olyan
Pronunciation
- [ˈojɒn][1]
Forms
olyan (dated spelling ollyan; dialectal ojan, oan, ollan, onnyan)[2][3]
Etymology
It is from Hungarian oly + -n, formed from the pronoun oly “so, such” with a pronoun-forming suffix, as in azon and ilyen.[4][5][1] TESz finds less support in the old records for the view that the ⟨-n⟩ is a suffix of manner.[5]
This base is itself a fixed suffixed form: the demonstrative stem in its older, closer-vowelled form ⟨u⟩ ~ ⟨o⟩, the original variant of a and az “the; that”, with the ablative ending ⟨-l⟩, which became ⟨-ly⟩ as in ily and tavaly “last year”.[5][4] It was at first an adverb of degree beside adjectives (“so bitter”), and turned into a pronoun when it came to be taken with the whole phrase;[5][4] The derivative, a pronoun from the start, helped that change.[5][4] The view that the ⟨-ly⟩ is a pronoun suffix is unlikely.[5]
Earliest recorded meaning
Olyan is first recorded in the Jókai Codex, a text written after 1372 and copied about 1448, as a demonstrative pronoun: “such, like the one known”.[4][5] Its base oly is older: the Funeral Sermon and Prayer of about 1195 says of the forbidden fruit vvl keseruv uola vize “so bitter was its juice”.[5][4]
Semantic evolution
Besides the pronoun sense, olyan is an adverb “so, so much” from 1531.[4] From oly it took the sense “about, approximately” (1641), which olyan has in the dialects: Ojan tíz óra körű értem haza in Szeged, “about ten o'clock”.[4][6][7] Transylvanian records of the 16th and 17th centuries use it for “such, of that kind” and “the same kind”, often with mint “as”.[8]
The dialects shorten the word to ojan, oan, uan, and use it in set phrases: ojan, amijen “nothing special”, ojan nincs! “that is impossible”.[3][6][9] It stands in many folk similes, such as olyan, mint a ... “as … as ...”.[10]
Timeline
- after 1372 – olyan in the Jókai Codex, copied about 1448.[4][5]
- c. 1410 – the spelling ollian.[4]
- 1531 – ollyom “so, so much” as an adverb.[4]
- 1770 – ollan.[4]
- 1863 – ojan and onnyan in Kriza's Székely collection.[4]
Meanings
Pronoun
- such, like that: like the thing or person pointed at: Nekem is olyan kabátom van.[2][1]
- Of the kind mentioned or known; such as described: Ő már csak olyan.[2]
- As a correlative with mint or amilyen: such as, the same as: olyan magas, mint az apja.[2]
- In comparisons and similes, stressing a high degree: olyan, mint a ... “as … as ...”.[2][10]
- As an adverb: so, so much: olyan szép.[4][2]
- (colloquial, dialectal) about, approximately: olyan két óra járás.[10][6]
- Used as a noun: such a thing, something like that.[1]
Word family
- amolyan
- ugyanolyan
- olyankor
Related words
References
- ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f Bárczi, Géza; Országh, László (eds.) (1959–1962), A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára, 7 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online at ertelmezo.oszk.hu
- ^ a b Szinnyei, József (1893–1901), Magyar tájszótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Hornyánszky, p. 2, 14
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Gerstner, Károly (ed.) (2006–), Új magyar etimológiai szótár, Budapest: Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at uesz.nytud.hu
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 1080
- ^ a b c Bálint, Sándor (1957), Szegedi szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 2, 227
- ^ B. Lőrinczy, Éva (ed.) (1979–2010), Új magyar tájszótár, 5 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 4, 190
- ^ Szabó T., Attila (ed.) (1975–2014), Erdélyi magyar szótörténeti tár, 14 vols., Bukarest: Kriterion / Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó / Kolozsvár: Erdélyi Múzeum-Egyesület, p. 9, 1073
- ^ Csűry, Bálint (1935–1936), Szamosháti szótár, 2 vols., Budapest: Magyar Nyelvtudományi Társaság, p. 2, 183
- ^ a b c Kiss, Géza (1952), Ormánysági szótár, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 411