Draft:Circassian adjectives
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From a morphological perspective, adjectives in the Circassian languages (Adyghe and Kabardian) share many characteristics with nouns. A defining feature of Circassian grammar is phrase-final affixation: when an adjective modifies a noun, the noun itself usually remains in its bare stem form. The grammatical markers for number (plurality) and case (role in the sentence) attach to the end of the entire noun phrase—which typically means they attach to the adjective.
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Adjectives are categorized into two main types:
- Qualitative adjectives: Describe qualities (e.g., "good", "white", "tall"). These usually follow the noun.
- Relative (Material) adjectives: Describe material or relation (e.g., "wood", "iron"). These usually precede the noun and do not change form.
Phrase-Final Affixation
Unlike in languages like Spanish or Russian where both the noun and adjective agree (change form), in Circassian, only the last word in the phrase takes the suffix.
Example 1: Qualitative Adjective (Follows Noun) Here, the noun is "girl" (Ady: пшъэшъэ, Kbd: пщащэ) and the adjective is "beautiful" (Ady/Kbd: дахэ).
| Language | Number | Phrase | Breakdown | Gloss | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adyghe | Singular | Пшъэшъэ дахэр | пшъэшъэ дахэ-р | girl beautiful-ABS | "The beautiful girl" |
| Plural | Пшъэшъэ дахэхэр | пшъэшъэ дахэ-хэ-р | girl beautiful-PL-ABS | "The beautiful girls" | |
| Kabardian | Singular | Пщащэ дахэр | пщащэ дахэ-р | girl beautiful-ABS | "The beautiful girl" |
| Plural | Пщащэ дахэхэр | пщащэ дахэ-хэ-р | girl beautiful-PL-ABS | "The beautiful girls" |
Example 2: Suffixal Adjective (Augmentative) Some adjectives function as suffixes themselves, like ~шхо (Ady) / ~шхуэ (Kbd) "large/big". The case and number markers still attach to the very end.
| Language | Number | Phrase | Breakdown | Gloss | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adyghe | Singular | Унэшхо | унэ-шхо | house-large | "A large house" |
| Plural | Унэшхохэр | унэ-шхо-хэ-р | house-large-PL-ABS | "The large houses" | |
| Kabardian | Singular | Унэшхуэр | унэ-шхуэ-р | house-large-ABS | "The large house" |
| Plural | Унэшхуэхэр | унэ-шхуэ-хэ-р | house-large-PL-ABS | "The large houses" |
Declension
When an adjective is used substantively (as a noun, e.g., "the white one"), it takes the standard noun case markers directly. The example word is "white" (Ady: фыжьы, Kbd: хужьы).
| Case | Adyghe (Singular) | Kabardian (Singular) | Adyghe (Plural) | Kabardian (Plural) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolutive | фыжьыр | хужьыр | фыжьыхэр | хужьыхэр |
| Oblique / Ergative | фыжьым | хужьым | фыжьыхэм | хужьыхэм |
| Instrumental | фыжьы(м)кӏэ | хужьы(м)кӏэ | фыжьыхэ(м)кӏэ | хужьыхэ(м)кӏэ |
| Adverbial | фыжьэу | хужьу | фыжьыхэу | хужьыху |
Adjective Position Examples
| Type | Adyghe | Kabardian | Gloss | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative (Follows Noun) |
Кӏэлэ дэгъур | Щӏалэ дэгъур | boy good-ABS | "The good boy" |
| Унэ лъагэм | Унэ лъагэм | house high-ERG | "The high house (Erg/Obl)" | |
| Relative (Precedes Noun) |
Гъучӏ пӏэкӏорыр | Гъущӏ пӏэкӏорыр | iron bed-ABS | "The iron bed" |
| Пхъэ уатэмкӏэ | Пхъэ уадэмкӏэ | wood hammer-INS | "Using the wooden hammer" |
Usage in Sentences
| Language | Sentence | Gloss | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adyghe | Сэ непэ пшъэшъэ дахэ слъэгъугъэ. | I today girl beautiful saw | "I saw a beautiful girl today." |
| Kabardian | Сэ нобэ пщащэ дахэ слъэгъуащ. | I today girl beautiful saw | "I saw a beautiful girl today." |
| Adyghe | Тэ гъогу занкӏэм тырыкӏуагъ. | We road straight-OBL walked-on | "We were walking on the straight road." |
| Kabardian | Дэ гъуэгу занщӏэм дырыкӏуащ. | We road straight-OBL walked-on | "We were walking on the straight road." |
| Adyghe | Кӏэлэ кӏуачӏэр макӏо. | Boy strong-ABS goes | "The strong boy is going." |
| Kabardian | Щӏалэ лъэщыр макӏуэ. | Boy strong-ABS goes | "The strong boy is going." |
Comparison
Adjectives have comparative and superlative forms used to express degrees of quality.
