Editing Ubykh language (section)

== History ==
Ubykh was spoken in the eastern coast of the [[Black Sea]] around [[Sochi]] until 1864, when the Ubykhs were driven out of the region by the Russians. They eventually came to settle in Turkey, founding the villages of [[Hacı Osman]], [[Kırkpınar (village)|Kırkpınar]], Masukiye and [[Hacı Yakup]]. [[Arabic]] and [[Circassian languages|Circassian]] eventually became the preferred languages for everyday communication, and many words from these languages entered Ubykh in that period.

The Ubykh language [[extinct language|died out]] on 7 October 1992, when its last fluent speaker, [[Tevfik Esenç]], died.<ref name=Koerner1998/> Before his death, thousands of pages of material and many audio recordings had been collected and collated by a number of linguists, including [[Georges Charachidzé]], [[Georges Dumézil]], [[Hans Vogt (linguist)|Hans Vogt]], [[George Hewitt (linguist)|George Hewitt]] and [[A. Sumru Özsoy]], with the help of some of its last speakers, particularly Tevfik Esenç and [[Huseyin Kozan]].<ref name=Koerner1998/> Ubykh was never written by its speech community, but a few phrases were transcribed by [[Evliya Çelebi]] in his [[Seyahatname]] and a substantial portion of the oral literature, along with some cycles of the [[Nart saga]], was transcribed. Tevfik Esenç also eventually learned to write Ubykh in the transcription that Dumézil devised.

[[Julius von Mészáros]], a Hungarian linguist, visited Turkey in 1930 and took down some notes on Ubykh. His work ''[[Die Päkhy-Sprache]]'' was extensive and accurate to the extent allowed by his transcription system (which could not represent all the phonemes of Ubykh) and marked the foundation of Ubykh linguistics.

The Frenchman [[Georges Dumézil]] also visited Turkey in 1930 to record some Ubykh and would eventually become the most celebrated Ubykh linguist. He published a collection of Ubykh folktales in the late 1950s, and the language soon attracted the attention of linguists for its small number of phonemic vowels. Hans Vogt, a Norwegian, produced a monumental dictionary that, in spite of its many errors (later corrected by Dumézil), is still one of the masterpieces and essential tools of Ubykh linguistics.

Later in the 1960s and into the early 1970s, Dumézil published a series of papers on Ubykh [[etymology]] in particular and Northwest Caucasian etymology in general. Dumézil's book ''Le Verbe Oubykh'' (1975), a comprehensive account of the verbal and nominal morphology of the language, is another cornerstone of Ubykh linguistics.

Since the 1980s, Ubykh linguistics has slowed drastically with the most recent treatise being Fenwick's ''A Grammar of Ubykh'' (2011), who was also working on a dictionary.<ref name="fen1">{{cite journal |last1=Fenwick |first1=Rhona S. H. |title=Ubykh Dictionary Draft - M |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1189012 |website=zenodo.org |year=2018 |doi=10.5281/zenodo.1189012 |access-date=30 July 2022}}</ref> The Ubykh themselves have shown interest in relearning their language.

The Abkhaz writer [[Bagrat Shinkuba]]'s historical novel [http://www.circassianlibrary.org/lib/html/Shinkuba-The_Last_of_the_Departed/contents.html Bagrat Shinkuba. ''The Last of the Departed''] treats the fate of the Ubykh people.

People who have published literature on Ubykh include
* [[Brian George Hewitt]]
* [[Georges Dumézil]]
* [[Hans Vogt (linguist)|Hans Vogt]]
* [[John Colarusso]]
* [[Tevfik Esenç]]
* [[Viacheslav Chirikba]]

===Notable characteristics===
Ubykh had been cited in the ''Guinness Book of Records'' (1996 ed.) as the language with the most consonant [[phoneme]]s, but since 2017 the [[Taa language|!Xóõ language]] (a member of the Tuu languages) has been considered by the book to have broken that record, with 130 consonants.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Language with most consonants|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/67421-language-with-most-consonants|access-date=2021-07-29|website=Guinness World Records|language=en-GB}}</ref> Ubykh has 20 [[uvular consonant|uvular]] and 29 pure [[fricative]] phonemes, more than any other known language.

===Samples===
All examples from Dumézil 1968 and retranscribed by Fenwick.{{sfn|Fenwick|2011|pp=200-201}}

{{fs interlinear|glossing=link|number=ex:
|Fáxie zebıyale zewaqʼalé azecíne
|fɐ́χʲɜ zɜ-bɨj-ɐlɜ zɜ-wɜqʼ-ɐlɜ́ ɐ-zɜ-dʒɨ́-nɜ-n
|long.ago one-sheep-COM one-goat-COM 3pABS-RECIP.OBL-accompany-PL-CONV}}

{{fs interlinear|glossing=link|number=ex:
|yaxhewtıní aduıgiıqʼén.
|j[ɜ]-ɐ-χˤ-ɜw:tɨ-nɨ́ ɐ-dʷɨ:gʲɨ-kʲɜ-qʼɜ́-n.
|NULL.ABS-3pERG-graze-FUT.II-CONV 3pABS-PVB-enter(PL)-PAST-PL}}

{{fs interlinear|glossing=link|number=ex:
|daxiebzínetʼın ábıj ácʼrefén
|d[ɜ]-ɐ-Ø-χʲɜ-bzɨ́-nɜ-tʼɨn ɐ́-bɨj ɐ-ʈʂʼɜfɜ́-n
|SUB-3pABS-3sOBL-BEN-meet-IMPF-NFIN the-sheep -the-front-OBL}}

