Books by Viacheslav Chirikba
Kitap, Orta Çağ Abhazya tarihinin (13-15. yy) önemli ve henüz yeterince araştırılmamış konularınd... more Kitap, Orta Çağ Abhazya tarihinin (13-15. yy) önemli ve henüz yeterince araştırılmamış konularından biri olan, Kafkasya'nın Karadeniz kıyısındaki başta Cenova olmak üzere İtalyan şehir devletleri ile dinamik ticari genişleme sürecindeki İtalyan-Abhaz ilişkilerini incelemektedir. Birer deniz devleti olan İtalya ile Abhazya'nın 13.-15. yüzyıllardaki ilişkileri, İtalyanların Abhazya'daki, özellikle ülkenin merkezi şehri Savastopoli’deki (Sohum) ticari faaliyetleri, Roma Katolik Kilisesi'nin Abhazya’daki faaliyetleri, Cenova'nın Savastopoli'deki konsolosluk ve noterlik servislerinin işleyişi, ayrıca Karadeniz havzasından, özellikle Abhazya ve Çerkesya'dan köle ticareti ile ilgili konular ele alınmaktadır. Söz konusu döneme ait çeşitli İtalyan belgeleri, deniz haritaları, atlasları ve portolanlarında yer alan Orta Çağ Abhazya ve Karadeniz Çerkesyası’nın etnonimleri, toponimleri ve
hidronimleri ile Orta Çağ haritalarında tasvir edilen Abhazya bayrakları da analiz edilmektedir. Eser, Orta Çağ tarihçileri ve Kafkas bilimcilerinin yanı sıra geniş bir okuyucu kitlesinin de ilgisini çekecektir.
The book is devoted to the discussion of various aspects of the international legal status of the... more The book is devoted to the discussion of various aspects of the international legal status of the statehood of Abkhazia from the point of view of the theory of international law and the practice of international relations. For ease of presentation, the text in the first chapter is given in the form of questions and answers. The second chapter presents an outline of the political history of Abkhazia from the early stages until 2018. Statistical materials, legal documents, as well as state symbols and historical maps of Abkhazia are attached to the work. The book is addressed to international lawyers, statehood experts, historians, political
scientists, diplomats, as well as to a wider readership.
This is the English summary of the book "The Mystery of Caterina. Who was the Mother of Leonardo ... more This is the English summary of the book "The Mystery of Caterina. Who was the Mother of Leonardo da Vinci?" (St Petersburg, 2018 ) by V. A. Chirikba.
“Dictionary of Geographical Names of Abkhazia and Other States” is the first Abkhaz-Russian-Engli... more “Dictionary of Geographical Names of Abkhazia and Other States” is the first Abkhaz-Russian-English and Russian-Abkhaz-English dictionary of place names of the Republic of Abkhazia. The book also includes a Russian-Abkhaz dictionary of geographical names of foreign states, a brief Russian-Abkhaz dictionary of geographical terms, and a Russian-Abkhaz dictionary of ethnic terms. The dictionary contains useful reference material for geographers, cartographers, journalists, teachers and students of secondary and higher educational institutions of Abkhazia, translators, philologists, administrations of villages and cities of Abkhazia, as well as for a wider readership.
The book is devoted to the discussion of various aspects of the international legal status of the... more The book is devoted to the discussion of various aspects of the international legal status of the statehood of Abkhazia from the point of view of the theory of international law and the practice of international relations. For ease of presentation, the text in the first chapter is given in the form of questions and answers. The second chapter presents an outline of the political history of Abkhazia from the early stages until 2018. Statistical materials, legal documents, as well as state symbols and historical maps of Abkhazia are attached to the work. The book is addressed to international lawyers, statehood experts, historians, political scientists, diplomats, as well as to a wider readership.