Comparative Degree Formed using the auxiliary word нахь (Ady) / нэхъ (Kbd) "more".
| Language | Sentence | Gloss | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adyghe | Ар ощ нахь лъагэ. | He you-than more high | "He is higher than you." |
| Kabardian | Ар абы нэхъ лъагэщ. | He that-one-than more high | "He is higher than that one." |
| Adyghe | Нахь ины хъугъэ. | More big became | "He became bigger." |
| Kabardian | Нэхъ ины хъуащ. | More big became | "He became bigger." |
| Adyghe | Нахь лӀэблан охъун фай. | More brave become must | "You must be braver." |
| Kabardian | Нэхъ лӀыгъэ къызхэбгъэлъын хуейщ. | More bravery show must | "You must be braver." |
Superlative Degree Formed using the auxiliary word анахь (Ady) / анахь or янэхъ (Kbd) "most".
| Language | Sentence | Gloss | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adyghe | Ар пшъашъэмэ анахь дахэ. | She girls-among most beautiful | "She is the most beautiful among the girls." |
| Kabardian | Ар пщащэмэ янэхъ дахэщ. | She girls-among most beautiful | "She is the most beautiful among the girls." |
| Adyghe | Ар зэкӏэмэ анахь лъагэ. | It all-among most high | "It is the highest." |
| Kabardian | Ар псоми янэхъ лъагэщ. | It all-among most high | "It is the highest." |
| Adyghe | Ар заужмэ анахь лъэшы. | He everyone-among most strong | "He is the strongest." |
| Kabardian | Ар псоми янэхъ лъэщщ. | He everyone-among most strong | "He is the strongest." |
Affixes
Various suffixes can be added to nouns and adjectives to modify their meaning (diminutives, augmentatives, intensifiers).
Suffixes for Nouns
| Suffix (Ady) | Suffix (Kbd) | Meaning | Example (Ady) | Example (Kbd) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ~кӏэ | ~щӏэ | new | унакӏэ | унащӏэ | "new house" |
| ~жъы | ~жьы | old | унэжъы | унэжьы | "old house" |
| ~шхо | ~шхуэ | large/big | унэшхо | унэшхуэ | "large house" |
| ~цӏыкӏу | ~цӏыкӏу | small | унэцӏыкӏу | унэцӏыкӏу | "small house" |
| ~жъый | — | tiny | унэжъый | — | "tiny house" |
Suffixes for Adjectives
| Suffix (Ady) | Suffix (Kbd) | Meaning | Example (Ady) | Example (Kbd) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ~ӏо | ~ӏуэ | slightly | дыджыӏо | стырыӏуэ | "slightly bitter/spicy" |
| ~щэ | ~щэ | too much | дыджыщэ | дыджыщэ | "too bitter" |
| ~дэд | ~дэд | very | дэгъудэд | дэгъудэд | "very good" |
| ~бз | — | absolutely | дэгъуабз | — | "absolutely good" |
| ~шъыпкъ | — | truly | дэгъушъыпкъ | — | "really good" |
| ~ашъу | — | kind of | дэгъуашъу | — | "good-ish" |
| ~кӏай | ~кӏей | quite/pretty | дэгъукӏай | дэгъукӏей | "quite good" |
| ~нчъэ | ~ншэ | lacking | акъылынчъэ | акъылыншэ | "mindless" |
Example Sentences
| Language | Sentence | Breakdown | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adyghe | Мы джанэр оркӏэ иныӏо. | big-slightly | "This shirt is slightly big for you." |
| Kabardian | Мы джанэр уэркӏэ иныӏуэ. | big-slightly | "This shirt is slightly big for you." |
| Adyghe | Мы джанэр иныщэ. | big-too.much | "This shirt is too large." |
| Adyghe | Мы сурэтыр дэхэдэд. | beautiful-very | "This painting is very beautiful." |
| Kabardian | Мы сурэтыр дэхэдэд. | beautiful-very | "This painting is very beautiful." |
Opinion (Psychological Predicates)
To indicate that a quality is perceived by someone (an opinion or feeling), the prefix шӏо~ (Ady) / фӏэ~ (Kbd) is added to the adjective. This transforms the adjective into a verbal construction meaning "X is [ADJ] to Y".
