The Hungarian language spoken today is part of the Ugor branch of the family of languages called the Finno-Ugric language group. This could make Hungarian related to Finnish and Estonian. Some dispute this idea, however, citing communication troubles between Hungarians and people from Finland or Estonia. These scholars argue that Hungarian is, instead, more closely related to Khanty and Mansi, languages spoken near the Ural Mountains.
Others claim to be able to trace Hungarian to origins stemming from the Turkish language. Of course, Hungarians were influenced by Turkish customs, specifically as it pertains to animal-breeding techniques.
Meanwhile, there is a group of scholars who say Hungarian is more closely related to Sumerian, a language spoken in areas of the Middle East some nine thousand years ago. Another theory states that the language is similar to Hunnish. This idea suggests a group of Hungarians living in Romania are decedents from the Huns.
Additionally, linguists and historians have linked the Hungarian language's origins to more than 45 languages, including Chinese, Hebrew, Armenian, Basque, Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek, Farsi and more...
While Hungarian has adopted plenty of words from Slavic, Finno-Ugric, German, Latin, Turkish, Greek, English and other languages, Hungarian still retains its unique and foreign nature - dissimilar even to the closest neighbors of Hungary.
The Hungarian language (or Magyar as it is called by natives) has eight major dialects. They are (as spoken in their respective regions) those of the Alföld, West Danube, Danube-Tisza, Northeast Hungarian, Northwest Hungarian, West Hungarian, Székely. Hungarian Csángó is another dialect of Hungarian, but it is not always recognized as such. This dialect is spoken mostly in Bacău County, Romania. Residents of this area have long been secluded from other Hungarian-speaking people, and that has allowed their dialect to most closely resemble medieval Hungarian.
It is hard to reconstruct the evolution of any language, but linguists and historians were able to track the development of Hungarian by studying the history and the texts available. There is little information available from the times when Hungarians were nomadic people. All we know is that Hungarian developed alongside other Ob-Ugric languages, but at around 1000 BC, it separated from Khanty and Mansi. As they settled down in the Karpathian basin, they took many loan words from their Turkic neighbors. And as the Huns - led by the fierce Attila - took over the region, the language continued to evolve. When the Turk Empire overruled the region, Hungarians were exposed to the concept of writing, at which time the writing system called "rovásírás" developed.
Few of these writings exist today, though, since early Christian leaders ordered what they considered all "pagan" texts to be destroyed. Then, as Hungarians became Christians to integrate with the rest of Europe, Latin became the official language, though Hungarian was still used by the lower classes - most of the people.
The first known written text containing Hungarian words is the "Charter of the Nuns of Veszprémvölgy" (997). It was written in Greek, but it contains Hungarian words, as well as many loan words. The next recognized text with extensive Hungarian vocabulary is the "Establishing Charter of the Abbey of Tihany," (1055) mainly written in Latin. Many other religious texts written in Latin had Hungarian words in them. The first completely Hungarian text published was the "Funeral Sermon and Prayer" (1192). The first book published entirely in Hungarian was "The Letters of Saint Paul" (1553).
Regardless of the origins of the Hungarian language, scores of historians, scholars and members of the general public have praised the language for its unique qualities: it's elegance, sophistication and unmatched charm. Sir John Bowring, a Hungarian-speaking English diplomat is one of many who admired the Hungarian language and had the following to say about it in 1830:
"The Hungarian language is like a stone consisting of only one piece, on which the storms of time left not a scratch. It's not a calendar that adjusts to the changes of the ages. It needs no one, it doesn't borrow and doesn't give or take from anyone. This language is the oldest and most glorious monument of a national sovereignty and a mental independence."
Hungarian is undoubtedly a difficult language to speak and learn, particularly for English speakers. Learning Hungarian is certainly not impossible though.
Source: EzineArticles
