There are numerous regular sound correspondences between Hungarian and the other Uralic languages. For example, Hungarian á corresponds to Khanty o in certain positions, and Hungarian h corresponds to Khanty x, while Hungarian final z corresponds to Khanty final t. These can be seen in Hungarian ház ("house") and Khanty xot ("house"), or Hungarian száz ("hundred") and Khanty sot ("hundred").
Stop consonants
Word-initially One important innovation of Hungarian is the lenition of the stop consonants *p *k in initial position.
Hungarian corresponds to Finnish and Estonian (compare English fish to Italian pesce via Grimm's law):
Proto-UralicHungarianFinnishEstonianmeaning*puxefapuupuutree*palafalatpalapalabit, bite*pele-félpelätäpelgamato fear*pesäfészekpesäpesanest*pilwefelhőpilvipilvcloud*puna-fonpunoapunumato plait*päŋefejpääpeahead
Before front vowels (e é i í y ä ö ő ü ű), Hungarian corresponds to Finnish and Estonian :
Proto-UralicHungarianFinnishEstonianmeaning*küńelekönnykyynelküünistamatear*kätekézkäsikäsihand, arm*kiwekőkivikivistone
Before back vowels (a á o ó u ú), Hungarian corresponds to Finnish and Estonian (as English in hound corresponds to Latin in canis)
Proto-UralicHungarianFinnishEstonianmeaning*kalaLuobbal Sámmol Sámmol Ánte (Ante Aikio): Proto-Uralic. — In: Marianne Bakró-Nagy, Johanna Laakso & Elena Skribnik (eds.), The Oxford Guide to the Uralic Languages. Oxford University Press, 2022, 1184 pages, halkalakalafish*kotaházkotakodahouse (Hung.), hut (Finn. and Est.)*kuńśehúgykusikusiurine
The third stop inherited from Proto-Uralic, *t, did not undergo such a change. Hungarian initial corresponds to Finnish and Estonian :
Proto-UralicHungarianFinnishEstonianmeaning*tälwätéltalvitalvwinter*tumte-tudtunteatundmato know*towketavasztoukospring
Word-medially
Original stops were also lenited in the middle of words (now sometimes word-final, due to the loss of word-final vowels in the Old Hungarian period), but with different outcomes:
Hungarian correspond to Finnish and Estonian geminate stops : Proto-UralicHungarianFinnishEstonianmeaning*ëppeapósappifather-in-law*säppäepesappisappgall*lappɜlaposlappealappflat*lükkä-löklykätä : lykkää-lükkamato push
Hungarian corresponds to the Finnish and Estonian two-stop cluster : Proto-UralicHungarianFinnishEstonianmeaning*kütke-.kötkytkeäkütketo bind, to join (Estonian: "halter", a derivative)*totketat (dialectal)tõtkestench (No examples where a word with original *tt would have survived in both Hungarian and Finnic are known, but cases testifying for the development of *tt to /tt/ in Finnic and /t/ in Hungarian can be set up with the help of the other Uralic languages.)
Hungarian corresponds to Finnish and Estonian (which may alternate with ): Proto-UralicHungarianFinnishEstonianmeaning*ëmta-adantaaandmato give*jänte ideg jänne : jäntee- nerve (Hung.; a derivative), string, sinew (Fi.)*omteodúonteloõõnes hollow*tumte-tudtunteatundmato know
(Again, with the help of the other Uralic languages, the analogous developments *mp *ŋk → Hungarian /b g/, Finnic /mp ŋk/ could be supported.)
Hungarian corresponds to Finnish and Estonian : Proto-UralicHungarianFinnishEstonianmeaning*kepäkevéskepeäkebjafew (Hung.), light (Finnic)*čupasoványhupe-ne-hubathin (Hung.)
Hungarian corresponds to Finnish and Estonian (which can alternate with or zero, and becomes before ):
Proto-UralicHungarianFinnishEstonianmeaning*kotaházkotakodahouse (Hung.), hut (Finnic)*kätekézkäsi : käden : käte-käsi : käe : käte-hand, arm*patafazékpatapadapot*metemézmesi : meden : mete-mesi : mee : mete-honey
Hungarian zero, here always preceding a long vowel, corresponds to Finnish and Estonian by itself (which may alternate with zero or /h/) and as the first member of a consonant cluster: Proto-UralicHungarianFinnishEstonianmeaning*ikeneínyien : ikene-igepalate (Es.), gums (Hung. & Fi.)*jokejójoki : joenjõgiriver (only in placenames in Hung.)*mëksamájmaksamaksliver*näke-néznähdä : näke-nägemato see*sükśeőszsyksysügisautumn
Sibilant consonants Two different regular correspondences can be found in Hungarian for Finnish and Estonian . The first is Hungarian (which is written as ⟨sz⟩):
Proto-UralicHungarianFinnish Estonian meaning*śataszázsatasadahundred*śüδämeszívsydänsüdaheart*śilmäszemsilmäsilmeye*śuweszájsuusuumouth*pesäfészekpesäpesanest
The second is Hungarian zero:
Proto-UralicHungarianFinnishEstonianmeaning*sewe-eszik : ev-syödäsöömato eat*säppäepesappisappgall*sëneínsuonisoonsinew, (Finnic also) vein*süleölsylisülibosom
These two correspondences represent two different original consonants. : is reconstructed as originating in Proto-Uralic *ś, while ∅ : is reconstructed as Proto-Uralic *s. Both correspondences can be seen simultaneously in the word for "autumn" (see above under *-k-), from Proto-Uralic *sükśi.
Sonorant consonants Hungarian liquid consonants correspond to Finnish and Estonian : Proto-UralicHungarianFinnishEstonianmeaning*oraároraoraawl (Hung., Es.), thorn (Fi.)*allaalattallaallunder*elä-élelääelamato live*kala-halkuollakoolemato die*lämelé : lev-liemileemliquid (Hung.), broth (Finnic)*ńale-nyalnuollanoolimato lick*ńëlenyílnuolinoolarrow*wolkavállolkaõlgshoulder Examples also include 'bite', 'to fear', 'cloud', 'fish', 'winter', 'flat', 'to push', 'bosom' listed above.
Hungarian nasal consonants correspond to Finnish and Estonian : Proto-UralicHungarianFinnishEstonianmeaning*mimimikä : mi-miswhat*mene-megy : men-mennäminemato go*mińämenyminiäminiadaughter-in-law*munamony (dialectal)munamunaegg, testicle*neljänégyneljänelifour*nimenévniminiminame Further examples include : 'honey', 'liver', 'eye', : 'to plait', 'to see', 'sinew', : 'tear', 'palate', 'arrow', 'to lick' listed above. Word-internally a correspondence Hungarian : Finnic is also found, as seen in 'broth', 'name', and 'heart'.
A correspondence can also be set up between Hungarian and Finnish and Estonian long vowels. With the help of the other Uralic languages, this can be reconstructed as *ŋ: Proto-UralicHungarianFinnishEstonianmeaning*jäŋejégjääjääice*piŋefogpiipiitooth*püŋefogolypyypüühazelhen*śäŋeégsääsky (Hung.), weather (Fi.)*šiŋereegérhiirihiirmouse*wiŋe-végviimeinenviimaneend (Hung.), last (Finnic)
See also Selected cognates in the Uralic languages Common vocabulary among Finno-Ugric languages The living fish swims in water
Notes
References
External links Finnish–Hungarian etymologies