Education and the Status of the Hungarian Language Before the Reform Era

Abstract

This study examines the status of the Hungarian language in public education at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is well known that Latin served as the official language in Hungary until 1844 and functioned as the primary language of instruction until the reform era. The first law concerning the Hungarian language was enacted in 1790, marking the beginning of its gradual recognition as an official language. This initial legislation focused on education, as it permitted the monarch to introduce Hungarian-language instruction in schools. The path from these early measures to Act II of 1844, which declared Hungarian the official language of Hungary, was a lengthy one. This study reviews the educational and language-related provisions adopted by the national assemblies in the two decades preceding the Reform Era.