aki

Forms

aki^[1]

Etymology

It is from Hungarian az (“that”) + ki (“who”), the demonstrative pronoun fused with the pronoun used in questions and as an indefinite.^[2][3][4][1] The compound arose in complex sentences when the boundary between the clauses shifted: the pointing word of the main clause fused with the pronoun that opened the relative clause, so that a sentence of the type ⟨megjött az, kit vártunk⟩ “that one has come, whom we awaited” became ⟨megjött, akit vártunk⟩ “the one we awaited has come”.^[2][3][4] The change began with subject clauses and spread to other kinds of clauses.^[2] Relative pronouns arose in the same way elsewhere, as French lequel and Italian il quale “who, which”.^[2][3]

ami and amely were formed in the same way; the other relative words in ⟨a-⟩, such as ahol and amikor, followed their model, and so a new system of relative pronouns and adverbs came about.^[2][3][4]

The pronunciation went from ⟨azki⟩ through ⟨akki⟩ to ⟨aki⟩, but the spelling hides the steps: ⟨azki⟩ was still written when people said ⟨akki⟩, and ⟨akki⟩ was still heard in much of the language area in the 19th century.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is akyt in the Jókai Codex, copied about 1448 from a text written after 1372, where it still refers to a thing, “what, that which”.^[2][3] The use for persons, “who”, is first recorded in the Munich Codex of 1466.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

At first the word referred to things as well as persons: “what” (after 1372), “which” and “who” (1466).^[2][3] The use for things lasted: Transylvanian records of the 16th century use az ki for animals, objects and abstract things,^[5] and around Szeged, in the Ormánság and in the Szamos region the word can still refer to a thing.^[6][7][8] The standard language now uses it for persons, and ami and amely for things.^[9][10]

In curses the main clause can be left out, as in Aki istene van!; the NSz records this use from 1831.^[9][10]

Timeline

• c. 1448 – akyt “what” in the Jókai Codex (a copy of a text written after 1372).^[2][3]
• 1466 – “which” and “who” in the Munich Codex (a copy of a text written after 1416).^[2][3]
• 1544 – az ki in a letter.^[11]
• 1558 – Az ky in a Transylvanian record.^[5][3]
• 1585 – akj referring to sheep, in Kolozsvár accounts.^[5]
• 1831 – first use in a curse with the main clause left out.^[10]

Meanings

Pronoun

1. who: relative pronoun for a person (sometimes an animal) in an attributive clause: Az a lány, aki ott ül, a húgom.^[9][10][1]
2. Opening a subject, object or adverbial clause: the one who, whoever: Aki kérdez, választ kap.^[9][10]
3. In a loose, not truly subordinate connection, in place of a demonstrative or personal pronoun: and he, and she (a use the ÉrtSz marks as incorrect).^[9][10]
4. (dialectal, dated) which, referring to a thing.^[9][10][6]
5. In curses, with the main clause left out.^[9][10]

Related words

• ki
• ami
• amely
• az

Usage notes

Older texts write a'ki or az ki.^[12][5] A homograph aki is the name of the West African ackee tree and its fruit, recorded from 1983 and probably taken from English akee.^[13]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1, 87
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Gerstner, Károly (ed.) (2006–), Új magyar etimológiai szótár, Budapest: Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at uesz.nytud.hu
4. ^ a b c Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
5. ^ a b c d Szabó T., Attila (ed.) (1975–2014), Erdélyi magyar szótörténeti tár, 14 vols., Bukarest: Kriterion / Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó / Kolozsvár: Erdélyi Múzeum-Egyesület, p. 1, 172
6. ^ a b Bálint, Sándor (1957), Szegedi szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1, 56
7. ^ Kiss, Géza (1952), Ormánysági szótár, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 7
8. ^ Csűry, Bálint (1935–1936), Szamosháti szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Magyar Nyelvtudományi Társaság, p. 1, 31
9. ^ a b c d e f g Bárczi, Géza; Országh, László (eds.) (1959–1962), A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára, 7 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online at ertelmezo.oszk.hu
10. ^ a b c d e f g h Ittzés, Nóra (ed.) (2006–), A magyar nyelv nagyszótára, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó / Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at nagyszotar.nytud.hu
11. ^ Szamota, István; Zolnai, Gyula (1902–1906), Magyar oklevél-szótár, Budapest: Hornyánszky, p. 11
12. ^ Jakab, László et al. (1993–2019), Csokonai-szókincstár I–IV, Debrecen: Debreceni Egyetem (Számítógépes Nyelvtörténeti Adattár)
13. ^ Vörös, Éva (1996), Egzotikus gyümölcsök magyar neveinek történeti-etimológiai szótára, Debrecen: KLTE (Doktori Értekezések 1), p. 42