kbd ISO 639
Къэбэрдей Адыгэбзэ (Qăbărdey Adəgăbză) Autonyms
Kabardian
Visualizations
A language of Russian Federation
- ISO 639
- kbd
- Alternate Names
- East Circassian, Eastern Adyghe, Eastern Circassian, Highland Adyghe, Kabard, Kabardin, Kabardino-Cherkes, Kabardo-Cherkess, Kabardo-Cherkessian, Upper Adyghe, Upper Circassian
- Autonym
- Къэбэрдей Адыгэбзэ (Qăbărdey Adəgăbză)
- Population
- 516,000 in Russian Federation (2010 census). 36,700 monolinguals (2002 census). Ethnic population: 590,000 (2010 census). Total users in all countries: 1,915,800.
- Location
- Kabardino-Balkar republic, North Ossetia-Alania republic, Stavropol krai.
- Language Maps
- Southwestern Russian Federation
- Language Status
- 5* (Developing).
- Classification
- Abkhaz-Adyghe, Circassian
- Dialects
- Greater Kabardian, Baksan, Lesser Kabardian, Malka, Mozdok, Kuban, Beslenei (Beslenej, Besleney), Terek. Similar to Adyghe [ady].
- Language Development
- Literature. Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 1993–2007.
- Writing
- Cyrillic script [Cyrl].
- Other Comments
- The ethnonym ‘Adyghe’ is synonymous with Circassian and encompasses both Kabardian (Eastern Adyghe or Eastern Circassian) and Adyghe [ady] (Western Adyghe or Western Circassian). Muslim.
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Kabardian
Also Spoken in
- Location
- Scattered.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Muslim. View other languages of Germany
Language Name
Kabardian
User Population
14,000 in Germany (2005 Circassian Association).
- Location
- ‘Amman, Az-Zarqa’, and Jarash governorates; Russeifa and Sweileh urban areas near the capital.
- Language Status
- 6b (Threatened)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Muslim. View other languages of Jordan
Language Name
Kabardian
User Population
151,000 in Jordan (Leclerc 2021), based on ethnicity.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Saudi Arabia
Language Name
Kabardian
User Population
26,500 in Saudi Arabia (2018), based on ethnicity.
- Location
- Dimashq governorate; Damascus, Aleppo, possibly other cities.
- Language Status
- 6b (Threatened)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Muslim. View other languages of Syria
Language Name
Kabardian
User Population
34,800 in Syria (2019).
- Location
- Kayseri province: Uzun Yayla plateau east of Kayseri city; Corum, Duzce, Eskisehir, Kahramanmarash, and Samsun provinces: scattered.
- Dialects
- Besleney.
- Language Status
- 6b (Threatened)
- Language Use
- Of all Circassian groups, the Kabardians have retained the language the best and there are active measures to increase its vitality and to resist assimilation (2016). Some young people, all adults. In some families, Kabardian is being passed from parents to children and is used at home (2016). Used as L2 by Abaza [abq].
- Language Development
- Taught in some primary schools in grades 5–8, as an elective, in the main Kabardian centers of Kayseri and Marash.
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Muslim. View other languages of Turkey
Language Name
Kabardian
User Population
1,170,000 in Turkey (2019 Circassian Association).
- Location
- California: Orange county; New Jersey: Paterson.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Muslim. View other languages of United States
Language Name
Kabardian
User Population
3,500 in United States (2005 Circassian Association), including Adyghe [ady] speakers.
