Hungarians: Language

Language Hungarian Flag Science/Scientists 1956 Hungarian Flag Music

Introduction

The Hungarian Language, whose beginning is estimated to be 1000 B.C., is unique among modern languages. It does not belong to the Indo-European language family, and recent scholarship questions even its classification as a Finno-Ugric language.
To mention a few of the distinguishing features of Hungarian: suffixes and postpositions are used extensively; nouns have about 25 cases; verbs are inflected; there is no grammatical gender; and it is an agglutinative language. No wonder that Hungarian has been of great interest to professional linguists.
At the Linguistics Department of San Diego State University, students have been asked to study and compare structure, grammar, and other elements of Hungarian and English. Because scholarly, especially journal material about the Hungarian Language is hard to find, this subject guide was prepared as a tool to help linguistics students in their research. Included are some popular web sights also, because they provide vocal pronunciation or list phrases and idioms often used in conversation.

Language

Language	Origins	Structure	Writing	Language Acquisition	e-journals	Research

Ethnologue

The online version of the printed Ethnologue (13th ed., 1996). Contains information available on the languages of the world, i.e., 6,700 languages of 228 countries. Provides a name index (listing languages, dialects, and alternate names) and a language family index. Includes sections on geographic distribution of languages, language maps, descriptions, languages of special interest, bibliography, etc.

Introduction to the Hungarian Language

General discussion of the language and its daily use (numbers, transportation, post office, entertainment, etc.)

iLoveLanguages (The Human Languages Page): Hungarian

Contains the best language links available on the Internet. Includes online language lessons, dictionaries, translation services, software, native literature, etc.

UCLA Language Materials Project

A learning resources web page listing teaching and learning material for less commonly taught languages. Provides language profiles (linguistic affiliation and sketch, history, references) and links to other sources. Lists publishers of resources. Searchable by type of material (dictionaries, grammars, readers) and level of knowledge (beginning, intermediate, advanced).

Origins

Language	Origins			Structure	Writing	Language Acquisition	e-journals	Research
Language	History	Discussion	Theories	Structure	Writing	Language Acquisition	e-journals	Research

History

Hungarian/Ancient Times

An essay tracing the history, some theories, and possible explanation of the origin and uniqueness of the Hungarian language. Includes references.

Discussion

To Our English-Speaking Friends (Honlap a Magyar Nyelvért)

A Hungarian language web page having a section in English. At the present it describes the history of the Hungarian language; includes an essay on literature; has an entry for the vocabulary of psychology and other links.

Hungarian Language

Includes a general discussion of the language, its history, and comparison with related languages.

Hungarian Profile

A short, succinct discussion of the language. Linguistic affiliation, orthography, its role in society, and history are covered. Provides bibliographic references.

Theories

The Hungarian Language

A discussion of the language and its possible origins.

Structure

Language	Origins	Structure		Writing	Language Acquisition	e-journals	Research
Language	Origins	Grammar	Dictionairies	Writing	Language Acquisition	e-journals	Research

Grammar

Hungarian Complex Verbs

Research study based on the Hungarian National Corpus, a collection of electronic texts from different genres.

Hungarian Grammar

Discusses phonology, morphology and syntax.

Dictionaires

Angol-magyar és magyar-angol szótár (Vonyó Attila)

Can be searched by English or Hungarian words. Returns a number of words and phrases (that use the one searched), and gives the English/Hungarian equivalent meaning.

Dictionary (SZTAKI)

May be searched by English or Hungarian words. The 131,500 records can be querried by full words, prefixes, and fragments. Allows the addition of new words to the dictionary.

Linguistics Glossary: English-Hungarian

Lists the linguistics vocabulary in English and gives the equivalent Hungarian expression.

English/Hungarian Dictionary

Magyar nyelv utazóknak (English)

A phrasebook for travelers. Arranged by category of words (basic words, numbers, shopping, travel, etc.) There are links to the actual vocabulary of a particular category. Includes sound files to learn the pronunciation; has a number of quick quizzes. Provides opportunity to search a dictionary in English or Hungarian.

