Etymologically
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és

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Pronunciation

Forms

és, also the short form s[2][3] Old spellings: eſ (c. 1195), ſ joined to the next word (ſmonda, Jókai Codex), eſſ (1467), ees (c. 1493), ews (1549), s' (1552), and is in the sense “and” (1592).[4][3] In the dialects of Szatmár county and Nagybánya the form is serves for “and”.[5][6]

Etymology

It was formed in Hungarian, but its origin is not settled: TESz calls it of unknown origin, while ÚESz and Zaicz take it for a probable compound.[4][3][7] According to ÚESz and Zaicz an originally emphatic particle ⟨s⟩ was preceded by a second emphatic element, the ⟨i⟩ ~ ⟨ë⟩ of the demonstrative ez.[3][7] Wiktionary likewise derives it from e (“this”).[1]

The word is the same as the particle is “also, too”: TESz reconstructs an original ⟨ës⟩, from which ⟨és⟩ arose by lengthening of the vowel and ⟨is⟩ by its closing.[4][3][1] Later the two forms split in the standard language, ⟨és⟩ taking the role of a conjunction and ⟨is⟩ that of an additive and emphatic particle.[4][3][7]

TESz considers unlikely the view that the word was abstracted from adjectives in -s denoting belonging together, and rejects a Finno-Ugric comparison and Turkic or Indo-Iranian derivations; ÚESz rejects a connection with íz.[4][3] Bárczi had still taken it for a word of Ugric age, comparing a Mansi particle meaning “still, also”, while noting phonological difficulties.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word first appears in the Funeral Sermon and Prayer of about 1195, in yſa pur eſ chomuv uogmuc “behold, we are dust and ashes”, already joining two nouns.[4][3]

Semantic evolution

TESz and Zaicz describe the development in three steps.[4][7] The word began as an enclitic emphatic particle meaning “also, too”; it became an additive conjunction, and then, through a shift of the phrase boundary, a copulative conjunction: evett és / ivott “he ate too, drank” was reanalysed as evett / és ivott “he ate and drank”.[4][7] ÚESz illustrates the same shift with én ës te “I, also you” > “I and you”.[3] Once the functions were divided, ⟨és⟩ and ⟨s⟩ spread as the copulative conjunction and ⟨is⟩ mainly as the additive particle.[4]

The short s remains in elevated style and in the Hungarian standard of Transylvania.[3][7] The NSz records the conjunction from 1772 on in uses that range from linking words and clauses to introducing a consequence or a mild contrast, and in recent use as a discourse marker.[9]

Speech does not use it everywhere: in Szeged és was said only in prayers and in newer, genteel speech, and people used meg instead.[10]

Timeline

  • c. 1195 – eſ in the Funeral Sermon and Prayer.[4][3]
  • c. 1448 – ſmonda “and he said” in the Jókai Codex (copy of a text written after 1372).[4][3]
  • c. 1493 – ees in the Festetics Codex.[4][3]
  • 1552 – the short form s’ in Heltai's Dialogus.[4]
  • 1585 – és in Calepinus's dictionary.[4]
  • 1592 – is in the sense “and”.[4][3]
  • 1772 – the first of the NSz's quotations for the conjunction.[9]

Meanings

Conjunction

  1. and: joining words or parts of a sentence of equal rank; with more than two, usually before the last: kenyér, vaj és sajt.[2][1]
  2. Adding a part as an afterthought.[2]
  3. Between repeated words, in set phrases expressing intensity or great number.[2]
  4. Joining the high- and low-vowel forms of a demonstrative, or egy and más, in phrases of vague reference: egy és más “this and that, various things”.[2]
  5. Joining words of opposite or very different meaning, often in set expressions: ég és föld “heaven and earth”.[2][11]
  6. Joining clauses, with a comma before it: Hazament, és lefeküdt.[2][9]
  7. At the start of a sentence, as a discourse marker: És akkor mi történt?[9]

Usage notes

No comma is written before és when it joins words or parts of a sentence, but one is written when it joins clauses.[2][12] In literary language a clause that adds new content is often joined with s.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bárczi, Géza; Országh, László (eds.) (1959–1962), A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára, 7 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online at ertelmezo.oszk.hu
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Gerstner, Károly (ed.) (2006–), Új magyar etimológiai szótár, Budapest: Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at uesz.nytud.hu
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1, 793
  5. ^ Szinnyei, József (1893–1901), Magyar tájszótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Hornyánszky, p. 1, 508
  6. ^ Munkácsi, Bernát (1901), Árja és kaukázusi elemek a finn-magyar nyelvekben I: Magyar szójegyzék, Budapest: Magyar Tudományos Akadémia
  7. ^ a b c d e f Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
  8. ^ Bárczi, Géza (1941), Magyar szófejtő szótár, Budapest: Királyi Magyar Egyetemi Nyomda, p. 47
  9. ^ a b c d Ittzés, Nóra (ed.) (2006–), A magyar nyelv nagyszótára, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó / Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at nagyszotar.nytud.hu
  10. ^ Bálint, Sándor (1957), Szegedi szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1, 384
  11. ^ Czuczor, Gergely; Fogarasi, János (1862–1874), A magyar nyelv szótára, 6 vols., Pest: Emich Gusztáv / Athenaeum
  12. ^ Ballagi, Mór (1867–1873), A magyar nyelv teljes szótára, 2 vols., Pest: Heckenast