchach'e:
beard; mazche: comb
|
|
|
53
|
Zh
|
g in genre
|
zhen: to run; zhem: cow;
qwazhe: village
|
|
|
54
|
' '
|
glottal stop
|
'e: hand; 'ene: three-legged table
|
|
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55
|
'w 'w
|
glottal stop followed by the sound of w in woman
|
'w: mouth; schi'w: top; button; ne'w:
face
|
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