"The soul of our soul, the blood of our heart..." Mór Jókai associated the Hungarian language with these metaphors. Therefore, we must take care of it as a treasure, we must pay attention to its use as an elementary need!
one of the most beautiful speaking and writing Hungarians, Gyula Illyés, called words our tools
The word is the journalist's "work tool", his "weapon" for good, as well as the writer's. We can write colorfully, freely - experiencing real (linguistic) freedom, only if we have an ample personal dictionary. This, among other things, develops and evolves as a result of a multitude of high-quality reading experiences. The larger the vocabulary we have, the more sophisticated we can use it, and the more boldly we can choose from the repertoire of style tools. Due to the legendary richness of our native language, we have something to draw from, so for example, we have a place to find the single word or phrase that best fits the context. A rich and flowery field of related words and expressions ! One of the most important of our passwords, our kind of motto, is this: "Synonym, synonym!"
The Kosztolányi Act
If you have an inherently rich vocabulary, and who constantly expands it, searches for synonyms, and chooses the one you need, there is a good chance that you will avoid using leaden clichés and word templates. He is able to express himself as precisely as possible, and at the same time nuancedly. An excellent modern poet of ours, László Kalász, wrote on the front of his book of selected poems: The word is difficult . Of course, the profession of a journalist is also difficult! Perpetual self-cultivation, a state of mental readiness, preparedness is one of the meanings and essences of the journalism profession. Expanding your vocabulary is an integral part of self-cultivation.
The use of language by the press and the media is a role model when and to the extent that it shows the normative ideal. The model principle therefore means that the press is a language guardian through its own standard language and exemplary style. In the traditional press, a more or less uniform "literature language" was created, which - although it is aimed at the average reader - is of a higher level than the common language.
This is also shown by the fact that our famous writers, classical - and contemporary classical - language artists took on tasks in the editorial life, as internal or permanent external collaborators and editors of newspapers and magazines, such as János Arany, Jókai, Mikszáth, Zoltán Ambrus, Sándor Bródy, Herczeg Ferenc, Gárdonyi, Viktor Cholnoky, Ady, Krúdy, Dezső Szabó, Móricz, Ferenc Móra, Babits, Kosztolányi, Lajos Nagy, Frigyes Karinthy, Áron Tamási, János Kodolányi, Márai, Lőrinc Szabó, László Németh, Gyula Illyés, Endre Illés, József Attila, Miklós Szentkuthy, Albert Wass, István Vas, Anna Jókai, Sándor Kányádi, Sándor Csoóri, Péter Esterházy. (And many others.) They gave prestige to journalism, brought an individual style to it, and increased the level of demand of readers. Since then, the press has (can) also (serve) as a model of common language. And it can also comply with another principle, the norm principle , when it protects language use by publishing language-cultivating articles.
Does it meet, can it meet, among other requirements, the linguist's requirement of a rich vocabulary of the press and media of the 21st century? Yes, as long as it fulfills its dual role of native speaker – model and norm-maker – in an unchanged quality: the language of many press articles is still exemplary today, worthy of the traditions created by the classical press. Even today, many excellent publicists measure themselves by the very high standards he set in the native language sense: even today, it is common for the best in literature to honor newspapers with their writings. The use of the native language at the literary level also lives on in the columns of newspapers, in the Internet media, in the audio press, and on television.
The public expects the use of (educated) colloquial language, alignment with language norms, and enforcement of norms from journalists, but unfortunately the press is not always a language watchdog. It's not when each issue - in terms of its language - is an "exhibition of beauty flaws" (using the different but appropriate description of one of József Romhányi's poetic animal tales). "We must write so that they immediately understand what we want to say... We must not keep the reader in suspense for even a thousandth of a second." Today, the media often do not accept this admonition, this maxim of Dezső Kosztolányi. According to Miklós Kovalovszky, Kosztolányi formulated the "golden rule of penmanship" in his journalistic writing and evaluation article (Kis nyelvtan; Pesti Hírlap, July 1, 1927). Our excellent contemporary linguist adds: "This - almost moral - order expresses such a requirement that we can rightly call it the Kosztolányi Law ." Let's name it!
