Participles, Qus-ag, qus-gond, qus-in-ag.
It may safely be said, that no Dioscurian language is more Indo-European than the Irôn.
CIRCASSIANS.
Locality.—West Caucasus.
Divisions.—1. True Circassians, calling themselves Adigé. 2. Absné.
Sub-divisions of the Absné. 1. Absné. 2. Tepanta (or Altekesek).
It may safely be said that no Dioscurian language is less Indo-European than the Circassian. Such being the case, its grammar forms a proper complement to that of the Irôn.
In respect to its sounds, it has the credit, even in Caucasus, of being the most harsh and disagreeable language of the Caucasian area; consonants being accumulated, and hiatus being frequent.
The declensional inflections are preeminently scanty. In English substantives there is a sign for the possessive case, and for none other. In Absné there is not even this—ab=father, ácĕ=horse; ab ácĕ=father's horse, (verbally, father horse). In expressions like these, position does the work of an inflection.
Judging from Rosen's example, the use of prepositions is as limited as that of inflections, sara s-ab ácĕ ist`ap I my-father horse give, or giving am; abna amus`w izbit=wood bear see-did=I saw a bear in the wood; awinĕ wi as`wkĕ=(in) house two doors; ácĕ sis`lit=(on) horse mount-I-did.