Learning Hungarian May be More Difficult Than First Expected

Learning Hungarian May be More Difficult Than First Expected

Hungary is one of 37 Uralic languages currently spoken throughout the world. The Uralic language group also consists of Romanian, Slovakian, Estonian, Russian, Serbian, and Finnish. Approximately 25 million people are native speakers of the Uralic idiom, the name of which refers to the Ural Mountains around which the Urheimat (original homeland) of the Uralic people was located.

As the language is non-Indo European, it is considered extremely difficult to understand and learn by English speaking individuals: with 14 vowel phonemes and 25 consonant phonemes, it is easy to understand why. It is also believed that the Hungarian language comprises of somewhere between 60,000 to 120,000 words: it is impossible to be exact as there are so many affixed and compound words within the Hungarian lexicon.

Hungarian is the official language of Hungary – obviously- as well as being one of the official languages of three municipalities in Slovenia: Hodos, Dubrovnik, and Lendava. It is also recognised as a regional language in various other European countries such as Croatia, Austria, and Romania, the latter of which has an ethnic Hungarian population of over 20%.

Magyar is 99% phonetic, and is described as being the most logical of all languages, despite its complexity. Its inherently causal format allows for the clear comprehension of a word’s structural origins.

If one is thinking of travelling to the country, they should not be put off by potential lingual difficulties. Hungary offers a fantastic tourist experience, with the emphasis often placed on the capital Budapest which straddles the magnificent River Danube.

For tourists travelling to Hungary, the language barrier may not be as much of an issue as first expected; English is now compulsory in Hungarian schools and so the majority of the younger generation will have a decent knowledge of the English language.

The OTP Bank, the largest in Hungary, is also on hand to help out. Their multi-lingual ATM software allows for translations of on-screen instructions into English and German, so you should experience no problems when it comes to topping up your spending money.