pedig

Forms

pedig^[1] Old and regional variants are many: penig, pegyig, penyig, pedeg, pedid, and the emphatic pediglen, peniglen of the 15th–16th centuries.^[2][3] The dialects have, among others, peddig, pedég, pég, pejg, peig and pety.^[2][4]

Etymology

It is a Hungarian development: it split off from the old adverb and conjunction kedig (also ⟨kenig⟩), whose initial /k/ became /p/ by dissimilation.^{[5][6][3][7][1]} The same change is seen in köszméte beside pöszméte and in köldök beside dialectal ⟨püdök⟩; dissimilation also gave that word its old variant ⟨tedig⟩.^[5][3]

The ending of pediglen and ⟨peniglen⟩ is -len, an emphatic element still productive in the 15th and 16th centuries; ÚESz and EWUng take ⟨pediglen⟩ for a fixed case form that arose in the conjunction's function.^[5][3][6] The ⟨gy⟩ and ⟨ny⟩ of ⟨pegyig⟩ and ⟨penyig⟩ come from palatalization.^[5]

An older view, still held by Bárczi, saw in the word a blend of ⟨kedig⟩ with ⟨penig⟩, an independent form explained as a shortening of ⟨éppenig⟩, that is éppen with the suffix -ig.^[8] TESz finds the blend less likely and says the historical records do not support the derivation of ⟨penig⟩ from ⟨éppenig⟩.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in a text of 1498, known from a copy of 1630: Ezt pedigh fogadom kerezttiensegh hwteömre, “and this I swear upon my Christian faith”; the sense there is “and, in turn”.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

TESz, EWUng and ÚESz think the word was at first an emphatic adverb, and that its uses as a conjunction grew out of that: on one side contrast and concession, on the other addition, intensification and emphasis.^[5][6][3][7] The adverbial use, “yet, after all”, is recorded in the Apor Codex of about 1500.^[2][3] As a conjunction it meant “and, in turn” from 1498, “and indeed, namely” from 1499, “although” from 1547 and “but, however” from 1553.^[2][3]

In the charters and records of Transylvania the word, often as penig, pedegh or pinig, links the second member of a contrast, “while, whereas”, and introduces an opposing statement, “but, however”, from the 16th century on.^[9] Balassi used penig both for contrast and for introducing an explanation.^[10]

In Romanian dialects of western and north-western Transylvania and Bihor, pedig means “(and) yet, but”.^[11][12][13] In the Slovak dialects of southern and south-eastern Slovakia it is dying out but still lives in the language islands.^[14] In Transcarpathia, Ukrainian has педик (pedyk) “although”, recorded from the 17th century,^[15][16] and the word reached Pannonian Rusyn too.^[14][1]

Timeline

• 1498 – pedigh “and, in turn” in a text known from a copy of 1630.^[2][3]
• 1499 – penighath “and indeed, namely”.^[2][3]
• c. 1500 – the adverb “yet, after all”, used for emphasis, in the Apor Codex.^[2][3]
• 1511 – peniglen, the form with the emphatic -len, in a text known from later copies.^[2][3][7]
• 1535 – pedeg, pegeeg and other forms in Ozorai's writings.^[2][3]
• 1547 – penieg “although”.^[2][3]
• 1553 – pegyg “but, however”.^[2][3]
• 1608 – pedid in Szenczi Molnár's Bible.^[2]
• 17th century – педигъ in Transcarpathian Ukrainian.^[15]

Meanings

Conjunction

1. And, while, whereas: placed after the first element of the second clause, it links two statements about different things, setting them side by side: Anna főz, Péter pedig mosogat.^[17][1]
2. In reply to something said or done before: but then, however.^[17]
3. At the start of a clause: but, yet, though, introducing a statement that contradicts what went before and stressing the contrast.^[17][1]
4. nevertheless, all the same; in this sense also márpedig.^[17]
5. although, even though: Elkésett, pedig korán indult.^[17][1]

Adverb

1. (dated) Yet, after all, used for emphasis.^[2][3]

Word family

• pediglen
• éspedig
• márpedig
• mégpedig

Related words

• kedig

Usage notes

In the sense “and, while” the word follows the first element of its clause, like a clitic (én pedig); at the head of the clause it means “although, yet”.^[1][17] It forms the compound conjunctions mégpedig “namely, and indeed” and márpedig “but surely, and yet”.^[1][17]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 3, 143
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Gerstner, Károly (ed.) (2006–), Új magyar etimológiai szótár, Budapest: Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont; online at uesz.nytud.hu
4. ^ B. Lőrinczy, Éva (ed.) (1979–2010), Új magyar tájszótár, 5 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 4, 418
5. ^ a b c d e f Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1967–1976), A magyar nyelv történeti-etimológiai szótára, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 3, 144
6. ^ a b c Benkő, Loránd (ed.) (1993–1997), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Ungarischen, 3 vols., Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 1179
7. ^ a b c Zaicz, Gábor (ed.) (2006), Etimológiai szótár: magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete, Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó
8. ^ Bárczi, Géza (1941), Magyar szófejtő szótár, Budapest: Királyi Magyar Egyetemi Nyomda, p. 132
9. ^ Szabó T., Attila (ed.) (1975–2014), Erdélyi magyar szótörténeti tár, 14 vols., Bukarest: Kriterion / Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó / Kolozsvár: Erdélyi Múzeum-Egyesület, p. 10, 605
10. ^ Jakab, László; Bölcskei, Andrea (2000), Balassi-szótár, Debrecen (Számítógépes Nyelvtörténeti Adattár 8)
11. ^ Tamás, Lajos (1966), Etymologisch-historisches Wörterbuch der ungarischen Elemente im Rumänischen, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 605
12. ^ Alexics, György (1888), Magyar elemek az oláh nyelvben, Budapest, p. 89
13. ^ Valló, Ida; Stan, Constantin et al. (1905), Kölcsönös hatások a hazai nyelvek közt, Budapest: Magyar Nyelvtudományi Társaság, p. 42
14. ^ a b Gregor, Ferenc (2023), A szlovák nyelv magyar elemei, ed. András Zoltán, Budapest: Kairosz, p. 664
15. ^ a b Lizanec, Petro N. (1976), Vengerskie zaimstvovanija v ukrainskih govorah Zakarpat'ja, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 616
16. ^ Dezső, László (1989), A XVI–XVIII. századi kárpátukrán nyelvemlékek magyar jövevényszavai, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, p. 79
17. ^ 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