The monograph discusses Italo-Abkhazian relations during the period of dynamic trade-expansion of... more The monograph discusses Italo-Abkhazian relations during the period of dynamic trade-expansion of Italian city-states, primarily Genoa, on the Caucasian Black Sea coast, which is one of the important and still insufficiently studied topics in the history of mediaeval Abkhazia (13th–15th centuries). The essays address the issues related to: the relationship of the Italian maritime republics with Abkhazia in the 13th–15th centuries; the organisation of Italian trading activities in Abkhazia, primarily in the central city of the country – Savastopoli (Sukhum); the activities of the Roman Catholic Church in Abkhazia; the functioning of the consular and notarial services of Genoa in Savastopoli, as well as the large-scale export of slaves from the Black Sea basin, in particular from Abkhazia and Circassia. The work also
analyses the ethnonyms, toponyms and hydronyms of mediaeval Abkhazia and the coastal Circassia contained in various Italian documents, on sea-charts, atlases and portolans of the epoch, as well as the historical flags of Abkhazia as depicted on mediaeval maps.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introductory word
Foreword by V. Tomelleri
Chapter 1. Relations between the maritime republics of Italy and Abkhazia in the XIII–
XV centuries
Chapter 2. Savastopoli (Sukhum)
Cavo de Buxo (Bambora)
Nikofa (New Athos)
The Expansion of the Megrelian Principality
Chapter 3. The Catholic Church in mediaeval Abkhazia
Chapter 4. Genoese consulate and notary office in Abkhazia
Chapter 5. International trade in white slaves from the Black Sea basin
Chapter 6. Export of slaves from Abkhazia and Circassia in the 13th–15th centuries
Chapter 7. The Caucasian footprint in Italy. “A fair Circassian” in the “Orientalist” art
Chapter 8. Ethnic nomenclature of Abkhazia and Circassia in Italian documents and
nautical charts of the 13th–15th centuries
Chapter 9. Toponyms and hydronyms of Abkhazia and coastal Circassia on Italian
marine atlases and maps of the 14th–15th centuries
Chapter 10. Images of the flags of Abkhazia and Savastopoli on mediaeval maps and
marine atlases of the 14th–16th centuries
Conclusions
List of used maps
List of illustrations.
Bibliography
Abbreviations
The father of the great artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci was the Florentine notary ser Pier... more The father of the great artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci was the Florentine notary ser Piero da Vinci. But who was his mother? Apart from her name – Caterina – nothing is known about her, her life story is shrouded in darkness.
The author of the essay is trying to lift the veil of the mystery of the origin of the enigmatic genius of the Renaissance. Based on the analysis of a number of facts and evidence, he puts forward a hypothesis that the artist’s mother could be an Abkhazian or Circassian slave woman brought to Italy from the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. The romantic relationship of the slave Caterina with the young successful notary Piero da Vinci ended with the birth of a boy, baptized with the name Leonardo.
Professor of Philology Viacheslav Chirikba defended his doctoral dissertation at Leiden University in the Netherlands. He is the author of a series books and articles on the languages, history and mythology of the peoples of the Caucasus.
This book deals with the reconstruction of Common West Caucasian, the postulated proto-language o... more This book deals with the reconstruction of Common West Caucasian, the postulated proto-language of the West Caucasian (Abkhazo-Adyghean) languages, Abkhaz, Circassian and the recently extinct Ubykh. The book contains a synchronous description of the phonemic systems of all West Caucasian dialects and presents intermediary reconstructions of the Proto-Abkhaz, Proto-Circassian and Proto-Ubykh phonemic systems. The reconstructed intermediary proto-languages serve as a basis for the reconstruction of Common West Caucasian. Besides phonology, the book deals also with certain aspects of the morphology (nominal and verbal affixation, ablaut) and the lexicon of Common West Caucasian. Finally, the author touches upon the problem of the external relations of Common West Caucasian, namely, with the East Caucasian (or Nakh- Daghestanian) languages, and with the long extinct Hattic language of ancient Asia Minor (early second millennium B.C.).
La nuna situacio kun abĥaza lingvo elvokas seriozan zorgemon kiel ĉe specialistoj,
tiel en rondo ... more La nuna situacio kun abĥaza lingvo elvokas seriozan zorgemon kiel ĉe specialistoj,
tiel en rondo de intelektularo, malgraŭ garantita en Konstitucio de Abĥazio altan
staton de abĥaza lingvo kiel ŝtata. Laŭ takso de lingvoscientistoj abĥaza apartenas
al kategorio de malbonstataj lingvoj; ĉe tio observiĝas la plifortigon de vico da
faktoroj malfavore influantaj per ĝia funkcionado (altan nivelon de urbonizo,
amasan migradon de agrarloĝantaro en urbojn, kie en kondiĉoj de polietnika socio
dominas rusa lingvo ktp). En la verko taksas ĝeneralan kondiĉon de abĥaza lingvo
en Abĥazio, citiĝas la rezultojn de statistika kaj sociolingvistika esplorado de
specifikecoj de ĝia funkcionado en medio de urbaj abĥazoj. Sur la bazo de rezultoj
de esplorado, kaj ankaŭ kun konsidero de internacia sperto, proponiĝas la
komplekson da rimedoj, direktitaj al sanigado de situacio kun abĥaza lingvo.
