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az

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Pronunciation

Forms

az[1] The accusative is azt (dialectal aztat), the plural azok.[2][3] In the case forms the ⟨z⟩ assimilates to the ending: abban, ahhoz, annak, arra, attól, azzal or avval.[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Uralic *o (“that, that other”), one of the pronoun stems Hungarian inherited from the Uralic period, with the pronoun-forming suffix ⟨-z⟩ of Hungarian.[4][5][6][3][7][1] TESz and the MSzFE leave the Uralic vowel open between *o and *u.[4][3] Related demonstratives are Komi-Zyrian asi̮ (“look!”), Udmurt oti (“thither”), Eastern Mari umpal (“the far side”), Erzya ombo (“other, second”), Moksha omba (“other, second”), and in the Samoyedic languages Tundra Nenets ŋawe (“what; something”) and Selkup aame (“another”).[5][7][4] The vowels of the cognates do not correspond regularly;[4][3] TESz and the MSzFE explain this by the free vowel alternation of demonstratives in the parent language, where many such pronouns differed only in shade and influenced one another.[4][3]

TESz and the MSzFE take the ⟨-z⟩ for a pronoun-forming suffix that comes from a demonstrative pronoun.[4][3] ÚESz and Zaicz allow that it may have been added already in the Finno-Ugric or Ugric period, as forms with /t/ in some related languages suggest.[5][6] The sources disagree on the relation to a.[4][5] TESz says the form without ⟨z⟩ developed only within Hungarian, shortened from ⟨az⟩.[4] ÚESz and Zaicz make the bare stem ⟨a⟩ the older form, inherited and used on its own in Proto-Hungarian (compare ott, onnan, úgy, built on it), and ⟨az⟩ its derivative; ÚESz notes that ⟨az⟩ may have pushed ⟨a⟩ aside for a time.[5][6] Wiktionary follows the second view.[1]

The fixed case forms (ahhoz, akkor, arra, attól) arose by assimilation of the ⟨z⟩ to the ending (⟨azhoz⟩ > ⟨ahhoz⟩), according to ÚESz and Zaicz;[5][6][4] TESz derives the forms without doubling (⟨ahoz⟩, ⟨akor⟩) from the later variant ⟨a⟩.[5][6][4] For the ⟨d⟩ of addig, TESz assumes a separate stem ⟨ad-⟩, while ÚESz takes it for a phonetic variant of the suffix ⟨-z⟩.[4][5]

The definite article grew out of the demonstrative used as a pointing attribute, which lost its stress and emphasis; ÚESz treats the article only as a change of word class of the same word.[4][5][8] According to TESz the change happened in Hungarian on its own, free of foreign influence, and was complete by the end of the 14th century;[4][6] Zaicz places it in the 13th–14th centuries.[4][6] TESz rejects a derivation from the interjection ⟨a⟩, other Finno-Ugric comparisons and a Turkic origin.[4] ÚESz cites Old Turkic o (“that”) and Sanskrit असौ (asáu, “that”) as parallels, and the MSzFE records an older comparison with Indo-European pronouns.[5][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The pronoun is in the Funeral Sermon and Prayer of about 1195: yſa ki nopun emdul oz gimilſtwl, halalnec halalaal holz, “on the day you eat of that fruit, you shall die the death of death”;[4][5][3] oz there means “that”.[4][5][3]

Semantic evolution

The demonstrative “that” is the original sense.[4][5] The article sense is first recorded about 1315 according to TESz; ÚESz and EWUng give a doubtful record from the early 13th century and a sure one from the second half of the 13th century.[4][5][8] From 1526 az is also used as an emphasising word, “yes indeed, so it is”.[4][2] In answers it can stand for a plain “yes”.[2][9]

Many of the fixed case forms are recorded early: ozchuz “to that” (modern ahhoz) is already in the Funeral Sermon, azon “that same” from the first half of the 13th century in ÚESz (about 1350 in TESz), akkor, arra, arról and azért in the Jókai Codex.[5][4] The article was reduced to a’ before consonants, which was written so until the early 20th century.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 1195 – oz “that” and ozchuz “to that” in the Funeral Sermon and Prayer.[4][5]
  • early 13th century – ozun keppen, the derivative azon, in the Königsberg Fragment.[5]
  • c. 1315 – az as the definite article, according to TESz.[4]
  • after 1372 (copy of c. 1448) – akkor, arra, azért and addig in the Jókai Codex.[4][5]
  • c. 1405 – aʒon feldÿ in the Schlägl Glossary.[5]
  • 1474 – azzal in the Birk Codex.[5][6]
  • 1526 – az as an emphasising word.[4]
  • 1536 – akkori “of that time”.[4]

Meanings

Pronoun

  1. that: the person or thing farther away, pointed at or seen: Ez az enyém, az a tiéd.[2][10][1]
  2. The thing or person already mentioned or known, referred to with emphasis; also, emphatically, “he, she”.[2]
  3. The antecedent of a relative clause: Az nyer, aki gyorsabb.[2]
  4. Referring to the content of a whole clause, usually one introduced by hogy: Azt szeretném, hogy maradj.[2]
  5. In answers, “yes, that is it”.[2]

Determiner

  1. That, with the article before the noun and declined like it: az a ház, abban a házban.[2][1]

Article

  1. The definite article before words beginning with a vowel: az ablak, az út.[2][1]

Word family

  • azon
  • azonban
  • azonnal
  • azonos
  • azért
  • addig
  • akkor
  • akkora
  • annyi
  • amaz
  • ahhoz
  • akként

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 Lakó, György (ed.) (1967–1978), A magyar szókészlet finnugor elemei, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1, 102
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1, 204
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Gerstner, Károly (ed.) (2006–), Új magyar etimológiai szótár, Budapest: Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at uesz.nytud.hu
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
  7. ^ a b Rédei, Károly (ed.) (1986–1991), Uralisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó / Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz; online as Uralonet, uralonet.nytud.hu
  8. ^ a b Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1993–1997), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Ungarischen, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 111
  9. ^ Szinnyei, József (1893–1901), Magyar tájszótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Hornyánszky, p. 1, 63
  10. ^ Ittzés, Nóra (ed.) (2006–), A magyar nyelv nagyszótára, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó / Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at nagyszotar.nytud.hu