The current Abkhaz alphabet is a modified variant of the Cyrillic script used for the Abkhaz language. Abkhaz was not a written language until the 19th century. Until then, Abkhazians—especially elites—had been using Greek (until ), Georgian (919th centuries), and partially Turkish (18th century).Бгажба Х. С. Из истории письменности в Абхазии. — Тбилиси. 1967. С. 34
History The first Abkhaz alphabet was created in 1862 by Peter von Uslar. It had 55 letters and was based on the Cyrillic script.
Another version, having 51 letters, was used in 1892 by Dimitry Gulia and K. Machavariani. In 1909, the alphabet was again expanded to 55 letters by Andria Tchotchua to adjust to the extensive consonantal inventory of Abkhaz.
In 1926, during the korenizatsiya policy in the Soviet Union, the Cyrillic alphabet was replaced by a Latin alphabet devised by Nikolay Marr. It featured 76 letters and was called the "Abkhaz analytical alphabet". In 1928, this was replaced by another Latin alphabet. From 1938 to 1954 the Abkhaz language was written in Georgian Mkhedruli script.
Since 1954, the Abkhaz language has been written in a new 58-letter (now 64-letter) Cyrillic alphabet (see chart below). Of these, 38 are graphically distinct; the rest are digraphs with and which indicate palatalization and labialization, respectively. In 1996, the most recent reform of the alphabet was implemented: while labialization had hitherto been marked with two additional letters, ә and у (у was used in the digraphs гу, ҕу, ку, қу, ҟу, and ху, which were not considered separate letters), since then only ә was retained in this function. Unusually, the Cyrillic plosive letters к п т represent ejective consonants; the non-ejectives (pulmonic consonants) are derived from these by means of a descender at the bottom of the letter. In the case of the affricates, however, the plain letters are pulmonic, and the derived letters ejective.
The modern Abkhaz orthography gives preference to the letters г к п т х ч with descender (ӷ қ ԥ ҭ ҳ ҷ). The letters (ҕ ҧ) had previously (before 1996) had a hook, which ҕ still does in Yakut. In pre-Soviet alphabets the hook was also used in ӄ ꚋ, see above.
