Proto-West-Caucasian: *źǝ ( ~ z-)
Meaning: self, oneself
Adyghe: jaž́
Kabardian: jazǝ
Comments: PAK *ja-zǝ. The first part goes back to the demonstrative pronoun *ja (q.v.). The Ad. form is ingeniously explained by Shagirov (1, 172) as a contraction from the erg.-obl. case *jaz-š́ < *jazǝ-š́ (-š́ is the normal ending of this case in Ad. pronouns, but jaž́ in the Bzhedugh dialect has no ending either in the erg.-obl. case or in the nominative case).
Because of an obvious connection in EC, Yakovlev's etymology of *-zǝ ( = *zǝ 'one', see Yakovlev 1948, 69, 143, Shagirov 1, 173) should be abandoned.
