Birtalan Ágnes: Kalmyk Folklore and Folk Culture in the Mid-19th Century: Philological Studies on the Basis of Gábor Bálint of Szentkatolna’s Kalmyk Texts.

KALMYK VERNACULAR AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE

trouble, in health, thanks to the benevolent Buddha's protection. 1 reverently greet all of you and [let you know that] I have become accustomed to my studies properly.

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4' My very benevolent mother and father, this is further information

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4 concerning you: please remember that I will definitely come after a month.

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5 The reason is that in seven-eight days 1 take my exam

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6 and return [home]. Further, I am distressed by my elder brother Nadbid."

7 Concerning its reason, he was here in the city I live in and he was trading here, [but] he has not visited my study place to meet me. [173] I have heard about it from others. Give my greetings to my elder sister, Bayaskhalang,

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8 my elder brother Nadbid and my younger brother (?) Naran.

149 Me, your faithful

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0 and humble son Badma wrote it. On the first day of the dog month (= August) of this metal ape year. TO [MY] FAITHFUL SON MlJSHKA (Bálint Itegeltä ür Muskadu

, Kalm. Itglt iir Muskäd) 15

1 [174] I am very happy to hear from your letter written to me that you are in health without trouble and fulfil your deeds properly

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2 thanks to the protection of the defending high Buddha and the three precious treasures.

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5' Well, as for me, I also live in health without trouble fulfilling my deeds. Herewith I kindly ask you to forgive me, my faithful son, for my failure. The reason is that I was about to write you, but I was suffering with malaria (Bálint beregär)

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4 and I was not able to write you a letter. Now I am looking forward to your visiting me until spring whatever happens. Well, being in good health, let us talk when meeting personally. Here in my town there isn't any special

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5" news to inform you of. TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE TRIBE ERKETEN (Bálint Erketen nutugin parbalengdü (parablendii)f' Huiusdem Traibus [?] Gentis (seu Curiae) Kharnüt dictae curioni Sangghadsh (fdio) Neke-s subditi Otschir-is (filii) Zambae 14

1 Bálint dasaxu zöbtä nomän dasaji, read Kalm dasx zöwtä nomdän (dative), instead of nomän (accusative). 14

4 Bálint ün 7 daru künükci min 7; the lexeme künükci is not identified yet. 14

5 Bálint nege saräsu. Kalm. neg saräs 14

6 Bálint sülgegän, Kalm. sülgn "Examen" (R. 372). 14

7 Bálint Nadbid. Kalm. Nadwid or Nadmid (?) male proper name; the Letter Nr. 85. is addressed to a certain Nadmid (Krueger Rozyczki - Service; An Oiral-scripl Collection of Letters, p. 134). 14

8 Bálint Bayasxalang, Kalm. Baysglng "Joy" male and female proper name. 14

9 Bálint dü Naran "Sun" can indicate both male and female person. According to Basangova (BordZanova) here a brother is referred. 15

0 Bálint tan 7 ügär boldok, Kalm tani ügär boldg lit. "being according to your saying". 15

1 Manuscript p. 174, Kalm. Itgltä ür Muskd. 15

2 Bálint däxu zöbtä üilän. Kalm. däx here "to carry out". 1,

3 Bálint yurban erdeni, Kalm yurwn erdn', cf. Skr. triratna: Buddha, Dharma and the Samgha, Mong. yurban erdeni (Burqan, Nom, Quwaray). 15

4 Bálint beregär

, Kalm. cf. bezgeg "Fieber. Malaria" (R 43), bezg "malarija, lihoradka" (Mun. 93). The Danish Physician accurately enumerated the illnesses he was faced with during his stay among the Kalmyks, but malaria is not mentioned, not even among the rare maladies. Kaarsberg, Hans S Dr.: Among the Kalmyks of the Steppes on Horseback and by Troika. A Journey Made in 1890. Transl. and ed. Krueger, John R. with the collaboration of Dr. Arash Bormanshinov (Publications of the Mongolia Society. Occasional Papers Nr. 19) Bloomington, Indiana 1996 pp 1

11-117„ Bálint säin zänggi, Kalm. sän zäng. lit. "good news". ,

5'' Manuscript p. 175, Grammar pp. 202-203, Kalm. Erktn nutgin parwlengd (?). There are only minor differences between the two variants, e. g. in marking the genitive case in the text of the Grammar and in writing some names, cf. below in the footnotes. The expression parbaleng. parablen(g) is rightly explained by Lajos Gy. Nagy that it is a Russian loanword: pravlenije "administration, administrative governance" Nagy, Louis J.: A Russian Loanword in Kalmuck. In. Etudes Slaves et Roumaines I. (1948) pp 48^49 33