Besleney Kabardian dialect
The Besleney Kabardian dialect is one of the East Circassian dialects and usually considered a dialect of Kabardian. However, because the Besleney tribe lived at the center of Circassia, the Besleney dialect also shares a large number of features with dialects of Western Circassian.
Phonology
The Besleney dialect is characterized by its conservatism. Unlike Modern Standard Kabardian, Besleney was not affected by the two major phonological shifts that defined the evolution of the Kabardian dialects. Consequently, Besleney preserves the original consonant inventory of Proto-Kabardian.Retention of Palatalized Velars (No Phase 2)
Besleney did not undergo "Phase 2". It retains the distinct Proto-Kabardian series of palatalized velars: the voiced stop, the voiceless stop, and the ejective .In most other dialects, including Standard Kabardian, these consonants shifted forward to become palato-alveolar affricates.
- **Besleney vs Standard Kabardian :**
- **Besleney vs Standard Kabardian :**
- **Besleney vs Standard Kabardian :**
Retention of Affricates (No Phase 1)
Besleney did not undergo "Phase 1". It retains the original Proto-Kabardian postalveolar and retroflex affricates:,, and .In Standard Kabardian, these original affricates underwent spirantization, becoming the fricatives,, and .
The following table demonstrates how Besleney retains the affricates, while Standard Kabardian has shifted them to fricatives.
| Meaning | Besleney / Proto-Kabardian | Standard Kabardian |
| fox | ||
| village | ||
| village | ||
| night | ||
| cow | ||
| spear | ||
| goat | ||
| to come out from under | ||
| to regret | ||
| mustache | ||
| new | ||
| winter | ||
| young-man | ||
| guest | ||
| area | ||
| iron | ||
| to sleep | / | |
| tree | ||
| to run | ||
| to run down | ||
| he-goat | ||
| door |
Comparison of Phases
Because Besleney was affected by neither Phase 1 nor Phase 2, words that are merged or shifted in Standard Kabardian remain distinct in Besleney.The following table shows how words like "new" and "tail" are distinct in Besleney.
| Word | Besleney | Other Kabardian dialects | Modern Standard Kabardian |
| tail | kʲʼa | kʲʼa | t͡ʃʼa |
| new | t͡ʃʼa | ʃʼa | ʃʼa |
| winter | t͡ʃʼəmaːxʷa | ʃʼəmaːxʷa | ʃʼəmaːxʷa |
| mustache | paːt͡ʃʼa | paːʃʼa | paːʃʼa |