Linguistic sophistication: a part of thoroughness and care, accuracy lies in meeting the linguistic requirements down to the smallest details. Thus, for example, precise, clear and concise in finding the most suitable and appropriate expression nuances : meaningful words . All this is not only a linguistic and stylistic requirement, but also a moral and professional one.
The power and power of the press is immeasurable. We know, we experience: when something appears in the newspaper, is heard on the radio, on TV, or can be read on the Internet columns, many people feel that it is appropriate and can be followed. Many bad language fads started in the media. Journalists and editors therefore have a huge responsibility. It does not matter at all what kind of influence the Újdondas has, what kind of language quality it offers as a model, and because of this, to what extent, how it shapes the taste of the mother tongue, how much it protects - in the beautiful words of György Kalmár, an excellent poet and teacher of the Age of Enlightenment - our language is "more beautiful than a precious stone " .
It's not the language, it's the use that's gray
It is especially dangerous for the language use of newspaper readers that the media is the propagator and even the parent of hackneyed buzzwords And there is a constant presence in the media of an army of such words, i.e. expressions that are often used for a while, but quickly become obsolete. The later (used) buzzword is often still a witty neologism . But in the course of boring-boring use, we feel it less and less witty, even less new, and it degrades more and more into a foggy gray buzzword. alien-like , artificial, mannered words and linguistic exaggerations in the media . And by using expressions that do not fit into conversational, even street language, confidential style
Speaking about the proliferation and exuberance of buzzwords should not be a graying of the language. This wording is not accurate. Miklós Szentkuthy saw it well: "Language was not born to express the entirety of reality, but only to express what can be expressed." And he added: "So: there is nothing wrong with the word." No, of course! The use of the language is gray , there is a problem with finding the right word. Because there are plenty of people who don't even look for it.
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Let's give some - frightening - examples of how foggy gray the written and electronic media sound. (Instead of making your text colorful, it would make your text meaningful, for example, it is extremely colorful, perfectly suitable for the finest nuances with our cognate words).
Jolly joker words
This is how Zoltán Lévai calls those words that are primarily popular among the "lazy and indiscriminate" in the linguistic sense, and which can be used "well" instead of nuanced expressions (at least in their eyes).
For decades, the serious epithet has held its own in the press. " A serious solar storm has reached the Earth"; " serious damage " [boxwood moth]; " a serious shower is coming"; " there will still be no serious cooling " serious feelings towards her ". Szabatosan : a huge, enormous, destructive, unforgiving, ferocious solar storm; destructive, massive, causing considerable damage to the leaves of plants; a hearty, country-wide (national) shower; strong cooling; he has deep feelings for her (not towards her !!!). A "serious" set of synonyms is available to replace this buzzword. A few more related words: real, real, true; to be considered, thought-provoking; important, far-reaching; critical, dangerous; considerable; expensive, expensive; pretty, pleasant (amount); solemn, noble; dark, stern, gloomy; emphatic, first-rate, first-rate, high-class, highly esteemed, elite.
With its too general usage, and in the meaning of 'makes possible', 'makes available', insurance will provide an apartment if necessary " to the winner of the job application. Here, it is not only necessary to change the "insured" to a more meaningful word, because the use of the language is grayed out by the continuous repetition of the same expression, but also because the quoted sentence (with the fact that "insured" is mentioned together with the apartment, the home) conveys a different meaning of "insured" ( ' takes out insurance for something') also brings to consciousness. The quoted text is therefore not only ambiguous, but also ambiguous. This formula is precise: it brings the winner to an apartment. (In the interest of accuracy, it does not hurt to write: what kind of apartment the person in question gets and for how long, etc.) "The device was provided by the library." It can be a valuable machine if you have to take out insurance on it... Of course, the meaning of the sentence is this: the library gave it (on loan), made it available, we got the device from the library. Ensures is particularly useful when used in relation to objects: "the tampon ensures a restful night" ; "the window cleaner provides a spotless shine" (correctly: provides; results in ).
