Samuel Gyarmathi
Encyclopedia
Sámuel Gyarmathi (July 15, 1751, Kolozsvár — March 4, 1830, Kolozsvár) was a Hungarian
linguist
, born in Cluj
(then Kolozsvár, Transylvania
). He is best known for his systematic demonstration of the comparative history
of the Finno-Ugric languages
in the book Affinitas linguae hungaricae cum linguis fennicae originis grammatice demonstrata (1799) which built on the earlier work of János Sajnovics
.
before training to be a doctor in Vienna
, following which he practised medicine in Transylvania. In 1789 he read of a competition offering a prize for linguistic research in a Hungarian newspaper and spent the next two years working on his Okoskodva tanító magyar nyelvmester (Hungarian Grammar Taught Rationally). The Transylvanian Diet made funds available for its publication and the work appeared in two volumes in 1794.
As a result of the success of this book, Gyarmathi joined the household of Count Gergely Bethlen as a family physician and tutor to the Bethlen children. His position gave him plenty of leisure for his research into languages and allowed him to accompany Bethlen's son on a trip to the University of Göttingen in Germany
, then a leading centre for comparative linguistics
. Here he made the acquaintance of the historian August Ludwig von Schlözer
who was a specialist in Northern and Eastern Europe. In Göttingen, Gyarmathi developed the theories of János Sajnovics
which had shown the relationship between Hungarian and Sami (Lapp). The result of Gyarmathi's studies was the Affinitas, published in Göttingen in 1799. In the first part of the work, Gyarmathi compares Hungarian, Finnish
and Sami; in the second, he treats the similarities between Hungarian and Estonian
; in the third, he deals with several other Uralic languages
. The Affinitas aimed to show that the similarities in grammatical structure between these languages proved that they were part of the same family. The book was immediately recognised as a major contribution to linguistics.
After leaving Göttingen, Gyarmathi became a teacher-administrator at the Calvinist College
in Zalău
(Zilah), before returning to work as the family physician to the Bethlens in 1810. His last major work was the Vocabularium, published in Vienna in 1816, a word-list comparing Hungarian vocabulary with 57 other languages. It also contains valuable information on the Szekler dialect of Transylvania. Gyarmathi died in Cluj at the age of 79.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, born in Cluj
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
(then Kolozsvár, Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
). He is best known for his systematic demonstration of the comparative history
Comparative linguistics
Comparative linguistics is a branch of historical linguistics that is concerned with comparing languages to establish their historical relatedness....
of the Finno-Ugric languages
Finno-Ugric languages
Finno-Ugric , Finno-Ugrian or Fenno-Ugric is a traditional group of languages in the Uralic language family that comprises the Finno-Permic and Ugric language families....
in the book Affinitas linguae hungaricae cum linguis fennicae originis grammatice demonstrata (1799) which built on the earlier work of János Sajnovics
János Sajnovics
János Sajnovics de Tordas et Káloz was a Hungarian linguist and Jesuit. He is best known for his pioneering work in comparative linguistics, particularly his systematic demonstratation of the relationship between Sami and Hungarian....
.
Life and works
Gyarmathi studied to be a teacher in AiudAiud
Aiud is a city located in Alba county, Transylvania, Romania. The city has a population of 28,934 people. It has the status of municipality and is the second-largest city in the county, after county seat Alba Iulia. The Aiud administrative region is 142.2 square kilometres in area.- Administration...
before training to be a doctor in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, following which he practised medicine in Transylvania. In 1789 he read of a competition offering a prize for linguistic research in a Hungarian newspaper and spent the next two years working on his Okoskodva tanító magyar nyelvmester (Hungarian Grammar Taught Rationally). The Transylvanian Diet made funds available for its publication and the work appeared in two volumes in 1794.
As a result of the success of this book, Gyarmathi joined the household of Count Gergely Bethlen as a family physician and tutor to the Bethlen children. His position gave him plenty of leisure for his research into languages and allowed him to accompany Bethlen's son on a trip to the University of Göttingen in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, then a leading centre for comparative linguistics
Comparative linguistics
Comparative linguistics is a branch of historical linguistics that is concerned with comparing languages to establish their historical relatedness....
. Here he made the acquaintance of the historian August Ludwig von Schlözer
August Ludwig von Schlözer
August Ludwig von Schlözer was a German historian who laid foundations for the critical study of Russian history.-Early career:...
who was a specialist in Northern and Eastern Europe. In Göttingen, Gyarmathi developed the theories of János Sajnovics
János Sajnovics
János Sajnovics de Tordas et Káloz was a Hungarian linguist and Jesuit. He is best known for his pioneering work in comparative linguistics, particularly his systematic demonstratation of the relationship between Sami and Hungarian....
which had shown the relationship between Hungarian and Sami (Lapp). The result of Gyarmathi's studies was the Affinitas, published in Göttingen in 1799. In the first part of the work, Gyarmathi compares Hungarian, Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
and Sami; in the second, he treats the similarities between Hungarian and Estonian
Estonian language
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
; in the third, he deals with several other Uralic languages
Uralic languages
The Uralic languages constitute a language family of some three dozen languages spoken by approximately 25 million people. The healthiest Uralic languages in terms of the number of native speakers are Hungarian, Finnish, Estonian, Mari and Udmurt...
. The Affinitas aimed to show that the similarities in grammatical structure between these languages proved that they were part of the same family. The book was immediately recognised as a major contribution to linguistics.
After leaving Göttingen, Gyarmathi became a teacher-administrator at the Calvinist College
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
in Zalău
Zalau
Zalău is the seat of Sălaj County, Transylvania, Romania. In 2004, its estimated population was 62,900.- Ancient times :Zalău is situated in the area inhabited by "Free Dacians", 8 kilometers away from the historical landmark of Porolissum, a well-preserved Roman Castrum with an imposing fortress,...
(Zilah), before returning to work as the family physician to the Bethlens in 1810. His last major work was the Vocabularium, published in Vienna in 1816, a word-list comparing Hungarian vocabulary with 57 other languages. It also contains valuable information on the Szekler dialect of Transylvania. Gyarmathi died in Cluj at the age of 79.