Arka Kapak
Bu kitapta yer alan makaleler ve özetler, 30-31 Ekim 2007 tarihlerinde Sohum, Abhazya’... more Arka Kapak
Bu kitapta yer alan makaleler ve özetler, 30-31 Ekim 2007 tarihlerinde Sohum, Abhazya’da düzenlenen iki günlük “Towards a New Generation of Scholarships on the Caucasus’ (Kafkasya Konusunda Yeni Nesil Araştırmalara Doğru) konferansında sunulmuştur. Konferansı ‘SSRC- Social Science Research Council, New York’ (Sosyal Bilimler Araştırma Konseyi), ‘Circassianacademia’ (Çerkes akademisyenler internet grubu) ve ‘The Center for Strategic Studies, Sohum’ (Stratejik Çalışmalar Merkezi) ortak düzenlemiştir.
Konferansın genel amacı, güncel araştırma konularını, özellikle genç araştırmacıların bölgedeki küçük devletler ve cumhuriyetlerin karşılaştığı meydan okumaları nasıl dile getirdiklerini keşfetmektir. Konferansın sunucu ve katılımcıları, Abhazya, İngiltere, Japonya, İsrail, Rusya ve Türkiye’den mesleki kariyerlerinin farklı noktalarındaki uluslararası akademisyenlerdir. Genel olarak, geniş akademik disiplin ve alt disiplinlerinin temsil edildiği konferansta, Antropoloji, Demografi, Dil Bilimi, Sosyoloji, Tarih ve Siyaset Bilimi, STK’lar ile devletin araştırma kurumlarında çalışan uzmanlar da yer almıştır.
Bu sayı Kafkasya’daki ortak ilgi alanı olan, öncelikle Kuzey Kafkas Halkları, özellikle Abhazlar ve Çerkesler konusunda birleşmektedir.
Social Science Research Council, New York
One Pierre Point Plaza,1st Floor, Brooklyn, N.Y., 11201, USA.
Народ Абхазии обладает длительной историй государственности: Царство в VIII – X вв., Княжество в ... more Народ Абхазии обладает длительной историй государственности: Царство в VIII – X вв., Княжество в XIII – XIX вв., Советская Республика в 1921 - 1931 гг. на одном уровне с Грузией, независимая Республика с 1993 г., признанная в 2008 г. Россией и Никарагуа. Данная работа посвящена обоснованию международно-правовой легитимности Абхазского государства. Для большей доступности изложения текст дается в виде вопросов и ответов.
The people of Abkhazia have a long history of nationhood: a Kingdom in 8th – 10th centuries, a Pr... more The people of Abkhazia have a long history of nationhood: a Kingdom in 8th – 10th centuries, a Principality in 13th – 19th centuries, a Soviet Republic in 1921 – 1931, on par with Georgia, an autonomous State within the Georgian SSR in 1931 – 1992, an independent Republic in 1993, recognized in 2008 by Russia and Nicaragua. The main part of the present book is a demonstration of the international legitimacy of the Abkhazian State. For the sake of convenience the text is given in the form of questions and answers. Attached to the main article are historical tables and statistical data, as well as images of historical symbols and portraits of the leaders of Abkhazia, from the period of the Abkhazian Kingdom to the modern times.
Abkhaz is one of the three languages comprising the Abkhazo-Adyghean, or West Caucasian branch of... more Abkhaz is one of the three languages comprising the Abkhazo-Adyghean, or West Caucasian branch of North Caucasian linguistic family (the other branch being Nakh-Daghestanian, or East Caucasian). Abkhaz is spoken by approximately 100,000 people in the former Soviet union (mainly in the Republic of Abkhazia, Caucasus), and by at least the same number of speakers in Turkey and some Middle east countries (small Abkhaz colonies can be found also in Western Europe and the USA). Abkhaz is notorious for its huge consonantal inventory (up to 67 consonants in its Bzyp dialect) and by its minimal vocalic system: only two vowels. Though Abkhaz was studied by a number of scholars (among whom P. Uslar in XIX century, or more easily K. Lomtatidze in Georgia and G. Hewitt in Great Britain), many aspects of Abkhaz grammar (especially its syntax) still have to be adequately described. Abkhaz is the only West Caucasian language to possess the category of grammatical classes, manifested in personal pronouns, verb conjugation, numerals and in category of number. Abkhaz is an ergative language, the ergative construction being represented not by case endings, as in related Circassian and Ubykh (Abkhaz does not have the case system), but by order of actant markers. The verbal root consists usually of one consonant, preceded by a string of prefixes (class-personal, directional, temporal, negational, causative, etc.) and followed by few suffixes. Verbs can be stative or dynamic, finite or non-finite. The grammatical sketch of Abkhaz includes information about its phonological system, morphology, and syntax. A short text is provided with grammatical comments.