The verb possess is used precisely when we want to express this content with it: someone directs something, someone(s) with instructions; decides on something ("the board of directors so rules"); gives instructions for the implementation and use of something ("the rights and obligations of students are provided for in the law on public education"); decide on the use of something ("free possession of the collection"). It is an offense against our native language, who uses this verb to express possession with a figurative meaning, when the subject is not a person, but an object, concept: "the medicine has no side effects" ; "the city has rich folk customs and traditions regarding the Christmas holiday" . With comprehensible simplicity: it has no side effects; enlivens Christmas folk customs and traditions . This kind of well-informed: "The American football star has a hot wife" is stylish and amusing. It is a mistake and a ridiculous wording to use this verb when there is no question of possession, but the opposite: "the program has some small deficiencies" ; "they looked at how much debt each municipality has" . On a regular basis: the wife is fiery (passionate); the program is incomplete; how much debt the municipality has and how much it owes. In a Slovak newspaper, the linguist quoted this funny sentence: "Jóska has a mother-in-law who wants to have her". Clearly: Jóská has a mother-in-law who wants to dispose of her (the latter disposes is in its place: it means 'conducts').
It's a popular expression that blows the fuse : " Many people blow the fuse when a car is parked on the bike path." With synonyms that shade the meaning: It causes indignation among many... (The use of rag for - is a mess here.) Or: It annoys, annoys, upsets, -enrages, -enrages many; it stings the eyes of many cyclists and passers-by...; many have a thorn (red posto) in their eyes; many people get poisoned when they see a car parked on the bike path. "The audience is patient, but the third Hungarian note blows the fuse." Exactly: it already bores them, it actually irritates them, it gets on their nerves, they get a rash from the third note. Our other suggestions for replacing this buzzword: offends, displeases, collides, shocks, upsets, surprises, shakes, horrifies, amazes, shakes, stirs, upsets, irritates, etc.
The story becomes a stereotyped buzzword, and its use is also a misnomer if it does not mean any kind of story: "everyone liked the onion-bacon-sour cream story much better!" ; "the prune story was well done" . Precisely: a food specialty.
Non-Hungarianism
Non-Hungarian words and expressions that are foreign to our approach to language often appear in the press. Such is the attitude noun: "A change in attitude to work is also necessary" ; "The real problem is not the problem, but the attitude towards the problem" . Confused communications. We need to make it clear what we want to say! E.g.: they expect responsible and enthusiastic, service-oriented work, greater professional awareness. And the second quoted sentence is probably intended to suggest a pejorative meaning: their behavior and ideas are (extremely) unusual, (incomprehensibly) strange . The clear synonyms of noun attitude are: behavior, behavior, habitus, attitude, manner, habit, behavior, manner of behavior, attitude, approach, view, look, opinion, stance, position, idea, action, stance, etc.
We hear and read step by step: someone emphasizes something. This strangeness of language has become a fashionable expression, and it is also an amusing confusion in everyday language use and in the media: "Women put a lot of emphasis on smooth skin" ; "appearance and body shape are what men place more emphasis on than women" ; one of the women's fashion brands "places a lot of emphasis on highlighting feminine lines" ; "The author places special emphasis on the female protagonist and her psyche" . For the "emphasizers", we recommend Hungarian, clear words and phrases instead of this quoted confusion: highlight something; pays a lot of attention to something; considers it to be an important, outstanding, significant topic or event; keeps accounts accurately and carefully; emphasizes, sees something as emphasized; cares deeply about someone or something; takes great care of something; something important to someone; someone's primary, main goal is something, etc.
"We know that the media sets unrealistic expectations for women," the press reports. It is still possible to make demands, expectations can hardly be raised, so perhaps the words should be added like this: it imposes excessively high requirements for women, it sets conditions that are difficult to fulfill , it comes up with special, special wishes, demands , etc.