Magyar szleng -- Hungarian Slang

This web page contains documents and short papers discussing Hungarian slang. Has links to lists of slang words. Includes references; historical words since 1775; and links to other similar Internet sites. Written mostly in Hungarian.

Writing

Language	Origins	Structure	Writing			Language Acquisition	e-journals	Research
Language	Origins	Structure	Alphabet	Fonts	Rovás (Runic) Script	Language Acquisition	e-journals	Research

Alphabet

Hungarian Alphabet

A table including all the letters used in Hungarian. Even lists “Q”, “W”, “X”, and “Y” which letters are used rarely and only in borrowed words from foreign languages. Provides the pronounciation for each letter.

Fonts

Betükészletek (Fonts)

Discusses how to activate Hungarian letters in Windows.

Rovás (Runic Script)

Ancient Hungarian Rovás Writing

A table of the Runic alphabet.

Ancient Hungarian Runic Writing

An essay in English discussing this ancient Hungarian writing. Includes interesting historical facts. [Published in the Journal of the Institute for Hungarian Studies 1996 v.1(no.2)]

Hungarian Runic Alphabet

Shows the alphabet and discusses its uniqueness. Gives a short historical discussion of the importance of this writing.

Rovás (Runic) Writing

Contains a listing of the surviving relics of the Hungarian Runic writing. Gives short information in English.

Runic Writing

Links and information about Runic writing; mostly in Hungarian.

Székley -- Hungarian Runic Writing

Discusses, in detail, D. Csallány's study concerning the Székley Runic writing.

The Hungarian Rune Writing (G. Hosszú)

An essay of the history of the ancient Hungarian writing. Contains links to the characters and appropriate keys to archive this writing. Discusses the so called bug-symbols, unique to Hungarian Runic writing.

Language Acquisition

Language	Origins	Structure	Writing	Language Acquisition			e-journals	Research
Language	Origins	Structure	Writing	Formal Instruction	Tutorials	Lessons for Travelers	e-journals	Research

Formal Instruction

Boston Language Institute

Instruction designed to build fluency in writing and speaking.

University of Pittsburgh. Summer Language Institute

Institute for Hungarian Studies at Indiana University

Contains a descritpion of the Institute, its Library, and links to other sources.

Rutgers: Institute for Hungarian Studies

Lists courses, publications, research, people involved in Hungarian instruction, and links to other web sites. Discusses the Hungarian Studies minor offered at Rutgers University.

Study Abroad Hungarian Language Schools

A descriptive list of programs that teach Hungarian.

Tutorials

Hungarian Lessons

Contains eight lesson modules: beginners, intermediate, advanced, etc.

Stella Project: Hungarian

An online database whose contents cover all aspects of learning a language. Contains about six months' worth of material taught in a traditional language course.

Welcome to Magyaróra

An online self-study arranged by level of difficulty. Includes worsheets, reading and listening capability. Both literary and coloquial Hungarian are covered.

Lessons for Travelers

Magyar nyelv utazóknak (English)

Includes basic words, numbers, and the vocabulary of shopping, driving, travel, directions, places, time, and dates.

Survival for Travelers

Contains basic phrases, phrases for greeting and meeting, and Hungarian conversation to show how those phrases are used in communication. Provides pronunciation of words.

e-journals

Language	Origins	Structure	Writing	Language Acquisition	e-journals	Research

Édes Anyanyelvünk

Only in Hungarian.

Hungarian Mailing Lists

A comprehensive guide to online Hungarian listservs.

Journal of the Institute for Hungarian Studies

The Institute was organized and chartered in the United States in 1996. It is concerned with cultural heritage, issues related to Hungary, and dissemination of information. Its journal reflects these objectives. Published in Hungarian and English.

The LINGUIST List

Provides access to mailing lists, their home pages, and provides for searching the lists.

Media and Communications: Hungary

A list of online newpapers, journals, radio and television stations, etc.

Magyar Nyelvör,1999-

Only in Hungarian.

Writing Yesterday and Tomorrow

In English, Hungarian, and French. Intended to represent the coexistence of traditional and digital writing forms.

Research

Research
Language	Origins	Structure	Writing	Language Acquisition	e-journals
Collections	Books	Articles/Databases		Search Engines

Collections

Hungarian Collections at Indiana University

The Library includes several donated research collections from Hungarian statesmen and scholars: Aladár Szegedy-Maszák, Lajos Vincze, Louis Szathmáry, Paul Marer, and 3,500 volumes donated by György Ránki.

British Museum: Hungarian Collections

The Library began to collect Hungarian books in the early 19th century. Works cover ecclesiastical and local history, genealogy, and scientific fields. Events of 1956 are well represented; Endre Ady and János Pilinszky's poetry and other literary works have been added in the past decades. The Library published a number of guides to its Hungarian collection.

Hungarian Collections at the Library of Congress

Collection of Hungarian material began with the purchase of Thomas Jefferson's library, which included a six volume history of Hungary. Additional books were added during the Hungarian War of Independence (1848-1849); after 1867 from the Hungarian Parliament and the Hungarian National Museum; Library of Congress purchase of private collections and other works; and through the exchange of materials with the National Szechényi Library, the Hungrian Academy of Sciences, and other cultural institutions.There are about 160,000 works, including journals and newspapers, and covering all major disciplines.“

Louis Szathmary Hungarica Collection

A collection of books mostly in Hungarian. It also includes English, French, German, and Latin works. Covers history; Hungarian nobility; Budapest; and history of Transylvania. Contains literary works mostly from the 16th and the 17th centuries.

Books

Bognár, József G. Contrastive study of Hungarian and English languages.. [Pécs]: Pro Pannonia, 2000.

Farkas, Donka Frankel. Dependent indefinites. Santa Cruz, CA : Linguistics Research Center, Stevenson College, UCSC, 1996.

Farkas, Ernö. Towards an affix grammar for the Hungarian language. Nijmegen, The Netherlands : University of Nijmegen, Dept. of Informatics, Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, 1991.

Gelb, I.J. A Study of Writing. 2nd ed. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 1963. P211.G37 1963

Gergely, György. Free word order and discourse interpretation. Budapest : Akadémiai Kiadó, 1991.

Hunyadi, László. Hungarian sentence prosody and universal grammar: on the phonology-syntax interface. New York : P. Lang, 2002.

Kenesei, István, Vágo, Robert Michael and Fenyvesi, Anna. Hungarian. New York: Routledge,1998.

Keresztes, László. A practical Hungarian grammar. Debrecen: Debreceni Nyári Egyetem, 1995.

Korponay, Béla. A Hungarian-English case grammar. Budapest: ELTE Eötvös Kiadó, 2001.

Korponay, Béla and Rot, Sándor. Outlines of a Hungarian-English case grammar. Budapest : Tankönyvkiadó, 1990.

Rounds, Carol. Hungarian: an essential grammar. London; New York: Routledge, 2001.

Törkenczy, Miklós. Hungarian Verbs and Essentials of Grammar, A Practical Guide to the Mastery of Hungarian. Lincolnwood, IL: Passport Books, 1997.

Törkenczy, Miklós. Practical Hungarian grammar. Budapest: Corvina, 2002.

Articles/Databases

LLBA (Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts)

Indexes printed material concerned with linguistics, language acquisition, psycholinguistics, etc.

MLA Bibliography

Covers linguistics articles, books, dissertations, and proceedings. Best index for material on the Hungarian language.

Historical Abstracts

Covers history from the year of 1450 to the present. Indexes journals, books, and dissertations.

Humanities International Index

Covers, among other topics, the study of languages. Includes book reviews.

Arts &Citation Index (Web of Science) Indexes journals covering the arts and humanities. In addition to keyword and author searching, the database provides citation data for the articles.