Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1973 (1. évfolyam, 1-2. szám)

1973 / 1. szám

Chapter I presents a brief description of Hungarian vowel harmony, a generative phonology, an analysis of the underlying vowel system and an account of vowel harmony in Hungarian. The theoretical position held in this paper is closest to that of Kiparsky's. It is shown that no underlying back unrounded vowels are needed to account for vowel harmony, and that there are no exceptions to vowel harmony in Hungarian. Based on the Hungarian evidence two specific modifications are suggested to Kiparsky's proposal: the rules of vowel harmony should be iterative, and the gravity harmony rule should be a rule.

Chapter II is concerned with the traditional (structural) classification of Hungarian nouns, with the problem of connecting vowels, and with the non-traditional noun classes. The eight morphological classes of the so-called irregular, alternating noun stems are replaced by one regular phonological class. It is shown that the irregular classes were due to the improper change of the underlying representation, and that in fact there are no morphological noun classes in Hungarian.

Chapter III is concerned with suffixes, and Chapter IV examines the functional unity and psychological reality of the rules suggested in the preceeding chapters. It identifies a gap in the theory regarding the collapsing of closely related rules. It establishes that there is a conspiracy concerning stem final vowels in open syllables. This is manifested by the fact that seemingly unrelated rules all function alike, in that they insure the presence of the proper vowel in that position. It is also pointed out that within the ordered set of rules there are natural breaks forming "independent blocks," each block concerning only one other phonological class. The open syllable conspiracy is intimately tied to the status of long vowels in stem final position. In the last part of the chapter an explanation is offered for the interesting fact that, although the length of stem final vowel is predictable (except for a: and e:), it has to be specified very early in the grammar, before any of the P-rules applies.

(*) Most of the abstracts are based on those published in Dissertation Abstracts international. Microfilm and Xerox copies of the original full dissertations may be obtained from Xerox University Microfilm, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106, when not indicated otherwise. When ordering, use order number given after each entry.

DISSEríTATIONS (Continued)

Fischer, Paul S. (City U. of New York, 1972.) "Transfer of Manpower from Agriculture in Hungary: 1949-1963." 149

pages. Microfilm and xerox order no. 72-13,461.*

Fischer examines the process of off-farm migration in a command-type economy, i.e., the roles that collectivization, manpower planning, the availability of employment in the non farm sector and other variables played in transferring labor out of agriculture.

A two-sector model, of the Fei-Ranis type, provided the general framework within which the thesis had been worked out. The decision to use this type of model was dictated by the fact that Hungary was thought to have had labor surplus in agriculture. The policymakers regarded their country as having an abundance of cheap labor in agriculture and believed that the farm sector could release the needed manpower for industrialization without a loss in farm output. Fischer shows

that there was actually no surplus labor in agriculture within the institutional setup. The attempt to collectivize agriculture and the continued diversion of labor into industry caused difficulties which continued to plague the Hungarian economy throughout the entire period.

The dissertation makes a distinction between migration of young single persons and that of married men with dependents. Migration of the former group, by far the largest, was encouraged by the fact that the urban wage rate was above their per capita consumption in the village; migration of the latter group was encouraged by the collectivization drive.

The principal conclusion of the thesis is that the "collectivization push" of th<? farm sector and the "employment pull" of the non-farm sector were the two crucial variables explaining the manpower transfer, but operating with somewhat differing importance during the years of this study.

Searing, Marjory E. (Georgtown U., 1972) "Education and its Contribution to Economic Growth under Socialism: The Experience in Hungary and Poland." 320 pages. Microfilm and xerox order no. 72-32,813.*

Searing studied the investment in human capital through formal education in each of the countries over the past decades, and estimated the level of formal education attained by both the total and the economically active populations. She examined the expenditures on education and the magnitude of the educational effort undertaken in each country by relating the total real resource cost of education to its gross output adjusted to correspond to the U.S. concept of gross national product. The total investment in human capital developed through formal education at replacement cost was derived and compared with gross physical capital formation over the same years, and finally, she estimated the contribution of formal education to economic growth.

Seme of the findings: (1) The valuation of physical plant relative to current educational cost in the U.S. is less than in Hungary and Poland. (2) The proportion of the real resource cost of education represented by income foregone by students is significantly less in each of these countries than indicated in other studies for the U.S. (3) Total real resource costs of education in both countries represent about five percent of their gross national product. (4) The contribution of increases in educational attainment at levels above primary education to economic growth has become increasingly significant over the past 20 years. The magnitude of the contribution, however, depends on the sensitivity of relative wages to changes in the distribution of the labor force by level of education. (5) The contribution of the physical growth of the labor forces with the impact of education above the minimum level removed, was substantial throughout the period in both countries. (6) The contribution of the growth of the physical capital stock has been larger than the labor force factors combined and has increased significantly during the past 20 years. (7) In both countries, the residual has become much smaller over the period of the review.

The main conclusion of the study relates to the emphasis placed on educational development in Hungary and Poland since World War II. By increasing the formal educational attainment levels of the labor force, economic growth was significantly assisted.

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