We could cite hundreds of examples of the incessant and unnecessary use of the mirror word of an English sports term, challenge. a common mistake - hene use of words - that the challenge in speech and writing indicates task it replaces the words to do, to , busyness , work challenge "; "he received an exciting challenge at the new channel". Independently: complex task (trial) ; an exciting job (testing his professional knowledge) And the forced structure, which was made up of the challenge and two trite buzzwords associated with it ( serious, means ), now also has body parts and objects as "suffering subjects": "Eating a real English breakfast it is a serious challenge for both the stomach and its host" ; "The line of the almost constantly wind-blown track is a serious challenge for the brakes, tires and engines." Precisely: it burdens (and may burden) the body, the stomach; thoroughly tests the quality of objects and tools (and possibly wears and damages them).
Unsteady words
In today's writing and speech, words with a pejorative secondary meaning, which are therefore misunderstanding, lost, and do not fit the topic, are common.
verb can make the content of the communication frivolous : "he tells stories about his domestic conquests in a shield" ; a media personality "told about sex and boyfriends" . Instead of honest speech, these kinds of statements can bring to mind a secondary meaning of the verb to tell ("don't tell me!": "don't try to make me believe something!"), they can be misunderstood, and there lies the possibility of irresponsible gossip and gossip! That it's all a fairy tale. Therefore, in the mentioned examples and in other cases of referring to reality and honesty, the following verbs can be used instead of tell: tell, present, inform, report, give an account, refer, recall, revive, bring up, put into words, etc.
dozen (quantitative noun) should be avoided when marking an activity, phenomenon, or (art) object considered valuable or exemplary "twelve is a dozen" evokes in the mind. "There is no guarantee that the museums will preserve the works of these two dozen artists ". Such a sentence contains linguistic impoliteness and even impudence, even if unintentionally. That's right: about a quarter of a hundred. This clichéd expression is completely inappropriate for huge, priceless values (it is both sloppy and imprecise): " Dozens of paintings , including works by Francisco Goya, Diego Velázquez and El Greco, are on the way". In such a case, it is appropriate, even mandatory, to write the number of pictures exactly! The media does not spare itself this word either: "or two dozen press workers gathered" in the press center. Regularly: about a quarter of a hundred.
It is not uncommon in the press to use inaccurate, grotesque words, misspellings, exaggeration, and linguistic exaggeration in the press: " Even the most depraved voters were made to feel unsure..." Obviously, the TV reporter did not want to refer to depravity here, but to determination ... This is a serious mispronunciation, because dishonesty is quite different from attachment!
A sentence and a title from the media: "The downside of casual sex is that many people get hurt" ; " The reverse of back pain" . Exactly, without the unintentional piquant aftertaste here: disadvantage, inconvenience . "Thanks to the interventions, more than 130 people were injured" ; "the downfall is due to" the fact that the premiere was poorly timed" . Well, thank you! – we could say for both sentences... Freely: as a result of the interventions; the failure can be attributed to it , or: the failure, the fall is its consequence the cause of the failure, the fall , or: the failure, the fall is caused by it).
love , which indicates a beautiful feeling that is hard to put into words . Yet the media thrashes it into misty gray. The newspaper says: "the evening has countless surprises in store for pankration lovers" . fans, supporters, and pushers of this extreme sport . Two more similar examples: "Mommy fell in love with a Canadian spruce" ; "anyone who has fallen in love with lavender will definitely buy a few stems". These statements do not refer to some kind of sick tendencies, but to the fact that the fresh, clean, balsamic scent the strong, aromatic, calming the lavender has a beneficial effect on the senses of the persons mentioned. The media is not a little lazy in this dwarfing.
