Comments on: Translating Háy, ‘Petőfi híd’, 2007

By: Cece

Cece — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:28:06 +0000

I agree with everything that has been said about meg but I am not sure I understand the last comment: ‘Would the omission of the verbal prefix here truly be optional (i.e., could you take it as “akik meg *akarnak* meggyógyulni”)’. The co-verb (or verbal pre-fix) meg which precedes akarnak is the co-verb of meggyógyul, and here it stands in the pre-verbal position ensuring the neutrality of the sentence. (Akar and several other semi-auxiliaries normally separate the co-verb from its verb thus focalising the co-verb. Unless there is a real focus in the sentence – negation, question word, etc. – that is the typical position of co-verbs. Therefore, in answers given to yes/no questions which involve verbs with co-verbs the latter stands alone as a positive answer: Meg akar gyógyulni? – Meg.)

So,

Meg akar gyógyulni – ok
(Nem) akar meggyógyulni – ok
Ki akar meggyógyulni? – ok
*Meg akar meggyógyulni. – does not exist

I have read the ‘middle’ meg as a conjunction but I think it is a very interesting suggestion that it could be read as a co-verb, perhaps as a perfectiviser. (C.f. el csak akkor megyek, ha…, meg csak akkor veszem, ha…) But in such cases there is no need to repeat the co-verb after the infinitive, thus it would be rather

1 meg csak azok gyógyulnak, akik (meg) akarnak (gyógyulni)

or even

2. …meg meg csak azok gyógyulnak, akik( meg) akarnak (gyógyulni)

cf. megnézni megnézem, meg meg is veszem (ha tetszik)

and never

*(meg) meg csak azok gyógyulnak meg, akik…

Where 2 is most like the sentence on p.161.

Does this make sense?

By: Finbar Dineen

Finbar Dineen — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:49:17 +0000

The ’surface din’ also brings to (my) mind the disquiet, sleepless tension in Radnoti Miklós’ poem Éjtszaka:

ÉJTSZAKA

Fekszik a test, de a sok
lebegő árny áll a falaknál.
Jár a zsebóra, mereng
a pohár víz, hallgat a naptár.

1944. március (Radnóti Miklós)

A few Hungarians I have related this poem to refuse to believe ‘éjszaka’ is spelt with a ‘t’ in Radnoti’s verse. I presume, as in some of Arany János’ works this is either an old or a lyrical form?

p.s. Great to fall across this blog. I had always wanted to study Hungarian properly at UCL-SSEES, but I never had the money. As compensation these days I live in Budapest and try to pick up what I can.

By: Jim Tucker

Jim Tucker — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 15:01:10 +0000

True, I guess you could take the last one as a “focus-giving” meg,- which is colloquial – rather than a verbal prefix. Would the omission of the verbal prefix here truly be optional (i.e., could you take it as “akik meg *akarnak* meggyógyulni”)?

By: Jim Tucker

Jim Tucker — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 13:43:14 +0000

Hanem azt mondta, hogy bízni kell a gyógyulásban, meg csak azok gyógyulnak meg, akik meg akarnak. (p. 161)

Here only that middle “meg” is the one typical of colloquial speech – a conjunction with a lighter force than “és.” The other two “meg”s are verbal prefixes that are not restricted to or typical of colloquial speech – but I guess I’m just stating the obvious.

By: Malanbo Olembe

Malanbo Olembe — Wed, 21 May 2008 23:09:25 +0000

Extremely detailed! Liverpool is better than Birmingham. Well that’s what we agreed, right?