Á. Birtalan (ed.).: Bálint of Szentkatolna, Gábor: A Romanized Grammar of the East- and West-Mongolian Languages (Budapest Oriental Reprints, Ser. B 3.)
Introduction - Fieldwork among the Mongols
and to travel through Siberia into Innermost Asia to the Mongols shows up from his lines." In one of his letters Bálint tried to assert that it was not necessary to travel to the Mongols living in Mongolia, as his main task was to study the Mongolian and Ugrian languages further in Saint Petersburg 2 7 and going back to Hungary "to introduce the Kalmyk folk tongue in German language." 2 8 Towards the end of his letter he made his plans not to visit the Khalkha Mongols even more obvious, claiming that to have a concept about the Mongolian language his Kalmyk field work (as materials about the spoken tongue) and the dictionary of O. Kovalevskij (J. É. Kowalewski) 2 9 were enough, therefore it was not necessary to travel to the Mongols. He was unconvinced concerning the result of his journey as well: "Even if I were able to finish the journey successfully, what could be its outcome? A few folk songs and folk tales. I have collected such ones in the Kalmyk language." 3 0 Nevertheless he changed his mind and in his letter of 5 September 1872 he reported to Fogarasi the following: "I look forward to every day that I have to see the Chinese Mongols with my eyes." 3 1 After long preparations with the support of the Hungarian Academy and János Fogarasi's generous help, 3 2 Bálint continued his journey on 20 February 1873 3 3 in order to study the language(s) of the Eastern Mongols, primarily the Khalkhas. After a long sledge journey through Russia he arrived in Urgha (Mong. Yeke Kiiriyen, today Ulänbätar) in April 1873. We learn from his Report that he changed his field work method he had followed among the Tartars and the Kalmyks and did not search for an educational institution in the capital city of Mongolia. He based his work mainly on one person; his language tutor, and his main informant was a forty-five-year-old lama Yondonjamc (in Bálint's transcription Yanden Dsamcza) "... a Khara 3 4 lama (a Mongolian married clergyman), who had wandered in several parts of Mongolia ..." 3 5 First Bálint recorded from him words and later sentences. Owing to the Kalmyk language he was able to learn the Khalkha vernacular easily and started to collect folklore materials. He started with transcribing a Geser epic variant into spoken Khalkha on the 2 6 Cf. the letters written to Fogarasi after his arrival in Saint Petersburg. 17 June 1872 and 16 July 1872 (cf. Kara: Bálint Gábor keleti levelei.). 2 7 Cf. "Az én itteni teendőm a mongol nyelv tovább tanulmányozása és az ugorsággal való ismerkedés." In: Akadémiai Értesítő VI. p. 209 (cf. Kara: Bálint Gábor keleti levelei.). 2 8 "Visszatértem után pedig a khalymik népnyelvet kell megismertetnem német nyelven." In: Akadémiai Értesítő VI. p 209 (cf. Kara: Bálint Gábor keleti levelei.). 2 9 Kovalevskij, O. / Kowalewski, J. É.: Mongol'sko-russkij-francuzskij slovar'. Dictionnaire mongol-russe-frangais. I III. Kazan'/Kazan 1844-1849. (reprinted: Taipei, SMC Publishing Inc. 1993). 3 0 "Föltéve, hogy szerencsésen bevégzném az utat, mi lehetne eredménye? Néhány népdal és népmese. Ezt gyűjtöttem khalymik nyelven." Akadémiai Értesítő VI. p. 210 (cf. Kara: Bálint Gábor keleti levelei.). 3 1 "Mindennap tapasztalom, hogy a sinai mongolokat saját szememmel kell megnéznem." [Bálint Gábor levele Fogarasi Jánoshoz 1872. szeptember 5.] In: Akadémiai Értesítő VI. (1872) pp 211-212, [Gábor Bálint's letter to János Fogarasi 5 September 1872. In: Proceedings of the Academy] on p. 211 (cf. Kara: Bálint Gábor keleti levelei.). 3 2 Bálint permanently refers to his financial status in letters written to Fogarasi, reports about his outgoings. Cf. Kara: Bálint Gábor keleti levelei. The Department of Manuscripts and Rare Books of the LHAS keeps several letters and memoranda concerning Bálint's financial support. A good example is the letter written by János Fogarasi and signed by Armin Vámbéry and Áron Szilády, too, explaining the expected results of Bálint's journey (shelf Nr. RAL 1301/1870; 1315/870). Fogarasi recommended to other members of the Academy Bálint's efficiency and enthusiasm and emphasised the importance of studying the living languages, the spoken dialects besides the literary language. Fogarasi suggested in his letter that the starting point of the study trip should be the Kazan University and the journey should be continued to Urgha, the Mongolian capital. Besides this letter there are numerous documents attesting that some of the academicians took an interest in Bálint's journey and expected scholarly result from his field work. 3 3 Cf. also the Preface to the Grammar, p. Ill (p. 4). 3 4 Mong. qar-a, Khalkha xar "black, laic, lay". 3 5 Preface to the Grammar, p. IV (p. 5). XIV
