| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Question about Hungarian surname pronunciation: Thread poster: Leliel (X)
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I'm making a text to speech system of Hungarian.
I already know the basic pronunciation rule of Hungarian.
But I find that the spelling of Hungarian surname is not as regular as common words.
Where can I find some pronunciation rule or pronunciation dictionary of surname?
Thanks for any help
[Edited at 2007-11-07 04:12]
| | | | Csaba Ban 
Hungary
Local time: 07:24
Member (2002)
English to Hungarian
+ ...
| some guidance | Nov 7, 2007 |
"cz" is generally pronounced as "c"
"ch" is mostly "cs" (Kovách, Cholnoky), although in names of German origin it will pronounced as a "ch" in German (Schleicher)
"y" is pronounced as "i" (unless it's part of "gy", "ly", "ny" or "ty")
"ew" (very rare) is pronounced as "ő"
"h" at the end of a name is mute if preceded by a consonant (Horváth, Balogh)
"ss" is usually simply "s" (Kiss, Lámfalussy, Kossuth)
"sch" is the same as in German
"ff" is simply "f... See more "cz" is generally pronounced as "c"
"ch" is mostly "cs" (Kovách, Cholnoky), although in names of German origin it will pronounced as a "ch" in German (Schleicher)
"y" is pronounced as "i" (unless it's part of "gy", "ly", "ny" or "ty")
"ew" (very rare) is pronounced as "ő"
"h" at the end of a name is mute if preceded by a consonant (Horváth, Balogh)
"ss" is usually simply "s" (Kiss, Lámfalussy, Kossuth)
"sch" is the same as in German
"ff" is simply "f" (Istvánffy)
"aá", "eé" and "oó" are simply "á", "é" and "ó", respectively (Baán, Veér, Groó)
Some historical names (incl street names) follow their own "rule", so you have to learn them individually (e.g. Cházár (császár), Dessewffy (dezsőfi), etc.)
There are several names of German and various Slavic origin. Some families adapted the spelling to match pronounciation, some still keep the original spelling, making it more difficult to decipher pronounciation for the casual reader. In addition, there are few Italian, Romanian and French names as well, in which cases the native pronounciation rules apply.
(this post has been edited to accommodate the corrections listed below)
[Edited at 2007-11-07 20:12] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Leliel (X)
English
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks a lot! | Nov 7, 2007 |
These informations are very useful!
| | | | Péter Tófalvi
Hungary
Local time: 07:24
English to Hungarian
+ ...
| encouragement | Nov 7, 2007 |
You are a very brave (or intelligent?) man.
Csaba wrote: ""y" is pronounced as "i" (unless it's part of "ly", "ny" or "ty")"
The same for "gy".
Keep up the good work!
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Éva Méh
Local time: 07:24
French to Hungarian
+ ...
Another correction:
"cz" is generally pronounced as "c" (Rácz, Becz...), not "cs"
Good luck
| | | | Csaba Ban
Hungary
Local time: 07:24
Member (2002)
English to Hungarian
+ ...
| thank you for the corrections | Nov 7, 2007 |
Thank you for both corrections, you are absolutely right. I'm especially sorry for "cz". Of course I had "c" in mind, but by the time I actually wrote it down, I made this obvious mistake.
I wrote this early in the morning, I was still half asleep
And once we are it, "tz" is also pronounced as "c" (Rátz)
Csaba
| | | | | Awesome explanations! | Nov 7, 2007 |
Wow! Csaba gave some pretty good and complete explanations on the subject. The subsequent replies also point out some very handy information.
I just would like to add that the letter Y is not used in Hungarian on its own. Although it is part of the alphabet, it is not a letter on its own. It is used to soften the letter before it. For example, the letter G is usually pronounced as it would be pronounced in the word gone, but in any case where the letter G is followed by the l... See more Wow! Csaba gave some pretty good and complete explanations on the subject. The subsequent replies also point out some very handy information.
I just would like to add that the letter Y is not used in Hungarian on its own. Although it is part of the alphabet, it is not a letter on its own. It is used to soften the letter before it. For example, the letter G is usually pronounced as it would be pronounced in the word gone, but in any case where the letter G is followed by the letter Y, it is prononuced as in the word magyar, when pronounced correctly. The letters to which the letter Y is added to soften their pronunciation are the following: G, L, N, T. If you see the letter Y added after any other letter, then it is pronounced as the letter I in Hungarian, which is usually pronnounced as an E in English.
Some interesting trivia: back in times when nobles had control over many things in society (they most importantly owned land which was lent to peasants to grow produce in exchange for part of the produce or money), the letter Y was used to distinguish a noble from a regular citizen. So, Eszterhàzy was a noble, but Eszterhàzi was a simple citizen (the use of the letter Y was picked up to replace a double I - Eszterhàzy may have been Eszterhàzii before). This is why many Hungarian names end with a Y. But be careful before implying that the person whose name ends with a Y is a noble: the noble status is somewhat dated now, and so the use of the letter Y to distinguish nobles from simple citizens using their surnames has been somewhat dropped. So, today, an Eszterhàzy may well be of ordinary descent, and an Eszterhàzi may be of noble descent.
Best of luck with your undertaking, Leliel! Keep up the good work! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Judith Kiraly
United States
Local time: 22:24
English to Hungarian
| Hungarian TTS | Nov 7, 2007 |
Hi there,
Although Hungarian is a so-called phonetic language, there are no rules to apply to all the words.
For names, words from foreign languages, mesuring units, abbreviations you have to built a special "exceptions" dictionary with the phonetic description of these.
