Chirikba V.A. Common West Caucasian: The Reconstruction of its Phonological System and Parts of its Lexicon and Morphology

Leiden, The Netherlands: Research School CNWS, 1996. — xxvi, 452 p.: ill. — ISBN: 9073782732.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 phonetic 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.).