Problems facing the Abkhaz language and suggestions on mending the situation.
In his book "Common West Caucasian" (Leiden, 1996), the author touches upon the problem of the ex... more In his book "Common West Caucasian" (Leiden, 1996), the author touches upon the problem of the external relations of Common West Caucasian, namely, with the long extinct Hattic language of ancient Asia Minor (early second millennium B.C.).
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Books by Viacheslav Chirikba
hidronimleri ile Orta Çağ haritalarında tasvir edilen Abhazya bayrakları da analiz edilmektedir. Eser, Orta Çağ tarihçileri ve Kafkas bilimcilerinin yanı sıra geniş bir okuyucu kitlesinin de ilgisini çekecektir.
scientists, diplomats, as well as to a wider readership.
analyses the ethnonyms, toponyms and hydronyms of mediaeval Abkhazia and the coastal Circassia contained in various Italian documents, on sea-charts, atlases and portolans of the epoch, as well as the historical flags of Abkhazia as depicted on mediaeval maps.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introductory word
Foreword by V. Tomelleri
Chapter 1. Relations between the maritime republics of Italy and Abkhazia in the XIII–
XV centuries
Chapter 2. Savastopoli (Sukhum)
Cavo de Buxo (Bambora)
Nikofa (New Athos)
The Expansion of the Megrelian Principality
Chapter 3. The Catholic Church in mediaeval Abkhazia
Chapter 4. Genoese consulate and notary office in Abkhazia
Chapter 5. International trade in white slaves from the Black Sea basin
Chapter 6. Export of slaves from Abkhazia and Circassia in the 13th–15th centuries
Chapter 7. The Caucasian footprint in Italy. “A fair Circassian” in the “Orientalist” art
Chapter 8. Ethnic nomenclature of Abkhazia and Circassia in Italian documents and
nautical charts of the 13th–15th centuries
Chapter 9. Toponyms and hydronyms of Abkhazia and coastal Circassia on Italian
marine atlases and maps of the 14th–15th centuries
Chapter 10. Images of the flags of Abkhazia and Savastopoli on mediaeval maps and
marine atlases of the 14th–16th centuries
Conclusions
List of used maps
List of illustrations.
Bibliography
Abbreviations
The author of the essay is trying to lift the veil of the mystery of the origin of the enigmatic genius of the Renaissance. Based on the analysis of a number of facts and evidence, he puts forward a hypothesis that the artist’s mother could be an Abkhazian or Circassian slave woman brought to Italy from the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. The romantic relationship of the slave Caterina with the young successful notary Piero da Vinci ended with the birth of a boy, baptized with the name Leonardo.
Professor of Philology Viacheslav Chirikba defended his doctoral dissertation at Leiden University in the Netherlands. He is the author of a series books and articles on the languages, history and mythology of the peoples of the Caucasus.
tiel en rondo de intelektularo, malgraŭ garantita en Konstitucio de Abĥazio altan
staton de abĥaza lingvo kiel ŝtata. Laŭ takso de lingvoscientistoj abĥaza apartenas
al kategorio de malbonstataj lingvoj; ĉe tio observiĝas la plifortigon de vico da
faktoroj malfavore influantaj per ĝia funkcionado (altan nivelon de urbonizo,
amasan migradon de agrarloĝantaro en urbojn, kie en kondiĉoj de polietnika socio
dominas rusa lingvo ktp). En la verko taksas ĝeneralan kondiĉon de abĥaza lingvo
en Abĥazio, citiĝas la rezultojn de statistika kaj sociolingvistika esplorado de
specifikecoj de ĝia funkcionado en medio de urbaj abĥazoj. Sur la bazo de rezultoj
de esplorado, kaj ankaŭ kun konsidero de internacia sperto, proponiĝas la
komplekson da rimedoj, direktitaj al sanigado de situacio kun abĥaza lingvo.
