Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 12.djvu/389

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LITERATURE.] HUNGARY bye, o, S, it, u. the latter by a, d, o, 6, u, a ; the sounds e, i, I are regarded as neutral. Since the number of consonants exceeds that of the Latin alphabet which represents them, the following combina tions, forming single articulations, and inseparable as consonants, are used to make up the deficiency : cs, cz, gy, ly, ny, sz, ty, zs, and in a few words dzs. Among the striking peculiarities of the lan guage are the definite and indefinite forms of the active verb, e.g., Idtom, "Isec^" (definite, viz., "him," "her," "the man," &c.) IdtoJc, " I see " (indefinite) ; the insertion of the causative, frequen tative, diminutive, and potential syllables after the root of the verb, e.g., TO-, "he beats " ; veret, " he causes to beat " ; vcregct, " he beats repeatedly"; verint, "he beats a little"; vcrhct, "he can beat"; the mode of expressing possession by the tenses of the irregular verb lenni, "to be (viz., van, "is"; vannak, "are"; volt, "was"; lesz, " will be," &c.), with the object and its possessive affixes, e.g., nckem mrmak konyveim, literally, "tome are books my" = "I have books "; neki volt konyvc, " to him was book his " = " he had a book." Other characteristic features are the use of the singu lar substantive after numerals, and adjectives of quantity, e.g., ket ember, literally, "two man"; sok sz6, " many word," &c. ; the position of the Christian name and title after the family name, e.g., Olmosy Kdroty tandrur, " Mr Professor Charles Olmosy" ; and the possessive forms of the nouns, which are varied according to the number and person of the possessor and the number of the object in the following way: tollam, "my pen"; tollaim, "my pens"; tollad, "thy pen"; tollaid, "thy pens"; tollunk, "our pen"; tollairik, "our pens," &c. But, although presenting no auxiliary verb " to have," no primitive possessive pronouns, no gender nor even separate pronominal forms and terminations for the distinction of the sexes, and (suffixed syllables or postpositions being used instead) hardly any true declension for objective terms, the Magyar far surpasses every Teutonic, Slavonic, Italic, and other Indo- European or Aryan language in the wealth of its verbal formations, as_ also in the power of harmonizing and assimilating the deter minatives to the roots. Logical in its derivatives and in its gram matical structure, the Magyar language is, moreover, copious in idiomatic expressions, rich in its store of words, and almost musical in its harmonious intonation. It is, therefore, admirably adapted for both literary and rhetorical purposes. The first Hungarian grammar known is the Grammatica Hun- garo-Lattna of John Erdosi alias Sylvester Pannonius, printed at Sarvar-Ujsziget in 1539. Among the grammatical works of recent date are the posthumous treatises of Nicholas Revai (Pest, 1809)- the Magyar nyelvmester of Samuel Cyarmathi, published at Klau- senburgm 1794 ; and the various grammars for the use of Germans by J. Parkas (9th ed., Vienna, 1816), Mailath (2d ed., Pest, 1832) Kis (Vienna, 1834), Marton (8th ed., Vienna, 1836), Maurice Ballagi or (in German) Bloch (5th ed., Pest, 1869), Topler (Pest 1854), Riedl (Vienna, 1858), Schuster (Pest, 1866), Charles Ballagi (lest, 1863), Reme le (Pest and Vienna, 1869), Roder (Budapest 10*^ ^ lhrer (Budapest, 1878), and Ney (20th t-d., Budapest, 18/9). One of the best modern grammars for the French is that of U L. De Ujfalvy (Paris, 1876). Two Hungarian grammars have also appeared in English by S. Wekey (London, 1852), and J Csmk (London, 1853). _ The earliest lexicon is that of Gabriel (Mizser) Pesti alias Pes- tinns Pannonius, Nonunclatiira sex linguarum, Latincc, Italicce, Gallicfc, Bohcmiccc, Ungaricce, ct Germaniccc (Vienna, 1538) which was several times reprinted. The Vocabula Hungarica of Bernar dino Baldi (1583), the original MS. of which is in the Biblioteca 375 ... ^..^^..no v , ,001,1, X, u aiso roiisn, Hungarian, and English words and phrases. This work continued to be reissued until 1682. The Lexicon La .ino-Hungaricum of Albert Molnar first appeared at Nuremberg in 1604, and with the addition of Greek was reprinted till 1708. Of modern Hungarian dictionaries the best is that of the Academy of Sciences, containing 1 10, 784 articles in 6 vols by Czuczor and Fogarasi ( Post, 1862-74). The next best native dic tionary is that of Maurice Ballagi, A Magyar nyelv tcljcs szdfdra, (test, 1868-73). In aldition to the above may be mentioned the work of Kresznerics, where the words are arranged according to the roots (Buda, 1831-32); tQ Etymologisches Worterbuch...auschincs- lachen Wurzcln, of Podhorszky (Paris, 1877) ; the Maqyar-unor bsszch tsonlitd szotdr (Magyar-Ugrian Comparative Dictionary) of udenz (Budapest, 1872, &c.); and that of new words, with German I Latin equivalents, by Kunoss (Pest, 1843). Other and more general dictionancs.for German scholars are those of Marton (Lexi con trilmgue Latino-Huncjarico-Gcrmanicum, Vienna 1818-23) A F. Richter (Vienna, 1836), E. Farkas (Pest, 1848-51), Fogarasi 4th ed., Pest, 1860), Loos (Pest, 1869), and M. Ballagi (Budapest, 18/2-74). There are, moreover, Hungarian-French diction- s by Kiss and Kanidy (Pest and Leipsic, 1844-48) and Babos and Mole (Pest, 1865), and English-Hungarian dictionaries by Dal- los (Pest, I860) and Bizonfy (Budapest, 1878). TO TCI.

