Hungarian as Science Fiction

The problem with me and languages is, that instead of learning the language, I’m far more interested in stuff like the origins of the words. For example the Hungarian for foot is lábfej, literally ‘leg-head’, the head of the leg, and I can spend more time pondering than is reasonable or necessary. The way Hungarian uses quite a lot of archaic words to make new words is also a favorite e.g. camera = fényképezőgép = light-picture-machine. And it was from this, and such things as the word for 7 also being the word for week, the word for Sun the same for day, that i realised if you translate from Hungarian in a strictly literal way (or whatever way it is) you all of a sudden are pretty much writing in a science-fiction style. Here’s an example:

Zoltan saw his friend Zita by the Petrol Well. He slowed down his carriage and stopped.
‘you’ve returned from other-earth!’
‘Yes, I have just arrived from the flying-square. The flying-machine landed early’.
‘You are here to see your birthers?’
‘Yes, but I will not see them until next Seven, because I want to first visit my body-blood on shopping day’.
‘Which town does your body-blood live in?’
‘60’
‘Can I take you to the Iron-way station?’
‘Thanks. I will come back in three Sun’s time. Lets meet and go beering then.’
‘In order! I will call you next seven!’

You see
Benzinkút = Petrol-Well = Petrol Station.
Kulföldi = Other Earth = Abroad
Repülőter = flying square = airport
repülőgép = flying machine = aeroplane
szülei = birthers = parents
hét = seven and week
nap = sun and day
vasút = iron way = railway
vásárnap = shopping day = sunday
testvér = body blood = sibling
rendben = in order = ok

So there you go. Now who said Magyars were aliens?

(p.s. hatvan i.e. 60 is a town East of Budapest).


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