ABSTRACT
Ubykh is the smallest subgroup of Northwest Caucasian (NWC) languages, containing only one language of the same name, which is known in two dialects, one certainly extinct, the other nearly so. Within the NWC family, Abaza and Bzyb and Ashkarwa Abkhaz have two pharyngealized uvular segments, but lack the full series seen in Ubykh. In addition to the two pharyngealized uvular series Ubykh has three uvular series, plain, 'palatalized', and rounded. The presence of palatal spirants, voiceless and voiced, is a Circassian trait, found also in Ubykh. Ubykh has two coronal palato-alveolar series, a laminal and an apical. These are two series which are identical with those found in many Circassian languages. Ubykh has preserved the voiceless and ejective laterals of Proto-Northwest Caucasian (PNWC) which are also found in Circassian. The Ubykh voiceless lateral is much softer than its Circassian counterpart.
