Linguistic Theory & Description

A cognitive linguistic analysis of spatial relations expressed by the Hungarian suffixes -ra, -re, -n(-on, -en, -ön), -ról, -ről

2026-02-20T07:28:59+00:00

The study focuses on the meaning of the suffixes -ra, -re, -n (-on/-en/-ön), and -ról, -ről, primarily based on dialectal examples. The theoretical background of the investigation is provided by cognitive linguistics. According to this perspective, the meaning of linguistic elements offers insight into the mental functioning of language, so the meaning of the spatial case suffixes discussed in the study can be linked to linguistic perception. Therefore, the different uses of these suffixes may be attributed to differences in linguistic perception. In cognitive linguistic approaches, the meaning of linguistic elements has already been explored in relation to the expression of spatial structures, but based on standard language examples (see e.g. Kothencz 2007; Páll 1999; Tolcsvai Nagy 2011; 2021). However, the expression of spatial structures can appear differently in dialects. This study demonstrates how the conceptual and semantic processing of spatial relations expressed with the suffixes -ra, -re, -n (-on/-en/-ön), and -ról, -ről is manifested (or deviates) in both standard language and corresponding dialectal data.

Private verbs as indicators of speech-related language use in Middle Hungarian registers

2026-02-19T09:21:30+00:00

Speech-related texts play a prominent role in historical linguistic studies, and comparing sources that differ in terms of register characteristics (formal/informal, spoken/written) can help to provide a more accurate picture of where various gram-matical and pragmatic innovations originate and how they spread. The aim of our case study is to characterize sources belonging to different text types on the basis of textual features. The sources for the analysis are the data from the Old and Middle Hungarian Corpus of Informal Language Use and the Middle Hungarian Corpus of Memoirs and Drama. According to studies on English, one of the most important indicators of involved registers is the category of private verbs, which describe mental states, actions, and emotional attitudes, as opposed to public verbs, that is, verbs expressing communi-cation. The relevance of this factor in Hungarian requires investigation, particularly with regard to the extent to which occurrences are actually related to the current speaker/ writer or hearer/adressee. We examined structures involving more than twenty private verbs (including vél 'assume', gondol 'think', tart 'think', hisz 'believe', fél 'afraid', tetszik 'like', szeret 'love', sajnál 'feel sorry', csodál 'wonder'). Our results highlight the problems associated with mechanical categorization, as well as the era- and register-specific characteristics of the group of verbs under study.

A privát igék mint az élőnyelvközeliség indikátorai középmagyar regiszterekben

2026-03-17T07:50:44+00:00

Excel melléklet Varga Mónika - Gugán Katalin: A privát igék mint az élőnyelvközeliség indikátorai középmagyar regiszterekben című tanulmányához

Why is there no labial harmony in long vowelled suffixes?

2026-02-20T07:41:11+00:00

In present-day Hungarian, labial harmony applies only to short mid vowels. In contrast, Late Old Hungarian permitted certain long-vowel suffixes to undergo labial harmony. This paper focuses on three such case markers: the ablative (-tól, -től), the delative (-ról, -ről), and the elative (-ból, -ből). All three developed through the grammaticalization of nouns with case endings, and their participation in both palatovelar and labial harmony followed their integration into the morphological structure of the host word. Their capacity for labial harmony was subsequently lost. We argue that this loss can be explained by the interaction of two factors: (i) phonological variation characteristic of Late Old Hungarian and (ii) homophony avoidance within the shifting paradigmatic structure of the case system.

Concessive sentences in Hungarian

2026-02-20T07:54:25+00:00

The paper studies Hungarian complex sentences encoding a concessive relation: among them, non-conditional and conditional concessive sentences. It analyzes their asserted and presupposed meaning components. The asserted content of non-conditional concessive sentences is the conjunction of the subordinate proposition and the main proposition. The presupposition is that the conjunction of the two propositions is less likely for an epistemic validator than the joint holding of the subordinate proposition and a relevant alternative of the main proposition. The presupposition is encoded by the complementizers bár, noha, or jóllehet. The asserted content of conditional concessive sentences is that in case the condition formulated in the subordinate clause is met, the consequence encoded in the main clause is realized. The presupposition is that the realization of the consequence in the case of the given condition is less likely for the epistemic validator than its realization in the case of an alternative condition. The alternative condition is evoked by the particle is adjoined to the conditional clause, whereas the scalar element of the presupposition is lexicalized by the particle még.

Such-and-such demonstratives here and there – Positioning a particular coordinate construction within the system of Hungarian demonstratives

2026-02-20T08:04:26+00:00

Based on corpus data, this paper identifies demonstrative constructions not previously described in Hungarian grammars or linguistic descriptions. These constructions consist of pairs of nominal, adjectival, or adverbial demonstratives in various compound-like coordinate structures that display morphological parallelism. The paper focuses on the compound forms consisting of demonstratives in proximal–distal order, e.g. ez-az (lit. ’this-that’), ilyen-olyan (lit. ’of this kind-of that kind’), itt-ott (lit. ’here-there’). Their formal properties are inherited from the Hungarian echo-pair construction, as well as from a more general, cross-linguistically attested co-compound construction. In the case of demonstratives, the echo-pair structure is associated with a non-deictic meaning characterised by the semantic properties of ’indefiniteness’, ’plurality’, and ’diversity’. Following the Construction Grammar framework, the echo-pair demonstrative construction is situated within the system of Hungarian demonstratives, and its position in the Hungarian constructicon is also presented. Furthermore, drawing on a preliminary diachronic observation, an interpretation is proposed for the relationship between the asyndetic demonstrative echo-pairs and their syndetic formal variants (ez és az, ilyen meg olyan, itt és ott).

Formant analyses for characterizing Hungarian vowels from the beginnings to the present – Data and lessons

2026-02-20T08:16:24+00:00

The formant values of Hungarian vowels have been the subject of study since the early 1940s. Analyses conducted over the past 80 years reflect changes in research objectives, questions, and methodology. In this study, we aim to provide an overview of the literature from a historical perspective. Another aim of our review is to examine whether the formant data in the literature are suitable for making statements about the phonetic characteristics of vowels in relation to the given language state and language variant on the basis of their secondary analysis (metaanalysis), and whether datasets from diverse sources can be meaningfully integrated to test hypotheses concerning linguistic change. We also briefly discuss whether conclusions about articulation characteristics can be drawn based on acoustic data.

Linguistic Theory and Description: Foreword

2026-03-13T07:11:53+00:00