hogyan

Etymology

It is formed from Hungarian hogy (“how”) + -n, the interrogative and relative adverb ⟨hogy⟩ with the suffix of manner ⟨-n⟩.^[2][3][4][1]

The base ⟨hogy⟩ was formed within Hungarian, but how it was formed is disputed.^[2][4] Its stem is the old interrogative and relative pronoun stem that Hungarian inherited from the Uralic period, Proto-Uralic *ku- (“who?, which?, what?”).^[2][4] The same stem is found in Mansi kōn (“when?”), Khanty kot (“where?”), Komi-Zyrian kiʒ́ (“how?”), Udmurt kece (“what kind?”), Eastern Mari kəštə (“where?”), Erzya kona (“which?”) and Finnish kussa (“where?”), and in Selkup kun (“where?, whence?”).^[2] One explanation takes ⟨hogy⟩ for a fixed case form with the ablative ending ⟨-l⟩ (as in hol), whose ⟨l⟩ became ⟨ly⟩ and then ⟨gy⟩; the other takes it for a derivative with the pronominal suffix ⟨-gy⟩ of így and úgy, at first a pronoun that came to be used as an adverb.^[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

hogyan is first recorded in 1724, in the sense “in what way?”.^[2][3] The base hogy is far older: it appears in the Funeral Sermon and Prayer of the late 12th century.^[2][3] The Jókai Codex, written after 1372, has it as a question word, “how?”.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

hogy was at first an adverb of manner and state; its relative use grew out of pairs of clauses referring to each other, as with Latin quōmodo and German wie.^[2][4] The conjunction hogy “that” split off from the adverb, while hogyan, formed with -n, kept only the questioning sense “in what way?”.^[4][2]

Szily noted that the old literature, rich in ugyan, has no record of hogyan in the NySz; the first he found was a dictionary of 1760 that gives it for quomodo.^[5] valahogyan “somehow”, akárhogyan “anyhow” and sehogyan “in no way” came from popular speech.^[5] Around 1780 the grammarian Benyák Bernát proposed to call the adverb hogyanszó, and in 1842 Hunfalvy wrote hogyanság for “the how” of a thing.^[6] Kresznerics's dictionary of 1831 glosses the word with Latin quomodo, qualiter and quo pacto.^[7]

Timeline

• Late 12th century – the base hogy in the Funeral Sermon and Prayer.^[2]
• 1724 – first record of hogyan.^[2][3]
• c. 1780 – Benyák Bernát proposes hogyanszó as a name for the adverb.^[6]
• 1831 – Kresznerics glosses hogyan as quomodo.^[7]
• 1842 – hogyanság “the manner, the how” in Hunfalvy.^[6]

Meanings

Adverb

1. how: in what way, by what means: Hogyan jutottál haza?^[8][1]
2. In what language: Hogyan mondják ezt angolul?^[8]
3. In what state or condition: Hogyan érzed magad?^[8]
4. To what degree, how much.^[8]
5. At what price: Hogyan adja a tojást?^[8]
6. (exclamatory) Expressing surprise or indignation: Hogyan? Már el is mentek?^[8]

Word family

• valahogyan
• sehogyan
• akárhogyan
• bárhogyan

Related words

• hogy
• hol
• így
• úgy

Usage notes

In most of its questioning senses the shorter hogy can stand for it.^[8] Dialect forms include hotyan, hutyon and hugyan.^[2][9]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Gerstner, Károly (ed.) (2006–), Új magyar etimológiai szótár, Budapest: Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at uesz.nytud.hu
3. ^ a b c d e Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1993–1997), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Ungarischen, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 612
4. ^ a b c d e f Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
5. ^ a b Szily, Kálmán (1902–1908), A magyar nyelvújítás szótára, 2 vols., Budapest: Hornyánszky, p. 131
6. ^ a b c Szily, Kálmán (1902–1908), A magyar nyelvújítás szótára, 2 vols., Budapest: Hornyánszky, p. 479
7. ^ a b Kresznerics, Ferenc (1831–1832), Magyar szótár gyökérrenddel és deák értelmezéssel, 2 vols., Buda
8. ^ 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
9. ^ Szinnyei, József (1893–1901), Magyar tájszótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Hornyánszky