Bu kitapta yer alan makaleler ve özetler, 30-31 Ekim 2007 tarihlerinde Sohum, Abhazya’da düzenlenen iki günlük “Towards a New Generation of Scholarships on the Caucasus’ (Kafkasya Konusunda Yeni Nesil Araştırmalara Doğru) konferansında sunulmuştur. Konferansı ‘SSRC- Social Science Research Council, New York’ (Sosyal Bilimler Araştırma Konseyi), ‘Circassianacademia’ (Çerkes akademisyenler internet grubu) ve ‘The Center for Strategic Studies, Sohum’ (Stratejik Çalışmalar Merkezi) ortak düzenlemiştir.
Konferansın genel amacı, güncel araştırma konularını, özellikle genç araştırmacıların bölgedeki küçük devletler ve cumhuriyetlerin karşılaştığı meydan okumaları nasıl dile getirdiklerini keşfetmektir. Konferansın sunucu ve katılımcıları, Abhazya, İngiltere, Japonya, İsrail, Rusya ve Türkiye’den mesleki kariyerlerinin farklı noktalarındaki uluslararası akademisyenlerdir. Genel olarak, geniş akademik disiplin ve alt disiplinlerinin temsil edildiği konferansta, Antropoloji, Demografi, Dil Bilimi, Sosyoloji, Tarih ve Siyaset Bilimi, STK’lar ile devletin araştırma kurumlarında çalışan uzmanlar da yer almıştır.
Bu sayı Kafkasya’daki ortak ilgi alanı olan, öncelikle Kuzey Kafkas Halkları, özellikle Abhazlar ve Çerkesler konusunda birleşmektedir.
Social Science Research Council, New York
One Pierre Point Plaza,1st Floor, Brooklyn, N.Y., 11201, USA.
hidronimleri ile Orta Çağ haritalarında tasvir edilen Abhazya bayrakları da analiz edilmektedir. Eser, Orta Çağ tarihçileri ve Kafkas bilimcilerinin yanı sıra geniş bir okuyucu kitlesinin de ilgisini çekecektir.
scientists, diplomats, as well as to a wider readership.
analyses the ethnonyms, toponyms and hydronyms of mediaeval Abkhazia and the coastal Circassia contained in various Italian documents, on sea-charts, atlases and portolans of the epoch, as well as the historical flags of Abkhazia as depicted on mediaeval maps.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introductory word
Foreword by V. Tomelleri
Chapter 1. Relations between the maritime republics of Italy and Abkhazia in the XIII–
XV centuries
Chapter 2. Savastopoli (Sukhum)
Cavo de Buxo (Bambora)
Nikofa (New Athos)
The Expansion of the Megrelian Principality
Chapter 3. The Catholic Church in mediaeval Abkhazia
Chapter 4. Genoese consulate and notary office in Abkhazia
Chapter 5. International trade in white slaves from the Black Sea basin
Chapter 6. Export of slaves from Abkhazia and Circassia in the 13th–15th centuries
Chapter 7. The Caucasian footprint in Italy. “A fair Circassian” in the “Orientalist” art
Chapter 8. Ethnic nomenclature of Abkhazia and Circassia in Italian documents and
nautical charts of the 13th–15th centuries
Chapter 9. Toponyms and hydronyms of Abkhazia and coastal Circassia on Italian
marine atlases and maps of the 14th–15th centuries
Chapter 10. Images of the flags of Abkhazia and Savastopoli on mediaeval maps and
marine atlases of the 14th–16th centuries
Conclusions
List of used maps
List of illustrations.
Bibliography
Abbreviations
The author of the essay is trying to lift the veil of the mystery of the origin of the enigmatic genius of the Renaissance. Based on the analysis of a number of facts and evidence, he puts forward a hypothesis that the artist’s mother could be an Abkhazian or Circassian slave woman brought to Italy from the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. The romantic relationship of the slave Caterina with the young successful notary Piero da Vinci ended with the birth of a boy, baptized with the name Leonardo.
Professor of Philology Viacheslav Chirikba defended his doctoral dissertation at Leiden University in the Netherlands. He is the author of a series books and articles on the languages, history and mythology of the peoples of the Caucasus.
tiel en rondo de intelektularo, malgraŭ garantita en Konstitucio de Abĥazio altan
staton de abĥaza lingvo kiel ŝtata. Laŭ takso de lingvoscientistoj abĥaza apartenas
al kategorio de malbonstataj lingvoj; ĉe tio observiĝas la plifortigon de vico da
faktoroj malfavore influantaj per ĝia funkcionado (altan nivelon de urbonizo,
amasan migradon de agrarloĝantaro en urbojn, kie en kondiĉoj de polietnika socio
dominas rusa lingvo ktp). En la verko taksas ĝeneralan kondiĉon de abĥaza lingvo
en Abĥazio, citiĝas la rezultojn de statistika kaj sociolingvistika esplorado de
specifikecoj de ĝia funkcionado en medio de urbaj abĥazoj. Sur la bazo de rezultoj
de esplorado, kaj ankaŭ kun konsidero de internacia sperto, proponiĝas la
komplekson da rimedoj, direktitaj al sanigado de situacio kun abĥaza lingvo.
