Adyghe language Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Adyghe

West Circassian
Адыгабзэ

Native to

Russia (incl. Circassia: Adygea

Ethnicity

Circassians, Cherkesogai

Native speakers

575,900 (2005–2015)

Language family

Northwest Caucasian

Circassian
- Adyghe

Writing system

Cyrillic (current)
Latin (historical)
Arabic (historical) Georgian (historical & gaining popularity)

Official status

Official language in

Adygea

Distribution of the Adyghe language in Adygea, Russia (2002)

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The Adyghe language is a special language spoken in the Republic of Adygea. This republic is a part of Russia. Many different groups of the Adyghe people speak this language. They call it "Adygebze" or "Adəgăbză". You might also hear it called Adygean or Circassian.

Where Adyghe is Spoken
Who Speaks Adyghe
Adyghe Language Family
Writing Adyghe
- Historical Alphabets
- Current Alphabet
Images for kids
See also

Where Adyghe is Spoken

The Adyghe language is mainly spoken in the Republic of Adygea. This area is in the Russian Federation. However, you can also find Adyghe speakers in other countries. These include Turkey, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq. This is because many Adyghe people moved there long ago.

Who Speaks Adyghe

About 575,900 people speak Adyghe. Most of these speakers are Circassians. The language is a big part of their culture. It helps them share their history and traditions.

Adyghe Language Family

Adyghe belongs to a group called Northwest Caucasian languages. This family includes other languages like Abkhaz and Ubykh. Languages in this family are known for having many consonant sounds. They also have very few vowel sounds.

Writing Adyghe

The Adyghe language has used different writing systems over time.

Historical Alphabets

Arabic script: For a long time, Adyghe was written using the Arabic alphabet. This was before 1927.
Latin script: From 1927 to 1938, a Latin script was used. This was part of a plan to change alphabets in the Soviet Union.
Georgian script: The Georgian alphabet has also been used historically. It is even gaining popularity again today.

Current Alphabet

Today, Adyghe is mostly written using the Cyrillic alphabet. This is the same alphabet used for Russian. It helps people in Russia read and write Adyghe.