igen

Forms

igen (noun, plural igenek).^[1] Old and dialect forms: iken (1525), Igewn (about 1535), igyen (1563), ügön (1882) and dialectal égen, ëgen.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is probably a fossilised case form formed within Hungarian.^[2][4][5] Its stem may be the demonstrative pronoun ⟨i⟩, the original variant of ez “this”; the final ⟨-n⟩ is probably the modal suffix seen in hogyan and ígyen, and the ⟨-g-⟩ inside may be a terminative suffix, as in míg and perhaps leg-.^[2][4][5][1] Its first function was probably emphasis.^[2][4] TESz, the older work, calls it of unknown origin: the ⟨-n⟩ looks like the modal suffix, but the stem cannot be placed.^[3]

Older scholars sought a Finno-Ugric stem: the UEW lists the word under Proto-Uralic *šeŋä (“good, healthy”), with Finnish hyvä (“good”) and hyvin (“well; very”), and Bárczi compared Mari and Finnish words for “very” or “good”.^[6][7] The MSzFE calls the origin disputed: the comparison needs a change of *-ŋ- to *-ŋk- and then -g-, and the stem *ig- is not found on its own.^[8] TESz finds these comparisons partly improbable and partly wrong.^[3] Budenz in 1873 compared it with a Khanty word for “very, much”.^[9]

Róna-Tas and Berta list the word among the West Old Turkic loans: borrowed from Bulgar *egän (“yes; affirmative particle, very”).^[10] Wiktionary cites Johanson for a Turkic source of the same kind.^[1] ÚESz and EWUng consider a Turkic origin, and an explanation as a split form of ⟨ígyen⟩ from így, less probable.^[2][4]

The answer “yes” grew out of the compound igenis: this first stressed a part of the sentence, then the stressed part was left to be understood, and the word became the affirmative answer, the opposite of nem.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first certain record is in the Jókai Codex (written after 1372, copied about 1448): ygen hyuseges, “very faithful”.^[2][3] Place names from 1266 on, such as Yguen and Egenzaraz, may contain the word, but that is uncertain.^[2][4] The sense is “very, exceedingly”.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

For centuries igen meant “very, much”: the old glossaries translate Latin valde, admodum and nimis with it, and the Transylvanian records of the 16th–18th centuries use it with verbs and adjectives alike.^[11][12] The answer “yes” is recorded only from 1760, and the noun “a yes” from 1793.^[3][2] A sense “about, roughly” is recorded in 1906.^[3][2]

The verb igenel first meant “to find too much” (1647) and later “to say yes, assent” (1788); igenlő “affirmative” follows in 1821.^[3][2][5] Today the sense “very” is literary, and nem igen means “hardly, not much”.^[13][1]

The dialects keep the old range: in Szeged ügön answers “yes”, means “very”, “nearly, about”, and “oh yes, now I remember”; in the Ormánság the answer is rarely used.^[14][15] Csűry records the doubled igen, igen means “of course”.^[16]

Timeline

• 1266 – Yguen, a place name that may contain the word.^[2][4]
• 1298 – Egenzaraz, a place name that may contain igen “very”.^[2]
• after 1372 (copied c. 1448) – ygen hyuseges “very faithful” in the Jókai Codex.^[2][3]
• 1647 – igenel “to find too much”.^[3][2]
• 1760 – igen “yes”.^[3][2]
• 1788 – igenel “to say yes”.^[2]
• 1793 – igen as a noun, “a yes”.^[3][2]
• 1821 – igenlő “affirmative”.^[3][2]
• 1906 – igen “about, roughly”.^[3][2]

Meanings

Adverb

1. (literary) very, greatly, highly: Ez igen szép munka.^[13][1]
2. (with a negative, nem igen) Not much, hardly; not often.^[13]
3. (dialectal) About, roughly, nearly.^[3][14][16]

Interjection

1. yes: the answer to a yes–no question.^[13][1]
2. Yes, it is so: contradicts a negative statement or prohibition.^[13]
3. Indeed, that is so: confirms or stresses what was said before.^[13]

Noun

1. A yes; an affirmative answer or vote.^[1][3]

Word family

• igenel
• igenlő
• igenis

Related words

• nem
• ez
• így

Usage notes

The ÉrtSz gives the literary “very” with a closed ë, and “yes” with ë or e.^[13]

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 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 j k l m n o p q Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 192
4. ^ a b c d e f Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1993–1997), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Ungarischen, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 646
5. ^ a b c Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
6. ^ Rédei, Károly (ed.) (1986–1991), Uralisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó / Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz; online as Uralonet, uralonet.nytud.hu
7. ^ Bárczi, Géza (1941), Magyar szófejtő szótár, Budapest: Királyi Magyar Egyetemi Nyomda, p. 79
8. ^ Lakó, György (ed.) (1967–1978), A magyar szókészlet finnugor elemei, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 316
9. ^ Budenz, József (1873–1881), Magyar–ugor összehasonlító szótár, Budapest: Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, p. 811
10. ^ Róna-Tas, András; Berta, Árpád (2011), West Old Turkic: Turkic Loanwords in Hungarian, 2 vols., Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz (Turcologica 84); word list via Lexibank
11. ^ Berrár, Jolán; Károly, Sándor (1984), Régi magyar glosszárium: szótárak, szójegyzékek és glosszák egyesített szótára, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 348
12. ^ Szabó T., Attila (ed.) (1975–2014), Erdélyi magyar szótörténeti tár, 14 vols., Bukarest: Kriterion / Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó / Kolozsvár: Erdélyi Múzeum-Egyesület, p. 5, 502
13. ^ 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
14. ^ a b Bálint, Sándor (1957), Szegedi szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1, 630
15. ^ Kiss, Géza (1952), Ormánysági szótár, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 249
16. ^ a b Csűry, Bálint (1935–1936), Szamosháti szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Magyar Nyelvtudományi Társaság, p. 1, 409