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The Besleney (Circassian: Bеслъэней, IPA: [basɬənəj]; Russian: Бесленеевцы) are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes, representing one of the twelve stars on the green-and-gold Circassian flag.[1] By character, culture and language, the Besleney are closest to Kabardians.[2] The noble families of the Besleney were Kanoko and Shaloho, ancestors of Kabardian Prince Beslan, (the son of legendary Prince Inal),[citation needed] who established his own tribe of the same name.
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.[3] They also extend to the valleys of Chetem, Fars, Psefir, Kuban (Western Circassia).
Language
The Besleney people speak the Besleney sub-dialect (Adyghe: Бэслъыныйбзэ) 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 [ɡʲ], a palatalized voiceless velar plosive [kʲ] and a palatalized velar ejective [kʲʼ], which were merged to [d͡ʒ], [t͡ʃ] and [t͡ʃʼ] in other Circassian dialects.[4] The Besleney dialect also has an alveolar lateral ejective affricate [t͡ɬʼ], which corresponds to an alveolar lateral ejective fricative [ɬʼ] in most other varieties of Circassian.[5] The Besleney dialect has a voiceless glottal fricative [h] that corresponds to [x] in other Circassian dialects.[6]
See also
- East Adyghe dialect
- West Adyghe dialect
- Other Circassian tribes:
- Abzakh
- Bzhedug
- Hatuqwai
- Kabardian
- Mamkhegh
- Natukhai
- Rescue of Leningrad Jewish children in Beslenei
- Shapsug
- Temirgoy
- Ubykh
- Yegeruqwai
- Zhaney
References
- ^ "Circassians". Adiga-home.net. 2010. Archived from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
The 12 Circassian tribes: Abadzeh Besleney Bzhedug Yegeruqay Zhaney Kabarday Mamheg Natuhay Temirgoy Ubyh Shapsug Hatukay. The twelve stars on the Adyghe Flag also refers to the twelve tribes.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ John Colarusso. A Grammar of the Kabardian Language University of Calgary Press, 1992. p. 12. ISBN 9780919813991 "This highly divergent dialect..."
- ^ James Stuart Olson, et al., eds. "Adyghe".An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of the Russian and Soviet Empires. Greenwood Publishing, 1994. p. 15. ISBN 9780313274978 "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."
- ^ Консонантная система уляпского говора в сопоставлении с аналогами других диалектов адыгских языков (in Russian)
- ^ 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 /t͡ɬʼə/ and /pt͡ɬʼaːna/ compare to Standard Kabardian /ɬʼə/ and /pɬʼaːna/
- ^ Консонантная система уляпского говора в сопоставлении с аналогами других диалектов адыгских языков (in Russian)
External links
- UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive - Recording Details for Kabardian Beslenei dialect