Proto-Kabardian (or Proto Eastern Circassian) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Kabardian dialects and the Besleney dialect. Together with its sister language, Proto-Adyghean, it is descended from Proto-Circassian.
The consonant system is reconstructed with a four-way phonation contrast in stops and affricates, and a two-way contrast in fricatives.
Proto-Kabardian possessed a distinct series of stops and affricates. This inventory included palatalized velars and postalveolar affricates.
Postalveolar affricates:
Palatalized velars:
The evolution into Modern Standard Kabardian occurred in two distinct phases. The Besleney dialect was not affected by either Phase 1 or Phase 2, preserving the Proto-Kabardian forms. Some Kabardian dialects (like Uzunyayla) were affected by Phase 1 but not Phase 2. Standard Kabardian underwent both shifts.
In Phase 1, the original Proto-Kabardian affricate postalveolar consonants underwent spirantization, becoming fricatives in Standard Kabardian. Besleney retained the affricates.
The shifts were:
The following table demonstrates specific examples of this spirantization. Note that Besleney retains the affricates found in Proto-Kabardian.
Later on, after the original affricates had become fricatives in Phase 1, a gap was left in the postalveolar position. In the majority of Kabardian dialects (including Standard Kabardian), the historical velar consonants shifted forward to fill this gap. Besleney and some Kabardian dialects (like Uzunyayla) did not undergo this shift and retained the velars.
The shifts were:
The following tables demonstrate how Besleney retains the velars, while Standard Kabardian shifts them to affricates.
1. Proto-Kabardian/Besleney â Standard Kabardian
2. Proto-Kabardian/Besleney â Standard Kabardian
3. Proto-Kabardian/Besleney â Standard Kabardian
The following table shows how words like "new" (affected by Phase 1) and "tail" (affected by Phase 2) are distinct in dialects. In Besleney (No phases), they remain and . In Standard Kabardian (Both phases), they became and .
In Circassian, there are two ways to mark the third person plural on the verb, depending on the role of the noun (Ergative vs. Absolutive):
In Modern Standard Kabardian, the Absolutive third-person plural suffix (x / ) has disappeared. As a result, the verb form for a plural absolutive often resembles the singular form, even though the pronoun remains plural (ðàÃÂÃÂ).
In Modern Kabardian, the suffix -r , which typically marks the dynamic present tense in other Circassian dialects, has disappeared in specific contexts: