First researched Entry by Gecko
Created | Updated Jun 15, 2003
<peacedove>How did I get here? <peacedove>
It was just an ordinary conversation at h2g2. Some how I came up with a question: If I tell you that my native language is from the finn-ugor family would you know where did I come from?
To my amazement a couple of Irish researchers joined the conversation and with precise knowledge they answered: Eighter Finnland, Esthonia or Hungary.
My answer was: Hungary.
I was so surprised about this knowledge of a strange and unique language from a distant land that I promised to explore a linguistic story from the " horse's mouth". Little did I know that a month of intensive research is waiting for me. But I am greatful for the inspiration from those wonderful, very knowledgable young Irish People, who gave me the spark to lit up my road into the past.
Introduction to a LEGEND as true story.
In that good old Country : Hungary when a child was 6 years old had to go to school.
It was customary for the respected Lady Teacher to tell stories from history, geography etc. in a very simplified but entertaining way to the children who were not used to sit quietly in little school benches. Also was more tolerable the pain of learning reading and writing. The stories were not Fairy Tales, but true happenings from the past, no question asked, no doubt that was really how those events happened.
THE LEGEND OF THE WHITE STAG:
Once upon a time a King ruled over his land and people
on the slopes of the Himalays.
His name was MENROD. He had two handsome sons:
HUNOR AND MAGOR.
They also were very skillful hunters like their Father.
One day an unusually beautiful WHITE STAG jumped in front of them.
She was so graceful with her speed and beauty:
the young princes were just mesmerized.
As they hunted from the saddle of their horse
Quickly followed this animal.
The WHITE STAG held the Sun in her antlers
And at night she carried the Moon.
It was a long chase, but they would not give up.
Sometimes the STAG disappeared and the hunters
With their people took some rest.
Than again the Stag stood there in her shimmering light
And the chase followed further to the West.
At that age time was not measured by years
But it would make up several years now
Til Hunor and Magor reached the land
Of magnificent beauty.
The grass was silky, plenty of game in the forests
And even more fish in the rivers.
Hunor and Magor arrived in the
Basin of the Carpathian Mountains
Where the River Duna ( Danube) and the river Tisza
followed down the path to the Black Sea
They never saw the White Stag again and they stayed here now
To live happily ever after since on the way
They lifted some maidens into the saddle
To lay the foundation of the country called:
Hungary = Magyarorszag
N.B. My guessing about the creation of the English word : HUNGARY came from Hun(or) and (Ma)gor. The Huns disappeared in short time from history and the country was called after the word MAGOR = MAGYAR ORSZAG = COUNTRY. The letter GY is one sound in the Hungarian vocabulary.
Up until the COMPUTER was invented and put to use this was the story. But as research became possible through information given by computers
extremely broad theories were created by the ambitious scholars.
Historical facts are there by exact dates, but the origin of language remains in somewhat obscure theories which are difficult to follow. There are contradictions and discrepancies. For exact definition we did except that the Magyar language has a finn-ugor origin. But after the WWII an other theory came to the difficult theme: the magyar language came from the Ural-Altaj language group.
At the time of the beginning of XXI century the following theories are there for the sake of arguments:
FINN-UGRIAN THEORY
ORIENTALIST THEORY
THE MAGYAR-UYGAR THEORY
THE HUN-AVAR THEORY
It might be interesting to look into variety of books written in recent times, but my aim goes more to the direction to give my Readers an enjoyable : from the horse's mouth of introduction about the living Magyar language.
No Magyar would miss the fact that this language helped to preserve the Country through more than 1100 years in a very turbulent history of mankind.
Like a little Island in the middle of an Ocean of the surrounding huge amount of Slavic people: from the North, from East and South.On the West side are the German speaking people enclosing the circle of a land inhabited by apprx. 10 million people.
I myself wonder some times: how did Hungary survive and how the language is still there like an oasis in the middle of a desert?
It is very tempting to go back into the past again, but I believe would be more interesting to show a couple of unique Magyar words, perhaps expressions what makes this language so different.
English word: LOVE.
The Magyar is the only language which has more than one word for LOVE.
LOVE = SZERETET = word is the love of total innocence like brotherly love, love of Nature, love for generally people, animals, plants, objects etc.--------But:
LOVE = SZERELEM = word is a love with intention of sex involved.
In my opinion this is a favorable character in the MAGYAR language, because there is no way of misunderstanding that I love somebody or I am IN LOVE with somebody.
With the word LOVE I also will demonstrate the efficiency of the Magyar language:
In English: I love you = in Magyar = SZERETLEK. Instead of 3 words, just one single word tells I+LOVE+YOU .
An other interesting word:
In English: ANGER = Magyar = MEREG (apostroph on the first E) ALSO MEANS = POISON. This is very good way to remind you, that anger is not good for you, because it is a poison in your body ! There is a saying: An angry person is never right! Yes of course if your brain is poisoned, you can not think like a normal person.
The word in Magyar HAL = in English FISH. But this word is also the same in FINNISH. That is disturbing for me though that: the word HAL is also included into the word: to die: Meghal = somebody dies.
Because a language is a human product made with SOUND we can talk about the MUSIC of a language. To look for pleasant music in the Hungarian language: sad news: it is a monotone language! To my knowledge the living Italian language is the most musical language at the present time.