The letters ь and ә are used as parts of digraphs, but are listed separately in the alphabet. Besides the digraphs listed in the alphabet, the letter ь occurs in ль , which is used in some loanwords.
Comparison table Letters or digraphs in brackets are not part of the alphabet. Letters without a modern equivalent represent phonemes only present in the Bzyb dialect, as the literary standard dialect switched from Bzyb to Abzhywa. +Different iterations of the Abkhaz Cyrillic alphabet and transliteration systemsModern CyrillicThe letters are listed per In ь and ә are included as separate letters.NameGeorgian scriptSoviet Latin scriptAnalytical alphabetTranslation committeeZavadsky alphabetUslar alphabetISOTITUS (Chirikba, where different)IPA ValueThe IPA transcriptions are given per , but the Labialisation is represented by as in . The transcription of vowels is not consistent in the scholarly literature, see Abkhaz_phonology#Vowels for details.А ааაaaаА ааaа/a/Б ббыბbbбБ ббbbВ ввыვvvвВ ввvvГ ггыგggгГ ггggГь гьгьыგჲ(gı)gˌг̆Гј гј(гј)gʹgʹГә гә (pre-1996: Гу гу)гәы(გუ)(gu)g˚(гу)(гу)(гу)ga̋Pedersen uses the pre-1996 reform alphabet in which these were not considered separate letters. See the transliterations in note 4.1 on page 3gᵒӶ ӷ (pre-1996: Ҕ ҕ)ӷыღƣǧҕг̓г̓ğɣӶь ӷь (pre-1996: Ҕь ҕь)ӷьыღჲ(ƣı)ǧˌҕ̆(г̓ј)(г̓ј)ğʹɣʹӶә ӷә (pre-1996: Ҕу ҕу)ӷәы(ღუ)(ƣu)ǧ˚(ҕу)(г̓у)(г̓у)ğa̋ ɣᵒ Д ддыდddдД ддddДә дәдәыდჿđd˚ꚁД’д’д̓da̋dᵒЕ ееეeeеЕ ееeeЖ жжыჟჾƶȷжЖ жжžžЖь жьжьыჟȷˌӂЖј жј(жј)žʹžʹЖә жәжәыჟჿjȷ˚ꚅꚄ ꚅꚅža̋žᵒȷˌ˚ꚅ̆ꚅ̓ꚅ̓З ззыზzzзЗ ззzzⱬӠ ӡӡыძᴣďӡꚉꚉźʒďˌӠә ӡәӡәыძჿⱬď˚ꚃꚃꚃźa̋ʒᵒИ иИыიiiіІ ііii, jyЈ јјК ккыკⱪkкК ккkḳ (kʼ)Кь кькьыკჲ(ⱪı)ⱪк̆(кј)(кј)kʹḳʹ (kʼʹ)/kʲʼ/Кә кә (pre-1996: Ку ку)кәы(კუ)(ⱪu)k˚(ку)(ку)(ку)ka̋ ḳᵒ (kʼᵒ)/kʷʼ/Қ ққыქkqӄк̓к̓ķkҚь қьқьыქჲ(kı)qˌӄ̆(к̓ј)(к̓ј)ķʹkʹҚә қә (pre-1996: Ӄу ӄу)қәы(ქუ)(ku)q˚(ӄу)(к̓у)(к̓у)ķa̋ kᵒ Ҟ ҟҟыყqk̇ԛԛԛk̄q̇ (qʼ)Ҟь ҟьҟьыყჲ(qı)ⱪ̇q̆(ԛј)(ԛј)k̄ʹq̇ʹ (qʼʹ)/qʲʼ/Ҟә ҟә (pre-1996: Ҟу ҟу)ҟәы(ყუ)(qu)k̇˚(ԛу)(ԛу)(ԛу)k̄a̋ q̇ᵒ (qʼᵒ)Л ллыლllлЛ ллllМ ммыმmmмМ ммmmН нныნnnнН ннnnО ооოooоО ооooП ппыპpпП ппpṗ (pʼ)Ԥ ԥ (pre-1996: Ҧ ҧ)ԥыფpҧп̓п̓ṕpР ррыრrrрР ррrrС ссыსssсС ссsssˌҪҫҫТ ттыტtтТ ттtṭ (tʼ)Тә тәтәыტჿt˚ꚍ̆Ꚍ̆ ꚍ̆ꚍ̆ta̋ṭᵒ (tʼᵒ)Ҭ ҭҭыთtϑꚋт̓т̓ţtҬә