The Besleney (
Circassian: Bеслъэней, ''Bestləney'', ; russian: Бесленеевцы ) (also known as Beslenei or Baslaney) are one of the twelve major
Circassian tribes, representing one of the twelve stars on the green-and-gold
Circassian flag
The Circassian flag (or the Flag of Adygea) is the national flag of the Circassians. It consists of a green field charged with twelve gold stars, nine forming an arc resembling a bow and three horizontal, also charged with three crossed arrow ...
. By character, culture and language, the Besleney are closest to
Kabardians
The Kabardians ( Highland Adyghe: Къэбэрдей адыгэхэр; Lowland Adyghe: Къэбэртай адыгэхэр; russian: Кабардинцы) or Kabardinians are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes, representing one of th ...
. The noble families of the Besleney were Kanoko and Shaloho, ancestors of Kabardian Prince Beslan, (the son of legendary
Prince Inal
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
), who established his own tribe of the same name.
Population
The majority of the Besleney live in the valley of
Bolshaya and
Malaya Laba River
The Laba (russian: Лаба; Circassian: Лабэжъ ''Labez̄'') is a river in Krasnodar Krai and Adygea of European Russia. It is a left tributary of the Kuban, which it joins at Ust-Labinsk. It is formed by the confluence of the Bolshaya ...
s and on the bank of
Urup
Urup ( ja, 得撫島, Uruppu-to; russian: Уру́п, Urúp, ain, ウルㇷ゚, Urup) is an uninhabited volcanic island in the Kuril Islands chain in the south of the Sea of Okhotsk, northwest Pacific Ocean. Its name is derived from the Ainu la ...
in the Russian Republics of
Karachay-Cherkessia
The Karachay-Cherkess Republic (russian: Карача́ево-Черке́сская Респу́блика, ''Karachayevo-Cherkesskaya Respublika''; krc, Къарачай-Черкес Республика, ''Qaraçay-Çerkes Respublika''; Cir ...
,
Krasnodar Krai
Krasnodar Krai (russian: Краснода́рский край, r=Krasnodarsky kray, p=krəsnɐˈdarskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and administratively a part of t ...
and
Adygea. They also extend to the valleys of Chetem, Fars, Psefir,
Kuban
Kuban (Russian language, Russian and Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Кубань; ady, Пшызэ) is a historical and geographical region of Southern Russia surrounding the Kuban River, on the Black Sea between the Pontic–Caspian steppe, ...
(Western Circassia).
Language
The Besleney people speak the Besleney sub-dialect ( ady, Бэслъыныйбзэ) of the
Kabardian Adyghe dialect
Kabardian (; ; ), also known as , is a Northwest Caucasian languages, Northwest Caucasian language closely related to the Adyghe language, Adyghe (West Circassian) language. Circassian nationalism, Circassian nationalists reject the distinctio ...
(East Circassian). However, because the Besleney tribe lived at the center of
Circassia
Circassia (; also known as Cherkessia in some sources; ady, Адыгэ Хэку, Адыгей, lit=, translit=Adıgə Xəku, Adıgey; ; ota, چرکسستان, Çerkezistan; ) was a country and a historical region in the along the northeast ...
, the Besleney dialect also shares a large number of features with dialects of the
West Adyghe dialect
Adyghe ( or ; ady, Адыгабзэ, Adygabzə, ), also known as West Circassian ( ady, link=no, кӏахыбзэ, khaxybzə), is a Northwest Caucasian language spoken by the western subgroups of Circassians. It is spoken mainly in Russia, a ...
. Like the Adyghe
Shapsug sub-dialect, there exist a palatalized
voiced velar plosive
The voiced velar plosive or stop is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages.
Some languages have the voiced pre-velar plosive, which is articulated slightly more front compared with the place of articulation of the prototyp ...
, a palatalized
voiceless velar plosive
The voiceless velar plosive or stop is a type of consonantal sound used in almost all spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is k.
The sound is a ver ...
and a palatalized
velar ejective
The velar ejective is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is .
Features
Features of the velar ejective:
Occurrence
See also
* List of ...