{{fs interlinear|glossing=link|number=ex:
|giıtıní aqárğue şreğecʼiedeqʼé
|Ø-Ø-gʲɨ-tɨ-nɨ́ ɐ-qɐ́rʁʷɜ[-n] Ø-Ø-ʂɜ:ʁɜ-tɕʼɜdɜ-qʼɜ́
|3pABS-3sOBL-PVB-be.standing(SG)-CONV the-gully[-OBL] 3sABS-3sOBL-PVB-jump-PAST}}

{{fs interlinear|glossing=link|number=ex:
|deşreğe-çʼiedetʼín ğekʼuecé qʼéşieqʼe ğélheqʼen
|dɜ-Ø-Ø-ʂɜ:ʁɜ-tɕʼɜdɜ-tʼɨ́n ʁɜ-kʷʼɜtʃɜ́ Ø-qʼɜ́ɕɜ-qʼɜ ʁɜ́-ɬɜqʼɜ-n
|SUB-3sABS-3sOBL-PVB-jump-CONV 3sPOSS-tail 3sABS-raise-PAST 3sPOSS-footprint-OBL}}

{{fs interlinear|glossing=link|number=ex:
|giıtuqʼejtʼ wuqʼí aşueçegií
|Ø-Ø-gʲɨ́-tʷ-qʼɜ:jtʼ wɜqʼɨ́ ɐ-ʃʷɜtʃɜ-gʲɨ́
|3sABS-3sOBL-PVB-be.standing(SG)-PLUP[.NFIN] goat 3sABS-laugh-CONV}}

{{fs interlinear|glossing=link|number=ex:
|mğiawqʼé «wıtxiéşeçen
|Ø-mʁʲɐ-w-qʼɜ́ «wɨ-t-χʲɜ́-ʃʷɜtʃɜ-n
|3sABS-PVB-enter(SG)-PAST «2sABS-REL-BEN-laugh-PRES}}

{{fs interlinear|glossing=link|number=ex:
|sákiıy?» qʼɜn aweqʼín
|Ø-sɐ́kʲɨ-j?» Ø-qʼɜ-n ɐ-wɜqʼɨ́-n
|3sABS-what[.STAT.PRES.NFIN]-INTERR 3sABS-say-CONV the-goat-OBL}}

{{fs interlinear|glossing=link|number=ex:
|déğadzğetʼín «wípşe zbyeqʼé
|dɜ́-Ø-ʁ[ɜ]-ɐ-dzʁɜ-tʼɨn «wɨ́-pʃɜ Ø-z-bjɜ-qʼɜ́
|SUB-3sABS-3sPOSS-PVB-ask-CONV «3sPOSS-bottom 3sABS-1sERG-see-PAST}}

{{fs interlinear|glossing=link|number=ex:
|wenéci sıtxieşeçén» qʼɜqʼé
|Ø-wɜnɜ́-dʑ sɨ-t-χʲɜ-ʂɜ-ʃʷɜtʃɜ́-n» Ø-Ø-qʼɜ-qʼɜ́
|3sABS-that-COP[.STAT.PRES] 1sABS-REL-PVB-laugh-PRES[.NFIN]» 3sABS-3sERG-say-PAST}}

{{fs interlinear|glossing=link|number=ex:
|ábıyıytʼíngiı díbrazen «ğue
|Ø-ɐ́-bɨjɨ-jtʼɨ-n-gʲɨ Ø-Ø-dɨ́-brɐzɜ-n «ʁʷɜ
|3sABS-the-sheep-STAT.PAST[.NFIN]-ERG-EMPH 3sABS-3sERG-CAUS-turn-CONV «you(SG)}}

{{fs interlinear|glossing=link|number=ex:
|mışüe-sresrıní wípşe ɐduın giıt
|mɨɕʷɜ-ʂɜʂɨnɨ́ wɨ́-pʃɜ ɐ-dʷɨ-n Ø-Ø-gʲɨ-t
|day-every 2sPOSS-bottom the-field-OBL 3sABS-3sOBL-PVB-be.standing(SG)[.STAT.PRES]}}

{{fs interlinear|glossing=link|number=ex:
|wıgié wmcʼiáyın, ğue zekié
|wɨ-gʲɜ́ Ø-w-m-tɕʼ[ɜ]-ɐ́jɨ-n, ʁʷɜ zɜ:kʲɜ́
|2sPOSS-self 3sABS-3sERG-NEG-know-ITER-CONV you(SG) once}}

{{fs interlinear|glossing=link|number=ex:
|sípşe déwbyeqʼeğafé wışueçén
|sɨ́-pʃɜ dɜ́-Ø-w-bjɜ-qʼɜ-ʁ[ɜ]:ɐfɜ́ wɨ-ʃʷɜtʃɜ́-n»
|1sPOSS-bottom SUB-3sABS-3sERG-see-PAST[.NFIN]-becayuse 2sABS-laugh-PRES»}}

{{fs interlinear|glossing=link|number=ex:
|ınqʼeqʼé.
|ɨ-Ø-n-qʼɜ-qʼɜ́.
|3sABS-3sOBL-3sERG-say-PAST}}

====Free English translation====
Once, a sheep and a goat went into the field to go grazing. Where they went to graze, they came upon a gully, and the sheep, who was in front, jumped over it. When the sheep jumped, its tail flew up. The goat, who had been following behind it, began to laugh.

"What are you laughing for?" the sheep asked the goat. "I saw your arse, that's what I'm laughing about," said the goat. The sheep turned to the goat and said, "your arse is out in the open every day without you knowing it. And you laugh because you saw mine once."

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