Proto-Northwest Caucasian (sometimes abbreviated PNWC), also ''Proto-Adyghe-Abazgi'' or Proto-Adyghe-Abkhaz, is the reconstructed common ancestor of the

Northwest Caucasian languages The Northwest Caucasian languages, also called West Caucasian, Abkhazo-Adyghean, Abkhazo-Circassian, Circassic, or sometimes ''Pontic languages'' (from the historical region of Pontus, in contrast to ''Caspian languages'' for the Northeast Cauc ...

Phonology

Consonants

# In Circassian and Abkhaz, gʷǝ is heart and in Ubykh it's gʲǝ. The most noticeable changes are: *The

uvular consonants Uvulars are consonants articulated with the back of the tongue against or near the uvula, that is, further back in the mouth than velar consonants. Uvulars may be stops, fricatives, nasals, trills, or approximants, though the IPA does not provid ...

(/χ/ /ʁ/ /χʷ/ /ʁʷ/) become

pharyngeal consonants A pharyngeal consonant is a consonant that is articulated primarily in the pharynx. Some phoneticians distinguish upper pharyngeal consonants, or "high" pharyngeals, pronounced by retracting the root of the tongue in the mid to upper pharynx, ...

(/ħ/ /ʕ/ /ħʷ/ /ʕʷ/) in the

Proto-Abazgi language Proto-Abkhaz-Abaza (or Proto-Abazgi) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Abkhaz and Abaza languages. Phonology Consonants The consonant system is reconstructed with a four-way phonation contrast in stops and affricates, and a ...

Grammar

Numbers

Words

References

{{Reflist *STAROSTIN, Sergei A.; NIKOLAYEV, Sergei L. (1994). A North Caucasian Etymological Dictionary
Preface

External links

Abkhaz-Adyghe etymology

Northwest Caucasian The Northwest Caucasian languages, also called West Caucasian, Abkhazo-Adyghean, Abkhazo-Circassian, Circassic, or sometimes ''Pontic languages'' (from the historical region of Pontus, in contrast to ''Caspian languages'' for the Northeast Cauc ...

Northwest Caucasian languages