Besleney

Besleney villages of Circassia around 1830–1850; "1" denotes nine villages resettled from the mountains by General Gregory von Saß; "2" denotes villages whose names are unknown; The area of village concentration in the upper reaches of the Laba River tributaries is now part of Krasnodar Krai between Adygea to the north and Karachay-Cherkessia to the south

The Besleney (Circassian: Bеслъэней, Bestləney, IPA: [basɬənəj]; Russian: Бесленеевцы Besleneevcy) (also known as Beslenei or Baslaney) are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes, representing one of the twelve stars on the green-and-gold Circassian flag. By character, culture and language, the Besleney are closest to Kabardians. The noble families of the Besleney were Kanoko and Shaloho, ancestors of Kabardian Prince Beslan, (the son of legendary Prince Inal), who established his own tribe of the same name.

Population

Abazin

Abkhaz

Abzakh

Abzakh

Besleney

Bzhedug

Hatuqwai

Kabardian

Kuban Kabardian

Mamkhegh

Natukhai

Natukhai

Shapsug

Shapsug

Temirgoy

Temirgoy

Ubykh

Yegeruqwai

Zhaney

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Historical locations of Circassian tribes

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. They also extend to the valleys of Chetem, Fars, Psefir, Kuban (Western Circassia).

Language

See also: Besleney Kabardian dialect

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. 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. The Besleney dialect has a voiceless glottal fricative [h] that corresponds to [x] in other Circassian dialects.

Meaning	Besleney sub-dialect		Standard Kabardian		Standard Adyghe		Shapsug sub-dialect
	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA	Cyrillic	IPA
horse	чъы	t͡ʂə	шы	ʃə	шы	ʃə	шы	ʃə
sister	чъыпхъу	t͡ʂəpχʷ	шыпхъу	ʃəpχʷ	шыпхъу	ʃəpχʷ	шыпхъу	ʃəpχʷ
wedding	нысачъэ	nəsaːt͡ʂa	нысашэ	nəsaːʃa	нысашэ	nəsaːʃa	нысашэ	nəsaːʃa
day	махуэ	maːxʷa	махуэ	maːxʷa	мафэ	maːfa	мафэ	maːfa
black	фӏыцӏэ	fʼət͡sʼa	фӏыцӏэ	fʼət͡sʼa	шӏуцӏэ	ʃʷʼət͡sʼa	шӏусӏэ	ʃʷʼəsʼa
shirt / dress	гьанэ	ɡʲaːna	джанэ	d͡ʒaːna	джанэ	d͡ʒaːna	гьанэ	ɡʲaːna
tree	джыг	d͡ʒəɣ	жыг	ʒəɣ	чъыгы	t͡ʂəɡə	чъыгы	t͡ʃəɣə
four	птлӏы	pt͡ɬʼəː	плӏы	pɬʼəː	плӏы	pɬʼəː	плӏы	pɬʼəː
man	тлӏы	t͡ɬʼəː	лӏы	ɬʼəː	лӏы	ɬʼəː	лӏы	ɬʼəː
chicken	гьэд	gad	джэд	d͡ʒad	чэты	t͡ʃatə	кьэт	kʲat
tail / seed	кӏьэ	kʲʼa	кӏэ	t͡ʃʼa	кӏэ	t͡ʃʼa	кӏьэ	kʲʼa
young man, boy	кӏалэ	t͡ʃʼaːla	щӏалэ	ɕʼaːɮa	кӏалэ	t͡ʃʼaːɮa	кӏалэ	t͡ʃʼaːla
new	кӏэ	t͡ʃʼa	щӏэ	ɕʼa	кӏэ	t͡ʃʼa	кӏэ	t͡ʃʼa

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

External links

• UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive - Recording Details for Kabardian Beslenei dialect