What do you know about Hungary and Hungarian ?

Thanks for the link, Gjones2. I see that my memory of the pronunciation of some of the numbers has deteriorated somewhat since I learned them in 1968!

Deborah: >>We didn't know any Hungarian, and were unable to find anyone who spoke either English, French, Spanish, Italian, or German.<<

Deborah, that's still rather common, I'm afraid. As a matter of fact, I lately read an article in one of our daily papers saying that only every fifth Hungarian can speak a foreign language properly, therefore Hungary may still be a rather frustrating place for foreigners in this respect. However, the situation is much worse in the countryside than in Budapest, and in Western Hungary, quite a few people speak German.

A suggestion: next time try addressing the fifth person that goes by in a foreign language. From a statistical point of view, they may be able to answer you in English or German. :)

By the way, there have been quite a few Nobel prize winners among Hungarian-born scientists: Leó Szilárd, Eugen (Ede) Teller (nuclear physics), John (János) Neumann (mathematics/programming), Albert Szent-Györgyi (biology). The only problem is they had to emigrate to the United States because of the political situation in the interwar period, and they came to be known rather as American scientists (except for Szent-Györgyi, perhaps - he was the first to discover Vitamine C).

Another thing: the method of teaching music for children developed by composer Zoltán Kodály (another great name besides Béla Bartók) also gained wide international acclaim. A brief description of this method can be seen at:
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0001864

>>he was the first to discover Vitamine C<<

This is better put as: "He was the one who isolated Vitamine C" (from red peppers, by the way).

Hey Easterner ! How do you comment … Szekely. Is that true ?
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>>>>Hungarian has many interesting dialects both inside and out of present day Hungary, and there are also the Szekelys in Eastern Transylvania, who consider themselves to be seperate people and language, although they are easily mutually intelligble.<<<<<

I am a Szekely from Transylvania (Romania) I speak an archaic Hungarian and Romanian , I do look Hungarian but I am not HUNGARIAN…

Hungary used the Szekely population from Romania to reacquire the (everybody’s wanted) Transylvania …But we are not HUNGARIANS.We came to Transylvania before them (Hungarians). And setled here among the Transylvanians. Later the Hungarians tribe invaded the Balkans and forcedly baptised us as Hungarians. It’s like saying that Austrians are Germans! I have never been to Hungary nor my past 5 generations…I lived all my life in Transylvania and I speak Romanian a beautiful romance language but I am a Szekely!!! Not Romanian or Hungarian.

People say there are many Hungarians in Romania…NO THERE ARE NOT..It’s just us the Szekely…just few Hungarians…

So we lived in peace with the Romanians, but not lately because the Austro-Hungarian government after conquering Transylvania and us, the Szekely. They basically re-named us Hungarians to show their “fake influence” in Romania.

We Szekely lived in Romania for 1000 years. And even before the Hungarians dreamed of Europe…And we are not anti-Romanian and we hate the chauvinisti nationalistic, Hungarian government …

People you should know that the Hungarian Government offered to us, (the Szekely) Hungarians ID cards…just to gain the control in Transylvania …But we refused saying “ since when are we Hungarians “ ? LOL ?

We don’t hate the intelectual Hungarians who suport us…but we hate the Hungarian government who raised the Romanians against us to provoke a dispute, so later we the Szekely, ask for their help! No way dear Hungarians, we love Transylvania we are a minority who lived here for 1000 years with the Romanians (our Brothers in law) and we shared with them good and bad and I would rather trust a Romanian, than a Hungarian who thinks I am just “a lost in space Hungarian bread “…

Please excuse my grammar and spelling mistakes , Or my “ high spirit” attitude.
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Enzo,

Actually the Székely are a very interesting ethnic group. They do speak an archaic dialect of Hungarian, but their customs differ markedly, and they have kept many ancient characteristics of Magyar culture that have disappeared from other Hungarian groups (for example, they maintained a runic type of writing longer than the rest of Hungarians). Their origins are disputed, they were probably the descendants of a Turkic tribe, but ethnologists differ on this. This issue was discussed in an earlier thread, I'll try to dig it up from the archive. One thing I know: the Székely did not use to marry anybody who was a non-Székely, not even Hungarians, but I'm not sure how much this is still the case. I personally have known a few Székely people, and they do have some characteristics that make them different from the rest of Hungarians - for one thing, religion plays a far greater role in their lives.

By the way, there is also a less well known and archaic Hungarian ethnic group in Moldova - the Csángó (or Ceango). They live mostly in the villages of Bacau County, and are most probably descendants of Hungarians who settled there around the 14th or 15th century. This ethnic group speaks an even more archaic dialect, which they have kept in spite of strong efforts at their Romanisation, and they lead a very archaic lifestyle, with a strong sense of community.

Here is the thread I spoke about in my previous post:

http://www.antimoon.com/forum/posts/6945.htm

Easterner, can you tell me whether "Magas és sovány vagyok" is the correct way to say "I am tall and thin"?

I went right through Hungary on a 10 day coach trip with a school party back in 1999 to see a total eclipse of the sun in Romania. Sadly we bypassed Budapest, and we only stopped once going out and once coming back at a restaurant. I can't remember much of how it looked.

Apart from that I don't know much of Hungary or the Language. Except perhaps ghoulash, and the Hungarian rhapsody? I know that Budapest is a lovely city on the Danube (which did not look particularly blue to me!) and that it is really two separate cities...Buda and Pest. Erm...what else....only bits from history really...from memory. Sorry...can't think of anything else. :-(

Oh...Hungarian is linked to Finnish of all Languages...same group apparently.

>Thanks for the link, Gjones2.

You're welcome, Deborah.

>>Easterner, can you tell me whether "Magas és sovány vagyok" is the correct way to say "I am tall and thin"? <<

Yes, that's exactly right. :)

Actually, when I was in Siofok, a lot of people there spoke German, but unfortunately I don't, so it was still hard to communicate... LOL :)

I study German and sometimes I get pangs of Habsburg nostalgia, thinking about how convenient it would have been if everybody had still been speaking German and Sopron would have been ödenburg etc, although i know these thoughts are rather offensive to Hungarians, of course...

<< >>Easterner, can you tell me whether "Magas és sovány vagyok" is the correct way to say "I am tall and thin"? <<

Yes, that's exactly right. :) >>

Thanks. Now I just have to figure out how to say, "I'm tall and not so thin anymore."

To qoute myself :

>>>>Hungarian has many interesting dialects both inside and out of present day Hungary, and there are also the Szekelys in Eastern Transylvania, who consider themselves to be seperate people and language, although they are easily mutually intelligble.<<<<<

What is wrong with that, Enzo ? Where did I say that Szekelys are Hungarian ? I said Hungarian (THE LANGUAGE, THIS MEANS) has many dialects. Then I said that there are ALSO the Szekelys. 'Also' definitely does NOT mean 'including' - quite the opposite, it stresses the difference. So don't rant on at me as if I didn't see the difference. Szekely as a language (or dialect of Hungarian) and Szekely as a nation are two different things. Anyway this is a forum about languages.

It was a nice example of hot-blooded Szekely character on your part though, so probably that was quite educational in itself !

(By the way, I was going to apologise for what I wrote, but then I read it and realised that I HADN'T said anything offensive, if you fully understand the English.)