József SebőPile of Glory

Ferenc Kazinczy and Gedeon Somogyi are on the opposite side of the cultural clash. The latter is the author of the pamphlet Mondolat (a derisive expression created by combining the words sentence and thought, an untranslatable pun), a pamphlet opposing the aspirations of the movement that bears Kazinczy's name. The work, which has a great resonance was written in Veszprém. This explains why the author deals in detail with this Somogyi counter-camp.

In his conclusion, he assesses: '... Those involved in the language renewal debates have usually taken on the role assigned to them with holy faith and enthusiasm. Their views and ideas were determined in many respects, according to their education and place of birth, and it is safe to say that none of them represented the whole truth. It was through the collision of these often diametrically opposed views that the flexible, nuanced and - in Kazinczy's words - rainbow-like diversity of the Hungarian language crystallised, which is the basis of our language use today. ..."

The position of the book is that the linguists of Veszprém Mondolat also has a role in the fact that the wild drives of language renewal have sooner or later disappeared over time.

Castle Street Workshop Books 30 - Veszprém

The book is sponsored by the National Cultural Fund