Bu kitapta yer alan makaleler ve özetler, 30-31 Ekim 2007 tarihlerinde Sohum, Abhazya’da düzenlenen iki günlük “Towards a New Generation of Scholarships on the Caucasus’ (Kafkasya Konusunda Yeni Nesil Araştırmalara Doğru) konferansında sunulmuştur. Konferansı ‘SSRC- Social Science Research Council, New York’ (Sosyal Bilimler Araştırma Konseyi), ‘Circassianacademia’ (Çerkes akademisyenler internet grubu) ve ‘The Center for Strategic Studies, Sohum’ (Stratejik Çalışmalar Merkezi) ortak düzenlemiştir.
Konferansın genel amacı, güncel araştırma konularını, özellikle genç araştırmacıların bölgedeki küçük devletler ve cumhuriyetlerin karşılaştığı meydan okumaları nasıl dile getirdiklerini keşfetmektir. Konferansın sunucu ve katılımcıları, Abhazya, İngiltere, Japonya, İsrail, Rusya ve Türkiye’den mesleki kariyerlerinin farklı noktalarındaki uluslararası akademisyenlerdir. Genel olarak, geniş akademik disiplin ve alt disiplinlerinin temsil edildiği konferansta, Antropoloji, Demografi, Dil Bilimi, Sosyoloji, Tarih ve Siyaset Bilimi, STK’lar ile devletin araştırma kurumlarında çalışan uzmanlar da yer almıştır.
Bu sayı Kafkasya’daki ortak ilgi alanı olan, öncelikle Kuzey Kafkas Halkları, özellikle Abhazlar ve Çerkesler konusunda birleşmektedir.
Social Science Research Council, New York
One Pierre Point Plaza,1st Floor, Brooklyn, N.Y., 11201, USA.
some other languages of Europe, Asia and Africa goes back not to the Arabic, but to an Aramaic source.
The question is raised about the possibility of postulating the Caucasian mythological union (according to the model of the supposed Caucasian language union), as well as local unions of mythological systems of the peoples of the Caucasus.
conflicts in Ukraine and in the zone of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict around Nagorno-Karabakh. Existential threats to Abkhazia: external (Georgian revanchism) and internal (demography, the situation with the Abkhaz language).
of the Abkhaz alphabet based on the Latin script – the ‘analytical’ alphabet, proposed by Academician Nikolai Marr (adopted in 1926 and used until 1928), and the ‘unified alphabet’, which replaced Marr’s alphabet. Marr’s system was, in fact, nothing more than a phonetic transcription, complex and inconvenient even for linguists, and unfit for school and literary purposes, which motivated the Abkhaz authorities to opt for its radical reform. The new Romanized alphabet was introduced into school practice in 1929 and functioned until 1938. There is some controversy as to the authorship of this script. In later literature it was attributed to N. Yakovlev, but in reality those who were directly involved in the creation of the new alphabetical system were Y. Polivanov, S. Chanba and M. Khashba, though the latter two did consult with Yakovlev. The fact that both Polivanov and Chanba were executed during Stalinist purges may explain the silencing of their names. By the mid-1930s, the Soviet government had started replacing Latin scripts with Cyrillic-based ones, but with two notable exceptions: in 1938, the alphabets of the Abkhazians and South Ossetians were transferred into a Georgian graphic basis. It was only in 1954, after the death of Stalin, that the Abkhazians returned to their erstwhile
Cyrillic alphabet.
dialect of Abkhaz from the point of view of phonology, morphology and lexicon. The Abzhywa dialect is one of the two Abkhaz dialects now spoken in Abkhazia. It comprises three sub-dialects – Atara, Dzhgiarda and Pakwash, the differences between which are insignificant. The speech of Abzhywa Abkhazians in Turkey is characterized by parameters consistent with the norms of the dialect, with some local peculiarities.
dialect is one of the two Abkhaz dialects now spoken in Abkhazia. It comprises three sub-dialects – Watkhara, Lykhny and Aatsy, the differences between which are insignificant. The speech of Bzyp Abkhazians in Turkey is characterized by parameters consistent with the norms of the dialect, with some local peculiarities.