The Besleney (Circassian: Беслъэней, ; ) are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes, representing one of the twelve stars on the green-and-gold Circassian flag. They histirocally lived in the Principality of Besleney in Circassia. By character, culture and language, the Besleney are closest to Kabardians.John Colarusso. A Grammar of the Kabardian Language University of Calgary Press, 1992. p. 12. "This highly divergent dialect..." The princely house of the Besleney was Qanoqo.
Population The majority of the Besleney live in the valley of Bolshaya and Malaya Laba Rivers and on the bank of Urup in the Russian Republics of Karachay-Cherkessia, Krasnodar Krai and Adygea.James Stuart Olson, et al., eds. "Adyghe".An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of the Russian and Soviet Empires. Greenwood Publishing, 1994. p. 15. "The Beslenei (Beslenej) are located between the upper Urup and Khozdya rivers, and along the Middle Laba River, in the western reaches of the North Caucasus." They also extend to the valleys of Chetem, Fars, Psefir, Kuban (Western Circassia).
History
Language
The Besleney people speak the Besleney sub-dialect () of the Kabardian Adyghe dialect (East Circassian). However, because the Besleney tribe lived at the center of Circassia, the Besleney dialect also shares a large number of features with dialects of the West Adyghe dialect. Like the Adyghe Shapsug sub-dialect, there exist a palatalized voiced velar plosive , a palatalized voiceless velar plosive and a palatalized velar ejective , which were merged to , and in other Circassian dialects.Консонантная система уляпского говора в сопоставлении с аналогами других диалектов адыгских языков The Besleney dialect also has an alveolar lateral ejective affricate , which corresponds to an alveolar lateral ejective fricative in most other varieties of Circassian.UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive - Recording Details for Kabardian Baslanei dialect. In the first word list called kbd_word-list_1970_01.html the words "man" and "quarter" are pronounced as and compare to Standard Kabardian and The Besleney dialect has a voiceless glottal fricative [h] that corresponds to in other Circassian dialects.Консонантная система уляпского говора в сопоставлении с аналогами других диалектов адыгских языков
Meaning Besleney sub-dialect Standard Kabardian Standard Adyghe Shapsug sub-dialectCyrillicIPACyrillicIPACyrillicIPACyrillicIPA horse чъы [t͡ʂɘ] шы [ʃɘ] шы [ʃɘ] шы [ʃɘ] sister чъыпхъу [t͡ʂɘpχʷ] шыпхъу [ʃɘpχʷ] шыпхъу [ʃɘpχʷ] шыпхъу [ʃɘpχʷ] wedding нысачъэ [nɘsaːt͡ʂɐ] нысашэ [nɘsaːʃɐ] нысашэ [nɘsaːʃɐ] нысашэ [nɘsaːʃɐ] day махуэ [maːxʷɐ] махуэ [maːxʷɐ] мафэ [maːfɐ] мафэ [maːfɐ] black фӏыцӏэ [fʼɘt͡sʼɐ] фӏыцӏэ [fʼɘt͡sʼɐ] шӏуцӏэ [ʃʷʼɘt͡sʼɐ] шӏусӏэ [ʃʷʼɘsʼɐ] shirt, dress гьанэ [ɡʲaːnɐ] джанэ [d͡ʒaːnɐ] джанэ [d͡ʒaːnɐ] гьанэ [ɡʲaːnɐ] tree джыг [d͡ʒɘɣ] жыг [ʒɘɣ] чъыгы [t͡ʂɘɡɘ] чъыгы [t͡ʃɘɣɘ] four птлӏы [pt͡ɬʼɘː] плӏы [pɬʼɘː] плӏы [pɬʼɘː] плӏы [pɬʼɘː] man тлӏы [t͡ɬʼɘː] лӏы [ɬʼɘː] лӏы [ɬʼɘː] лӏы [ɬʼɘː] chicken гьэд [gɐd] джэд [d͡ʒɐd] чэты [t͡ʃɐtɘ] кьэт [kʲɐt] tail, seed кӏьэ [kʲʼɐ] кӏэ [t͡ʃʼɐ] кӏэ [t͡ʃʼɐ] кӏьэ [kʲʼɐ] young man, boy кӏалэ [t͡ʃʼaːlɐ] щӏалэ [ɕʼaːɮɐ] кӏалэ [t͡ʃʼaːɮɐ] кӏалэ [t͡ʃʼaːlɐ] new кӏэ [t͡ʃʼɐ] щӏэ [ɕʼɐ] кӏэ [t͡ʃʼɐ] кӏэ [t͡ʃʼɐ]
See also Principality of Besleney East Adyghe dialect West Adyghe dialect Hatuqay dialect Other Circassian tribes Rescue of Leningrad Jewish children in Beslenei
References
External links UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive - Recording Details for Kabardian Beslenei dialect