The Besleney sub-dialect (Adyghe: Бэслъыныйбзэ) is one of the Circassian sub-dialects and usually considered a variety of the Kabardian Adyghe dialect. However, because the Besleney tribe lived at the center of Circassia, the Besleney also shares a large number of features with the sub-dialects of Lowland Adyghe.

Like some other Kabardian sub-dialects, the Besleney sub-dialect has a palatalized voiced velar stop [ɡʲ] ⟨гь⟩, a palatalized voiceless velar stop [kʲ] ⟨кь⟩ and a palatalized velar ejective [kʲʼ] ⟨кӏь⟩ that were merged with дж [d͡ʒ], ч [t͡ʃ] and кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in most Circassian sub-dialects.^[1]

• Besleney гь [ɡʲ] became дж [d͡ʒ] in others:

• Besleney кь [kʲ] became ч [t͡ʃ] in others:

• Besleney кӏь [kʲʼ] became кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in others:

The palato-alveolar affricate consonants дж [d͡ʒ], ч [t͡ʃ] and кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] and the retroflex affricate consonants чъ [ʈʂ] and чӏ [ʈʂʼ] became palato-alveolar дж [d͡ʒ], дж [d͡ʒ], кӏ [t͡ʃʼ], дж [d͡ʒ] and кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in Besleney while in Kabardian they became alveolo-palatal ж [ʒ], ж [ʒ], щӏ [ɕʼ], ж [ʒ] and щӏ [ɕʼ].^[2][3]

• Western ч [t͡ʃ] became дж [d͡ʒ] in Besleney and ж [ʒ] in Standard Kabardian Adyghe:

• Lowland кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] survived in Besleney and became щӏ [ɕʼ] in Standard Kabardian Adyghe:

• Lowland чъ [ʈʂ] became дж [d͡ʒ] in Besleney and ж [ʒ] in Standard Kabardian Adyghe:

• Besleney чъ [t͡ʂ] ↔ ш [ʃ] in others:

• Abzakh Adyghe
• Bzhedug Adyghe
• Hakuchi Adyghe
• Shapsug Adyghe

• UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive – Recording Details for Kabardian Besleney sub-dialect