ҭәҭәыთჿϑ˚ꚍꚌ ꚍꚍţa̋tᵒУ ууыუuwуУ ууuw, uPrior to the 1996 reform ⟨у⟩ indicated labialisation after certain letters which is transliterated as ⟨ᵒ⟩ in the TITUS systemФ ффыჶffфФ ффffХ ххыხxq̇хХ ххhxХь хьхьыხჲ(xı)q̇ˌх̆(хј)(хј)hʹxʹХә хә (pre-1996: Ху ху)хәы(ხუ)(xu)q̇˚(ху)(ху)(ху)ha̋xᵒq̱̇х̍х̍q̱̇˚(х̍у)(х̍у)Ҳ ҳҳыჰhħһҺ һһh̦ḥ (h)Ҳә ҳәҳәыჰჿħħ˚ꚕꚔ ꚕꚕh̦a̋ḥᵒ (hᵒ)Ц ццыცcϑ̇цЦ ццccϑ̇ˌц̍ц̍Цә цәцәыცჿϑ̇˚ꚏꚏꚏca̋cᵒҴ ҵҵыწṫҵц̓ц̓c̄c̣ (cʼ)Ҵә ҵәҵәыწჿṫ˚ꚏ̆ꚏ̆ꚏ̆c̄a̋c̣ᵒ (cʼᵒ)ṫˌт̨т̨Ч ччыჩɥϑ̣чЧ ччččʹҶ ҷҷыჭṭꚓч̓ч̓c̦č̣ʹ (čʼʹ)Ҽ ҽҽыჩჾϑ̱̣ҽꚇꚇc̆čҾ ҿҿыჭჾṯ̣ҽ̆ꚇ̆ꚇ̦̆c̆ The lower hook is centeredč̣ (čʼ)Ш шшыშჾшшшшššШь шьшьыშſщш̆Ш̆ ш̆ш̆šʹšʹШә шәшәыშჿш˚ꚗщщša̋šᵒщ˚ꚗ̆щ̆щ̆Ы ыыჷəəѵѴ ѵѵyəҨ ҩҩыჳyw̧ҩҨ ҩҩòʿᵒ (jᵒ)Џ џџыჯჾḓџd̂ISO 9 and TITUS transliteration not provided by T. PedersenǯЏь џьџьыჯꝗḏ̣џ̆џџd̂ ǯʹ Ь ьჲıјјʹӘ әუ(u)ууa̋
Text comparison Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
Cyrillic scriptUslar CyrillicTranslation CommitteeGeorgian scriptLatin script (ISO 9)IPA transcriptionEnglish translationДарбанзаалак ауаҩы дшоуп ихы дақәиҭны. Ауаа зегь зинлеи патулеи еиҟароуп. Урҭ ирымоуп ахшыҩи аламыси, дара дарагь аешьеи аешьеи реиԥш еизыҟазароуп.Дарбанзаалак ауаҩѵ дшоуп іхѵ дак̓уіт̓нѵ. Ауаа зегј зінлеі патулеі еіԛароуп. Урт̓ ірѵмоуп ахшѵҩі аламѵсі, дара дарагј аеш̆еі аеш̆еі реіп̓ш еізѵԛазароуп.Дарбанзаалак ауаҩѵ дшоуп іхѵ даӄуіꚋнѵ. Ауаа зег̆ зінлеі патулеі еіԛароуп. Урꚋ ірѵмоуп ахшѵҩі аламѵсі, дара дараг̆ аеш̆еі аеш̆еі реіҧш еізѵԛазароуп.დარბანზაალაკ აუაჳჷ დშოუპ იხჷ დაქჿითნჷ. აუაა ზეგჲ ზინლეი პატულეი ეიყაროუპ. ურთ ირჷმოუპ ახშჷჳი ალამჷსი, დარა დარაგჲ აეშჲეი აეშჲეი რეიფშ ეიზჷყაზაროუპ.Darbanzaalak auaòy dšoup ihy daķãiţny. Auaa zegʹ zinlei patulei eik̄aroup. Urţ irymoup ahšyòi alamysi, dara daragʹ aešʹei aešʹei reipš eizyk̄azaroup.[dɑɾbɑnzɑːlɑkʼ ɑwɑɥˤə tʂɑwəpʼ jəχə dɑkʷʰəjtʰnə ǁ ɑwɑː zɑjəgʲ zɑjənlɑjə pʼatʼəwlɑjə jɑjəqʼɑɾɑwəpʼ ǁ wəɾtʰ jəɾəmɑwəpʼ ɑχʂəɥˤəj ɑlɑməsəj dɑɾɑ dɑɾɑgʲ ɑjɑʃɑjə ɾɑjəpʰʂ ɑjəzəqʼɑzɑɾɑwəpʼ ǁ]All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Gallery
See also Dzze Zhwe Cche Tswe Shwe (Cyrillic) o-hook
References
External links PT Sans and PT Serif fonts Deja Vu fonts Теимураз Гванцеладзе: «Из истории перехода абхазского книжного языка на грузинскую графику»