- Pretty: Ady: шӏодах, Kbd: фӏэдах ("it is pretty to him/her")
- Tasty: Ady: шӏоӏэшӀу, Kbd: фӏэӏэфӏ ("it is tasty to him/her")
- Red: Ady: шӏоплъыжьы, Kbd: фӏэплъыжь ("it looks red to him/her")
| Language | Sentence | Gloss | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adyghe | Кӏалэхэмэ ашӏодахэп сиджанэ. | Boys.ERG 3PL-OPINION-pretty-NEG my-shirt | "My shirt was not beautiful to the boys." |
| Kabardian | Щӏалэхэмэ яфӏэдахэкъым си джанэ. | Boys.ERG 3PL-OPINION-pretty-NEG my-shirt | "My shirt was not beautiful to the boys." |
| Adyghe | Мы мыӏэрысэм иуасэ пшӏолъапӏа? | ... its-cost 2SG-OPINION-expensive-Q | "Is this apple expensive to you?" |
Scaliness (Abstract Nouns)
The suffix ~гъэ (~ʁa) is appended to adjectives to turn them into abstract nouns representing the measure or quality itself.
- Length: Ady: кӏыхьагъэ, Kbd: кӏыхьагъэ
- Speed: Ady: псынкӏагъэ, Kbd: псынщӏагъэ
- Heat: Ady: фэбагъэ, Kbd: хуабагъэ
- Strength: Ady: кӏочӏагъэ, Kbd: лъэщыгъэ
- Beauty: Ady: дэхагъэ, Kbd: дэхагъэ
| Language | Sentence | Gloss | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adyghe | Пхъэм иӏужъугъэ 65 сантиметр. | Wood-OBL its-width 65 cm | "The wood's width is 65 centimeters." |
| Kabardian | Пхъэм и ӏувыгъэр 65 сантиметр. | Wood-OBL its-width 65 cm | "The wood's width is 65 centimeters." |
| Adyghe | Кӏалэм кӏочӏагъэ хэлъ. | Boy-OBL strength lies-in | "The boy has strength in him." |
| Kabardian | Щӏалэм лъэщыгъэ хэлъ. | Boy-OBL strength lies-in | "The boy has strength in him." |
State of the Adjective
The suffix ~гъакӏэ (~ʁaːt͡ʃʼa) forms nouns meaning "the state/essence of being X", distinct from the measurable scale marked by ~гъэ.
- Lengthiness: Ady: кӏыхьэгъакӏэ, Kbd: кӏыхьэгъакӏэ
- Prettiness: Ady: дэхэгъакӏэ, Kbd: дэхэгъакӏэ
| Language | Sentence | Gloss | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adyghe | Лӏыжъым ишӏугъакӏэ пае... | Old-man-OBL his-goodness-state due-to... | "Due to the old man's (inherent) goodness..." |
| Adyghe | Сэ мыӏэрысэм иӏэшӏугъакӏэ сыкъегъатхъэ. | ... apple-OBL its-tastiness-state ... | "I enjoy the apple's tastiness." |
| Kabardian | Сэ мыӏэрысэм и ӏэфӏыгъакӏэм сыкъегъатхъэ. | ... apple-OBL its-tastiness-state ... | "I enjoy the apple's tastiness." |