HUNGARY-L Archives

From: MTB <>
Subject: [HUNGARY-L] Spoken German in Hungary
Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1998 18:08:07 -0400

In my research trips to Budapest and western Hungary (Sopron) last summer
and this past spring, I found that spoken German worked well in two
situations: with staff in the archives and libraries, and with older clerks
in shops; and with almost everyone in Sopron. I found German really
indispensable, since my spoken Hungarian is weaker than my German.

Since Hungary was within the Habsburg Empire, pre-1920, and fought with the
Germans during both world wars, the tradition of spoken German is strong.
Also, the three westernmost counties (Moson, Sopron, and Vas) were largely
German-speaking pre-1920, and today they buttress Austria to varying
extents, so German is both a tradition there and a practical necessity.
Finally, German is one of the 'languages of culture,' and many books and
articles are available in German but not in Hungarian, so many educated
Hungarians have at least reading knowledge of German.

Maureen Tighe-Brown
University of Pittsburg

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