hogy

Forms

hogy^[1]

Etymology

It is a Hungarian formation on the interrogative and relative pronoun stem Hungarian inherited from the Uralic period, Proto-Uralic *ku- (“who? which? what?”) (also *ko-); how it was formed is disputed.^[2][3][4][5] Wiktionary reconstructs a Uralic adverb *kuńćɜ from the same stem.^[1] Words from the stem include Mansi kōn (“when?”), Khanty kot (“where?”), Komi-Zyrian ki̮ʒ́ (“how?”), Udmurt ke̮ce (“what kind?”), Erzya kona (“which?”), Finnish kussa (“where?”) and Selkup kuu (“whither?”).^[2][3][4]

There are two explanations of the form.^[2][3][4] In one it is a fixed case form with the ablative ending ⟨-l⟩, as in hol, whose /l/ was palatalised and then became /ɟ/ (⟨l⟩ > ⟨ly⟩ > ⟨gy⟩); in the other it is a derivative with the pronoun-forming suffix ⟨-gy⟩, as in így and úgy, first a pronoun that became an adverb.^[2][3][4] It was at first an adverb of manner and state; its relative use arose in sentences related to each other, when the boundary between them shifted, as in Latin quōmodo, German wie and Russian как (kak).^[2][3][4]

The conjunction “that” is the same word: it split off from the adverb in its exclamatory sense “how!, how much!”.^[6][2][4] TESz illustrates the step with a pair like “I saw it: how the sun shines!” and “I saw that the sun shines”: in such clauses the sense of manner faded, and the unstressed word became the conjunction of subordinate clauses.^[6] ÚESz notes that the form ⟨hul⟩ of the Old Hungarian Lament of Mary may belong to ⟨hol⟩ instead.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Both uses are recorded in the Funeral Sermon and Prayer of about 1195.^[6][2][3] The conjunction is in Es oz gimilsnec vvl keseruv uola vize, hug turchucat mige zocoztia vola, “and the juice of that fruit was so bitter that it tore their throats”; the adverb, as a relative “as”, is written Hug.^[6][2]

Semantic evolution

As an adverb, hogy “as” (relative) is followed by “when” (relative) and the question “how?” in the Jókai Codex, “after” about 1456, the exclamation “how much!” in 1508, “why?” in 1513, “for how much?” in 1591 and “in what state?” in 1720, in Mikes's letters.^[2][3] ÚESz suggests that “why?” came from the phrase hogy mire.^[2] The derivative hogyan “how?” is recorded from 1724.^[2][4]

As a conjunction, hogy “that” is joined by “than” (in hogy nem) in the Jókai Codex, “because” about 1456 and “if” in 1612.^[2][3] TESz calls it one of the most widely used Hungarian conjunctions.^[6] Old spellings include hag (1492), hoc (1528) and ho (1558), and dialects have huty and hugy.^[6][7]

The conjunction was borrowed into the Ukrainian dialects of Transcarpathia as Ukrainian год’ (hod’, “that”).^[8]

Timeline

• c. 1195 – hug as the conjunction “that” and as the relative adverb “as” in the Funeral Sermon and Prayer.^[6][2]
• after 1372 (copy of c. 1448) – hogy “how?” and “when” in the Jókai Codex.^[2][3]
• c. 1456 – hogy “after” and “because” in a sermon collection.^[2]
• 1508 – hogy “how much!” in exclamations.^[2]
• 1513 – hogy “why?”.^[2]
• 1720 – hogy “in what state?” in Mikes's letters.^[2]
• 1724 – hogyan “how?”.^[2][4]

Meanings

Adverb

1. how?: in what way?: Hogy jutok el az állomásra?^[9][1]
2. In what state or condition?: Hogy vagy?^[9]
3. For how much?, at what price?^[9]
4. (in exclamations) How very!, how much!: Hogy esik!^[9]
5. (relative) As; as soon as, after; since.^[9]

Conjunction

1. that: introducing a subordinate clause: Tudom, hogy igazad van.^[9][1]
2. With the imperative or subjunctive, “so that, in order to”, also in reported commands: Szólt, hogy várjunk.^[9][1]
3. whether, introducing an indirect question.^[1]

Word family

• hogyan
• merthogy
• minthogy
• mivelhogy
• nehogy
• alighogy
• csakhogy
• majdhogynem
• nemhogy
• úgyhogy

Related words

• hol
• így
• úgy

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1993–1997), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Ungarischen, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 612
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
5. ^ Rédei, Károly (ed.) (1986–1991), Uralisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó / Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz; online as Uralonet, uralonet.nytud.hu
6. ^ a b c d e f g Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 129
7. ^ Szinnyei, József (1893–1901), Magyar tájszótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Hornyánszky, p. 1, 875
8. ^ Lizanec, Petro N. (1976), Vengerskie zaimstvovanija v ukrainskih govorah Zakarpat'ja, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 589
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