It was just an ordinary conversation at h2g2. Some how I came up with a question: If I tell you that my native language is from the finn-ugor family would you know where did I come from?
To my amazement a couple of Irish researchers joined the conversation and with precise knowledge they answered: Eighter Finnland, Esthonia or Hungary.
My answer was: Hungary.
I was so surprised about this knowledge of a strange and unique language from a distant land that I promised to explore a linguistic story from the " horse's mouth". Little did I know that a month of intensive research is waiting for me. But I am greatful for the inspiration from those wonderful, very knowledgable young Irish People, who gave me the spark to lit up my road into the past.
Introduction to a LEGEND as true story.
In that good old Country : Hungary when a child was 6 years old had to go to school.
It was customary for the respected Lady Teacher to tell stories from history, geography etc. in a very simplified but entertaining way to the children who were not used to sit quietly in little school benches. Also was more tolerable the pain of learning reading and writing. The stories were not Fairy Tales, but true happenings from the past, no question asked, no doubt that was really how those events happened.
THE LEGEND OF THE WHITE STAG:
Once upon a time a King ruled over his land and people
on the slopes of the Himalays.
His name was MENROD. He had two handsome sons:
HUNOR AND MAGOR.
They also were very skillful hunters like their Father.
One day an unusually beautiful WHITE STAG jumped in front of them.
She was so graceful with her speed and beauty:
the young princes were just mesmerized.
As they hunted from the saddle of their horse
Quickly followed this animal.
The WHITE STAG held the Sun in her antlers
And at night she carried the Moon.
It was a long chase, but they would not give up.
Sometimes the STAG disappeared and the hunters
With their people took some rest.
Than again the Stag stood there in her shimmering light
And the chase followed further to the West.
At that age time was not measured by years
But it would make up several years now
Til Hunor and Magor reached the land
Of magnificent beauty.
The grass was silky, plenty of game in the forests
And even more fish in the rivers.
Hunor and Magor arrived in the
Basin of the Carpathian Mountains
Where the River Duna ( Danube) and the river Tisza
followed down the path to the Black Sea
They never saw the White Stag again and they stayed here now
To live happily ever after since on the way
They lifted some maidens into the saddle
To lay the foundation of the country called:
Hungary = Magyarorszag
N.B. My guessing about the creation of the English word : HUNGARY came from Hun(or) and (Ma)gor. The Huns disappeared in short time from history and the country was called after the word MAGOR = MAGYAR ORSZAG = COUNTRY. The letter GY is one sound in the Hungarian vocabulary.
Up until the COMPUTER was invented and put to use this was the story. But as research became possible through information given by computers
extremely broad theories were created by the ambitious scholars.
Historical facts are there by exact dates, but the origin of language remains in somewhat obscure theories which are difficult to follow. There are contradictions and discrepancies. For exact definition we did except that the Magyar language has a finn-ugor origin. But after the WWII an other theory came to the difficult theme: the magyar language came from the Ural-Altaj language group.
At the time of the beginning of XXI century the following theories are there for the sake of arguments:
FINN-UGRIAN THEORY
ORIENTALIST THEORY
THE MAGYAR-UYGAR THEORY
THE HUN-AVAR THEORY
It might be interesting to look into variety of books written in recent times, but my aim goes more to the direction to give my Readers an enjoyable : from the horse's mouth of introduction about the living Magyar language.
No Magyar would miss the fact that this language helped to preserve the Country through more than 1100 years in a very turbulent history of mankind.
Like a little Island in the middle of an Ocean of the surrounding huge amount of Slavic people: from the North, from East and South.On the West side are the German speaking people enclosing the circle of a land inhabited by apprx. 10 million people.
I myself wonder some times: how did Hungary survive and how the language is still there like an oasis in the middle of a desert?
It is very tempting to go back into the past again, but I believe would be more interesting to show a couple of unique Magyar words, perhaps expressions what makes this language so different.
English word: LOVE.
The Magyar is the only language which has more than one word for LOVE.
LOVE = SZERETET = word is the love of total innocence like brotherly love, love of Nature, love for generally people, animals, plants, objects etc.--------But:
LOVE = SZERELEM = word is a love with intention of sex involved.
In my opinion this is a favorable character in the MAGYAR language, because there is no way of misunderstanding that I love somebody or I am IN LOVE with somebody.
With the word LOVE I also will demonstrate the efficiency of the Magyar language:
In English: I love you = in Magyar = SZERETLEK. Instead of 3 words, just one single word tells I+LOVE+YOU .
An other interesting word:
In English: ANGER = Magyar = MEREG (apostroph on the first E) ALSO MEANS = POISON. This is very good way to remind you, that anger is not good for you, because it is a poison in your body ! There is a saying: An angry person is never right! Yes of course if your brain is poisoned, you can not think like a normal person.
The word in Magyar HAL = in English FISH. But this word is also the same in FINNISH. That is disturbing for me though that: the word HAL is also included into the word: to die: Meghal = somebody dies.
Because a language is a human product made with SOUND we can talk about the MUSIC of a language. To look for pleasant music in the Hungarian language: sad news: it is a monotone language! To my knowledge the living Italian language is the most musical language at the present time.
