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Hamilton, Ontario, (Canada): Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, 1999. — 189 p.
The present texts are predominantly from the so-called "Nart Sagas." These are old myths of the North Caucasus which show fascinating parallels outside the region (Colarusso 1997; 1994, a; 1994, b; 1989, a; 1989, b; 1989, c; 1988; 1984, a; 1984, b).The languages are presented in a geographic order, starting with Kabardian East Circassian in the eastern extremity of the homeland,(see map, p. 2), and extending west to the Black Sea with Bzhedukh West Circassian, then southward along the coast to 5 Ubykh, then Abaza, just over the mountains, and finally, Abkhaz.Before each text I give the phonemic inventory of each language. Some texts are followed by grammatical comments.
E-Book Content
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A North West Caucasian Reader: phonemicized ,glossed, and translated texts in East Circassian (Kabardian) West Circassian (Bzhedukh) Ubykh Abaza (Tapanta) Abzhwi Abkhaz* and Bzyb Abkhaz by John Colarusso *with the assistance of B. George Hewitt and Zaira Khiba-Hewitt Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada ©1999, John Colarusso
Table of Contents - i
2
Introduction
1
I. Kabardian (East Circassian) phonemic inventory and grammatical remarks
2
“Tlepsh and Lady Tree,” transliterated text
4
phonemic rendering, glossing, and analysis
8
translation
19
notes
22
II. Bzhedukh (West Circassian) phonemic inventory
24
“Khimishuquo Pataraz,” transliterated text, with phonemic rendering, glossing, and analysis
25
translation
56
notes
62
III. Ubykh phonemic inventory
63
comments on stress in Ubykh, Abaza, and Abkhaz
64
text 1, “The Adventures of Marchan Shagy,” with phonemic rendering, glossing, and analysis
66
translation
72
notes
73
text 2, “Satanaya’s Lament for Yarichkhaw,” with phonemic rendering, glossing, and analysis
74
translation
76
text 3, “Chapsha or the Insomnia Song,” with phonemic rendering,
77
glossing, and analysis
77 ii
3
translation
79
IV. Abaza (T’ap’anta dialect) phonemic inventory and grammatical remark
81
“Sosruquo and Sotrash,” transliterated text with phonemic rendering, glossing, and analysis
82
translation
108
notes
112
V. Abkhaz (Abzhwi) phonemic inventory of Abzhwi
114
note on tense
115
“The Birth of Sasruquo,” transliterated Abzhwi text, with phonemic rendering, glossing, and analysis
116
translation
157
note
162
phonemic inventory of Bzyb
163
phonological comment
164
transliterated Bzyb text, “A Tale of the Nart Race” with phonemic rendering, glossing, and analysis
165
translation
176
note
177
References
178
Appendix, Orthographies and Original Texts
181
Kabardian East Circassian orthography (after Kuipers 1960)
182
original text
183 iii
4
Bzhedukh West Circassian orthography (after Rogava and Kerasheva 1966, chart 2 following p. 56)
186
original text (courtesy of Isa T’harquakhwa after Kube Shaban)
187
Abaza orthography (after Serdyuchenko 1956, pp. 598-9)
193
original text (from Meremkulov and Salakaja 1975, pp. 106-9)
194
Abkhaz orthog