According to the definition of Gábor Nagy Tolcsvai's dictionary of foreign words, the first meaning of the word star is: 'a very popular person based on his outstanding performance, also through mass communication, especially an actor, athlete ' . In other words, this word could refer to persons who have created valuable, lasting works, and are also popular; they shine like fixed stars - mainly - in the sky of the arts and sports. This is a small number compared to the amazing number of starred figures today. We could say that this noun is beginning to lose its original meaning in media language - and in the conversational language strongly influenced by it - and in its 2nd meaning in the mentioned dictionary - 'a person popularized by mass communication for no particular reason' - appears more and more often. But those who shout for a star mean what they say, and - usually greatly overestimating the "performance" of the persons in question - they think of the first meaning when using this word. The net expansion of the meaning is that the media often uses this term for content that is star miles away from the original concept quoted by the star: "The student who spoke to the teacher became a star" . A student "thoroughly assigned the teacher because he thought the class he was sent to was not interesting enough" . After the video made about it, the American young man "became the star of the Internet" . Shouldn't we go back to using it in the original meaning? Or will the media wait until there are more "stars" than those who are not concerned about this designation?
queen is also surprising: in the coverage of beauty contests - regardless of whether this rivalry is international, national, or perhaps only of a local or institutional level, and is limited to only a few bold participants who do not always practice self-criticism - it is almost "obligatory" in the media this designation. One of the press articles reports that "divers crowned the queen" , while another reports on the election of the "Face of the University" and writes: X. "became the queen ", and Y. and Z. were also placed "next to the throne": the second and third place ladies. "became the new Queen of Hungary" is a similarly astonishing inaccuracy, and even an unprecedented disrespect for our former domestic queens . (In addition, with a capital k, even though the queen is lowercase even in the way of describing the actual rulers, considering that it is a common name.) This statement is also – of course – talking about the winner of a beauty contest... The so-called this case of sloppiness can be corrected as follows: XY became the new beauty queen of Hungary , or: she became the beauty of Hungary in the 20** year" - according to the jury of the competition organized in the X. locality. The Hungarian interpretative hand dictionary indicates a similar meaning of the word queen, which lives in selective language - 'a woman who stands out for her beauty in (entertaining) company' - but also indicates that it is rarely used in this sense.
Misunderstanding and exaggeration is the use of the adjective fantastic "The film was fantastic" - we read about a work that is completely based on reality. In such a case, we say what we mean: a great, first-rate, fascinating film. An American actress is described as "a fantastic mother and wife" We are referring to how good the artist is (also) in this (real) role when an exemplary, caring, considerate, tender, loving mother and wife. After all, it is not a fictional creature. On the contrary: about a man who tirelessly cares for his children and his husband.
philosophy 'views, aspirations' to persons is also captivating Loud and amusing exaggerations from the press: XY "17-year-old girl from Debrecen, her philosophy: always be honest in everything" ; a so-called celeb's "philosophy: college students can afford healthy food" . Nietzsche, Gadamer, Béla Hamvas, Sándor Karácsony, Győző Határ, if they were alive, would surely be consumed by yellow envy because these world-shaking thoughts did not occur to them... The girl has a life motto, a catchphrase, the celebrity in question an opinion, an opinion, an insight .
It is an amusing case of misreading the expression, applying the odes zeng to objects and situations far removed from lyricism: " artistically perfected methods of picking earthworms "Many gardeners sing odes to the use of caustic salt "; "you can find many pages that sing odes about the beneficial effects of raw feeding "; the beautician " sings odes [about the dog's] good, classic stance and rich fur" . In such cases, expressions evoking the original meaning of the structure (' ömleng , speaks of it with excessive praise ') or their synonyms are better suited to the topic: exults, speaks at length , etc.
And a newly heard visual disturbance, without comment: "... can shake up the housing market from a Sleeping Beauty dream ".
The media was flooded with street slang: " He can't spit-language decorated car on his birthday"; "many Budapesters can't swallow mysterious attractions of Gellért Hill ". The sayings, the "flowers of our language", are no longer used by the media to such an extent that they cannot quote them exactly. The one in question originally sounds like this: "he can neither spit nor swallow" . (This saying does not really fit into the quoted statements, since both quotes contain a favorable situation, and the saying - especially because of the first element - is more for a confused situation, to express uncomfortable surprises.)