All the existing systems are working this way.
Judith
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Leliel (X)
English
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks for the reply | Nov 8, 2007 |
Gourmetcook wrote:
Hi there,
Although Hungarian is a so-called phonetic language, there are no rules to apply to all the words.
For names, words from foreign languages, mesuring units, abbreviations you have to built a special "exceptions" dictionary with the phonetic description of these.
All the existing systems are working this way.
Judith
But I didn't find a reliable phonetic dictionary of Hungarian on internet.
Where can I find one?
| | | | juvera
Local time: 06:24
English to Hungarian
+ ...
| As they say, it is phonetic... | Nov 10, 2007 |
...therefore most words are pronounced in accordance with the general rules, and you are unlikely to find a pronunciation dictionary.
The same doesn't apply to foreign words, but the relevant dictionaries of foreign words and names are more help to Hungarians than to you.
The problem with some Hungarian surnames is that their written form didn't change the same way as the rest of the language; they retain their old forms. The only help I could find is this:
... See more ...therefore most words are pronounced in accordance with the general rules, and you are unlikely to find a pronunciation dictionary.
The same doesn't apply to foreign words, but the relevant dictionaries of foreign words and names are more help to Hungarians than to you.
The problem with some Hungarian surnames is that their written form didn't change the same way as the rest of the language; they retain their old forms. The only help I could find is this:
http://vmek.oszk.hu/03300/03311/pdf/ff-1.pdf
On page 54 they list letters found in names written the old-fashion way, and add names to illustrate their pronunciation. There are a few additions to those already mentioned by Csaba.
In the Osiris edition of Helyesírás (Laczkó - Mártonfi, reprinted 2005) you can find the phonetic versions of lots of surnames, but I don't know, if it exists on CD, and certainly cannot be found on the internet. Apart from that, you would have to know the name to look for it in this chunky dic. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Leliel (X)
English
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks a lot! | Nov 12, 2007 |
The information is very useful.
Better than nothing
| | | | | Hungarian surname | Feb 23, 2008 |
I'm trying to find the original spelling of my
ancestors last name. They were from Daruvar.
Here in the U.S. it has been spelled as;
Tehoke
Tichoky
Tihoky
They pronounce it like tee-ho-key.
I believe that it was changed when they arrive but
I'm not sure what it could have been.
Thanks!
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Csaba Ban
Hungary
Local time: 07:24
Member (2002)
English to Hungarian
+ ...
| Croatian name, perhaps? | Feb 23, 2008 |
Well, Daruvár is in Slavonia, i.e. the Northern part of Croatia. Even before 1918/20, when Hungary was partitioned, this area was predominantly inhabited by ethnic Croatians. This name "Tihoky" or similar does not resemble any regular Hungarian name.
The word stem "tih-" means "silent" in all Slavic languages, so this may well be a common Croatian name. I think you should repost your question in the Croatian forum, perhaps they can help. And start a new thread rather than post it a... See more Well, Daruvár is in Slavonia, i.e. the Northern part of Croatia. Even before 1918/20, when Hungary was partitioned, this area was predominantly inhabited by ethnic Croatians. This name "Tihoky" or similar does not resemble any regular Hungarian name.
The word stem "tih-" means "silent" in all Slavic languages, so this may well be a common Croatian name. I think you should repost your question in the Croatian forum, perhaps they can help. And start a new thread rather than post it at the end of an existing one. ▲ Collapse
| | | | NancyLynn
Canada
Local time: 01:24
Member (2002)
French to English
+ ...
MODERATOR | How about mine, please? | Sep 28, 2010 |
My name, Bogar, is acquired through marriage.
My older kids are reaching the age (8-10) where they're saying things like, "I wish I could speak Hungarian because I'm Hungarian."
A few years ago, when I taught at RMC, one of the young cadets was Hungarian. He informed me the name means bug (I already knew that, and call my kids my snug-bugs) but he added an accent to the a that seemed to go straight up, rather than right like the accent aigu in French. Would this be corr... See more My name, Bogar, is acquired through marriage.
My older kids are reaching the age (8-10) where they're saying things like, "I wish I could speak Hungarian because I'm Hungarian."
A few years ago, when I taught at RMC, one of the young cadets was Hungarian. He informed me the name means bug (I already knew that, and call my kids my snug-bugs) but he added an accent to the a that seemed to go straight up, rather than right like the accent aigu in French. Would this be correct?
Many thanks!
Nancy ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Bogár - yes, bug | Sep 28, 2010 |
You may want to look around here for pronouncing Hungarian letters:
http://www.magyarora.com/english/shortaudio.html
Hungarian pronunciation is quite simple in the sense that each letter represents one sound, there is only one way to pronounce each letter (that's why we have 44 of them). There are exceptions, mainly in archaic names, but yours is not like that.
... See more You may want to look around here for pronouncing Hungarian letters:
http://www.magyarora.com/english/shortaudio.html
Hungarian pronunciation is quite simple in the sense that each letter represents one sound, there is only one way to pronounce each letter (that's why we have 44 of them). There are exceptions, mainly in archaic names, but yours is not like that.
I couldn't find a place with a prerecorded soundfile for bogár, but I will tell you on the phone Thursday if you log in a bit early.
The accent on the á can be written straight, or slanted to the right, depending on the handwriting style of the person. In school it is taught to be straight, but right slant is also accepted. There are no left slanted accents in Hungarian, so writing accents that way would not be confusing, however it is considered sloppy (or unconventional).
Katalin
[Edited at 2010-09-28 12:47 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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