JOURNAL OF EURASIAN STUDIES

January-March 2011 JOURNAL OF EURASIAN STUDIES Volume III., Issue 1.
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phonemes, which has only calmed down to some degree by the beginning of the twentieth century, but
the results are in many cases rather questionable. In the course of the centuries the transcription of
Hungarian phonemes by Latin symbols has changed significantly, especially of those phonemes which
are absent from the Latin alphabet.
Initially, the greatest difficulty was that the Hungarian phonemes were transcribed by people who
spoke hardly any Hungarian and used an insufficient, inappropriate symbol set, consequently leading to
doubtful results.
The other major difficulty was that only the official Latin script was allowed; solely the Latin was
instructed at school, and instead of teaching the Hungarian language only the Latin was taught. Until the
end of the 18 th century the education system- firstly exclusively, later predominantly - taught Latin and
Latin writing system. Until 1844 Latin was the state language and the exclusive language of official
documents.
But how did the Old Hungarian writing survive?
It subsisted amongst the common people, similarly to the Hungarian language. The wise and simple
sons of the people preserved it and passed it onto the next generation. The Old Hungarian writing
subsisted, so much so that at the second half of the nineteenth century it was still in use in the salt mines
of Transylvania, in farmland accounts, or on shepherd’s crooks, and folk woodcarvings. The knowledge
was transferred from father to son, and it was pushed to the frames of folk art only with the introduction
of compulsory primary education at the end of the 19 th century. Nowadays its use is booming again
though only in a complementary, tradition-reserving manner.
History of language teaching
Teaching of Latin was “the” language education from the era of King St. Stephen (11 th century) until
the middle of the 18 th century. The alphabet books contained only the Latin alphabet and Latin texts
(mainly religious texts, most of the time quotes from the Bible). This education –similarly to other parts of
Europe- ran in church schools, within religious confines. Here the students were instructed to parochial
ministration. 3 Usually it proceeded as follows: first, the priests gathered all the boys who wanted to learn,
and then they taught them to read and sing in Latin, familiarized them with the basic vocabulary of
ecclesiastical Latin, introduced them to the church rites, and taught them the Latin liturgy texts and songs.
4 After that, the bishop could consecrate them.
Broadly this was the method of education until the age of King Matthias (15 th century). In the era of the
Turkish occupation (16 th to 17 th century), in the spreading Protestant church schools, it was considered
necessary to learn, beside the Latin, also the Greek and Hebrew languages. However, Latin education was
first and foremost, and in the higher classes Latin was the language of communication between students. 5
3 Pukánszky-Német: Neveléstörténet (History of Education). http://magyar-irodalom.elte.hu/nevelestortenet/index.html#03
4 idem
5 Pukánszky-Német: Neveléstörténet (History of Education).
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