Phrases with aggressive content
Linguistic exaggerations can also include words with an aggressive content that have been bitten too far. Such is the brutal and its adverbial version, brutally : "it can be brutally cold at night" ; "it was brutally hot in Budapest today" ; the competitor "has a brutally beautiful voice" ; "brutally delicious chocolate "; "brutally cheap product" . Let's say this instead: freezing, wolf-howling weather, zimanko, harsh weather; heat, sweltering heat, extreme heat, banana-ripening heat; delightful, captivating, magical vocals; mouth-wateringly delicious chocolate; surprisingly, strikingly, extremely cheap, budget-friendly . The "most beautiful" is: "One of my favorite films is Target, in which you played a brutally humane detective ." The following is also a big confusion: "the perfume bomb is a brutally gentle disciplinary tool" . In this kind of monotonous and confusing use of language, nothing means anything anymore...
Such media reports are also signs of the spreading linguistic aggressiveness: the world-famous singer " looks horrible “the actress was “ kicked out of India”. The first quote is a title in which its producer shows not the slightest sign of politeness or tact. Perhaps it could have been luckier and more accurate this way (even if he is standing on one or the other beautiful lady in one snapshot that is not attractive ): her appearance is amazing, astonishing or surprising
The background of the other quote: the actress in question was supposed to sing at a match, but the crowd overheard her demands. Precisely: they did not claim his performance.
XY " went into Z with even feet" - the media shouts, rather vaguely and confusingly. Because how get into someone with (double) feet? More precisely, he gets into a debate , criticizes strongly, criticizes harshly, etc. The net further of linguistic aggression is a sentence like this: " Winter is coming to Hungary with even feet , minuses are attacking". "The minuses are attacking" can be used as a common everyday verb metaphor, but the first clause, in addition to its violent content, is also confusing.
The shock is no less violent. And her artificial and unnecessary expansion of meaning is a mess: "The singer is not afraid of changes, now she shocked the audience with her hairstyle" . At most, he surprised and made the audience wonder with his astonishing hairstyle. This statement also proves that the difference between "being surprised, experiencing the unexpected" and "getting a shock" is relevant. "The superstar looks shocking without makeup!" More polite than the quoted adjectives, which are both true and meaningful: unusual, strange, astonishing, surprising, strange, special, uncommon, strange, amazing sight. Or: depressing, discouraging, repulsive, distasteful. This buzzword has become so common that some journalists probably don't even realize what they are saying anymore. The newspaper says that "received a shock" (meaning: his performance fell short of expectations). "Not everyone gets a shock" from the judges who entered another competition (meaning: "not all of them find his individuality and performance exciting"). As evidenced by these quotations, the content of this expression has been so emptied in the eyes of one or another language user that "getting a shock" essentially means the same thing as "not getting a shock". From here, where else can speech and writing be greyed out?
"In purity, correctness..."
By drawing from the deep well of words with similar meanings, we can avoid grayness and buzzwords . Above, we quoted only a few words of Jókai's exhortation (1859). Let's also quote from his poem - The Hungarian language is here again - because even though it was written in a different historical context, it is still timely in many ways: "The soul of our soul, the blood of our heart, / Stay with us, don't disappear." / Sit in the chair that belongs to you, / Put on your laurel crown, / May your power be strengthened / For long centuries, / so that no one in this country can say / “I don’t know the Hungarian language, / Because I couldn’t learn it.” // Suspense the soul of a poet and a scientist, / That they may write in Hungarian / In purity, in correctness / Both in spirit. / Stranger words, thoughts, / Don't let them speak anymore. / We have something better, more beautiful, / We just have to choose.” […]
Golden Lajos
With this article, the editors welcome Hungarian Language Day (November 13).