, which were merged to , and in other Circassian dialects. The Besleney dialect also has an
alveolar lateral ejective affricate , which corresponds to an
alveolar lateral ejective fricative
The alveolar lateral ejective fricative is a type of consonantal sound, reported in the Northwest Caucasian languages and in Modern South Arabian languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is .
Feat ...
in most other varieties of Circassian.
[UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive - Recording Details for Kabardian Baslanei dialect](_blank)
In the first word list calle
the words "man" and "quarter" are pronounced as and compare to Standard Kabardian and The Besleney dialect has a
voiceless glottal fricative
The voiceless glottal fricative, sometimes called voiceless glottal transition, and sometimes called the aspirate, is a type of sound used in some spoken languages that patterns like a fricative or approximant consonant '' phonologically'', b ...
that corresponds to in other Circassian dialects.
Консонантная система уляпского говора в сопоставлении с аналогами других диалектов адыгских языков
See also
* East Adyghe dialect
* West Adyghe dialect
Adyghe ( or ; ady, Адыгабзэ, Adygabzə, ), also known as West Circassian ( ady, link=no, кӏахыбзэ, khaxybzə), is a Northwest Caucasian language spoken by the western subgroups of Circassians. It is spoken mainly in Russia, a ...
* Other Circassian tribes:
* Abzakh
The Abzakh ( Circassian: Абдзэх, ''Abdzekh''; Russian: абадзехи; also known as Abdzakhs or Abadzekhs) are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes, representing one of the twelve stars on the green-and-gold Circassian flag. Histori ...
* Bzhedug
Bjedugh, Bzhedug or Bazdug ( ady, Бжъэдыгъу, ''Bjzədıuğ'', ; russian: Бжедуги, ) are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes.
Many of them immigrated to Turkey in the 1860s, but there is still a community of Bzhedug on the l ...
* Hatuqwai
The Hatuqway ( ady, Хьатыкъуай, translit=Hatıqway; tr, Hatukay; ar, حتوقاي, links=, translit=Hatuqway; ; russian: Хатукай, translit=Khatukai) are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes, representing one of the twelv ...
* Kabardian
* Mamkhegh
The Mamkhegh or Mamheg ( ady, Мамхыгъ or ; russian: Мамхеги ) were one of the twelve major Circassian tribes, representing one of the twelve stars on the green-and-gold Circassian flag.
Originally, the Mamkhegs lived in the terr ...
* Natukhai
The Natukhaj, Natuqwai or Natukhai ( ady, НатIхъуадж, Натыхъуэдж, Нэткъуадж, Нэтыхъуай, translit=Nat'xhwadj, Natıxhwədj, Nətquadj, Nətıxhway; ; ) are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes, representi ...
* Rescue of Leningrad Jewish children in Beslenei The rescue of Leningrad Jewish children in Beslenei occurred in August, 1942, in aul of Beslenei, Cherkess Autonomous Oblast, Russian SFSR, USSR, when the local Circassian villagers adopted evacuated children from Leningrad orphanage, the most of ...
* Shapsug
The Shapsug ( ady, шапсыгъ , russian: шапсуги, tr, Şapsığlar, ar, الشابسوغ, he, שפסוגים) (also known as the Shapsugh or Shapsogh) are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes. Historically, the Shapsug tribe ...
* Temirgoy
Temirgoy or Chemirgoy or Kemgui ( ady, КIэмгуй, '; or , '; or , '; russian: Темиргоевцы, ') are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes, representing one of the twelve stars on the green-and-gold Circassian flag. They lived be ...
* Ubykh
* Yegeruqwai
The Yegeruqway (; Russian: Егерукаевцы, ''Yegerukaevtsy'') were one of the twelve major Circassian tribes, representing one of the twelve stars on the green-and-gold Circassian flag. There is also a small town with a form of the same ...
* Zhaney
The Zhaney ( ady, Жьанэ, translit=Janə; russian: Жанеевцы, translit=Žaneevcy), or Janes, were one of the twelve major Circassian tribes, representing one of the twelve stars on the green-and-gold Circassian flag.
History
The Zha ...
References
External links
UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive - Recording Details for Kabardian Beslenei dialect
{{authority control
Circassians
Circassian tribes
Ethnic groups in Russia
Muslim communities of Russia
Kabardino-Balkaria
Karachay-Cherkessia
Adygea