c. 3, pp. 501-152, Florence, 1875. si." La Rhnsta Ewopea, anno vi.. IV. LITERATURE. The comparatively restricted and unobtrusive character of the Magyar or native Hungarian literature is partly owing to the fact that there are so many other languages current in Hungary, but it is cluelly to be attributed to the almost exclusive recognition through many centuries, of Latin as the vehicle of cultured thought. The Romish ecclesiastics who settled in Hungary during the llth cen tury, and who found their way into the chief offices of the state were mainly instrumental in establishing Latin as the predominant language 01 the court, the higher schools, and public worship and of eventually introducing it into the administration. Having thus become the tongue of the educated and privileged classes, Latin continued to monopolize the chief fields of literature until the re- vival ot the native language at the close of the 18th century Amongst the earliest Latin works that claim attention are the Early Chronicle (Gesta Jfungarorum), by the " anonymous notary" of Latin King Bela, probably Bela II. (see Podhradczky," Bela kirdhj ne vielen chro- icfjyzoje, Buda, 1861, p. 48), which describes the early ares of Hun- nicies ganan history, and may be assigned to the middle of the 12th cen tury ; the Carmen, Miserabile of Rogerius ; the Liber Croricorum of Simon Kezai, belonging to the end of the 13th century, the so- called "Chronicon Budense," Cronica Hungarorum, printed at Buda in 1473 (Eichhorn, Geschichteder Litter atur, ii. 319); and the Chronicon Rerum Hungaricarum of John Thuroczi. 3 An extraordi nary stimulus was given to literary enterprise by king Matthias Cor- vinus, who attracted both foreign and native scholars to his court. Foremost amongst the Italians was Antonio Bonfini, whose work, Iteru/n Hungaricarum Decades IV., comprising Hungarian history from the earliest times to the death of King Matthias, was published with a continuation by Sambucus (Basel, 1568). 4 Marzio Galeotti, the king s chief librarian, wrote an historical account of his reign. The most distinguished of the native scholars was John Cesinge alias Janus Pannonius, who composed Latin epigrams, panegyrics, and epic poems. The best edition of his works was published by Count S. Teleki at Utrecht in 1784. As there are no traces of literary productions in the native or Magyar Magyar dialect before the 12th century, the early condition of the litera- language is concealed from the philologist. It is, however, known ture. that the Hungarians had their own martial songs, and that their Earliest princes kept lyre and lute players who sang festal odes in praise of relics, the national heroes. In the llth century Christian teachers intro duced the use of the Roman letters, but the employment of the Latin Arpadian language was not formally decreed until 1114 (see Bowring, Poetry period of the Magyars, Introd. xix.). It appears, moreover, that up to that (1000- clate public business was transacted in Hungarian, for the decrees 1301). of KingCploman the Learned (1095-1114) were translated from that language into Latin. Among the literary relics of the 12th century are the " Latiatuc " or Halotti Beszed funeral discourse and prayer in Hungarian, to which Dobrentei in his Regi Magyar Nychcmlekek assigns as a probable date the year 1171 (others, however, 1182 or 1183). From the Margit-Lcgcnda, or "Legend of St Margaret," composed in the early part of the 14th century, 5 it is evident that from time to time the native language continued to be em ployed as a means of religious edification. Under the kings of Anjou- the house of Anjou, the Magyar became the language of the court. Sigis- That it was used also in official documents and ordinances is shown mond by copies of formularies of oaths, the import of which proves period beyond a doubt that the originals belonged to the reigns of Louis (1301- I. and Sigifeinond ; by a statute of the town of Sajo-St- Peter (1403) 1437). relating to the wine trade; by the testament of Kazzai-Karacsou (1413) ; and by other relics of this period published by Dobrentei in vol. ii. of the R. M. fryclvemlekck. To the early part of the 15th But not until the dawn of the Reformation did Magyar begin in any sense to replace Latin for literary purposes. The period placed by Hungarian authors between 1437 and 1530 marks the fir.-st development of Magyar literature. About the year 1437 two Hussite monks named Tamas and Jagelld- Balint (i.e., Thomas and Valentine) adapted from older sources a Matthias large portion of the Bible for the use of the Hungarian refugees in or pre- Moldavia. To these monks the first extant Magyar version of part Refor- of the Scriptures (the Vienna or Revai Codex 6 ) is directly assigned mation 2 So also Jdmbor 04 Magyar Irod. Tort., Pest, 1864, p. 104). Kiirnyel, Imre, (1437- and others incline to the belief that it was Bela I., and that consequently the i ,-OA anonymous notary " belongs rather to the llth tlian to the 12th century. lOoO). 3 An example of this work, printed on vellum in Gothic letter (Augsburg, 1488), and formerly belonging to the library of Matthias Corvinus, kii g of Hungary, maybe seen in the Biitish .Museum. Of the three first-mentioned chronicles Hungarian translations by Charli s Szabo appeared at Budapest in 1860 18(il. and 18(12.

  • Both this and the later editions of Frankfort (l/iSl), Cologne (1690), and

rn ssburg (1744) are represented in the British Museum. 5 The only copy exis ing at the present time appears to have been transcribed at the beginning of the 16th century. Both this and the Ila olti Btizeil (1 ray Codex) are preserved in the National Museum at Budapest. 6 This codex contains Kuth. the lesser prophets, and part of the Apocrypha.

According to Toldy, it is copied from an earlier one of the 14th century.