The Eighth Tribe, 1979 (6. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1979-11-01 / 11. szám
November, 1979 THE EIGHTH TRIBE Page 9 with the number of languages and the number of words considered. Unless my argumentation can be proven erroneus there should be no question about the existence of a relationship between these nine and some other languages. It is apparent that the authors of the references in table I, and a number of others, have actually discovered that all our major language families had but one primary source. In spite of their divergent interpretations, some of which may have been dictated by contemporary beliefs in isolated language families or by other fashionable notions.? Dolgopolski’s probability calculations are much more sophisticated than the simple card exercise. He has incorporated in the calculations a number of linguistic parameters. In his 1964 publication he considered a 15-words, carefully selected vocabulary and several dozen languages from different families. He demonstrated, with a sequence of probability calculations, that almost all languages are related and cauld have developed from a single primitive prototype. He found that the correspondance between Finn-ugorian and Altaic languages is the highest among all pairs of unrelated languages. Between Finn-ugorian and Sumerian the correspondance is much lower, although it is still above the accidental level. Of course, it is inherently difficult to compare living languages with a dead, archaic tongue. The available vocabularies of Sumerian are incomplete and contain many debatable entries. If he would have considered a few more Sumerian words .(like biz, sag, halalu) or would have made some allowance for the lack of availability of some Sumerian words (like nail, louse) the level of the Finn-ugorian- Sumerian correspondance could have been raised to the level of the others. Never the less he did a remarkable job and the extension of his programs may lead to the understanding of the true geneology of languages. We would do better to recognize that the correspondance between Hungarian and other Finnugorian languages, and other languages is more extensive than mere accidental, and that our linguists should start working on a positive explanation of these observations. Otherwise amateurs will do their jobs and some of them will, as they did in the past, make fantastic interpretations or religious extrapolations. On the other hand, it is a historical fact that several revolutionary discoveries in linguistics were introduced by former amateurs. Tibor Zoltai, Professor Dept, of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE JOHN CALVIN MAGYAR REFORMED CHURCH PERTH AMBOY, NEW JERSEY SEPTEMBER 23-29, 1979 n Ü The golden jubilee of their June 16, 1929 organizational date was observed on the above mentioned two occasions as well as throughout this significant year. At the combined English-Hungarian services held on September 23, the Reverend Dr. Francis Vitéz spoke before a congregation of about 120 on: “Remember” (Emlékezzetek) regarding the past accomplishments of parents, relatives, friends, and acquaintances; as immigrants from Hungary and/or surrounding regions, some of them, having resettled in this area of the so-called “new world,” began the changed phases in their lives by establishing new roots and associations for their families and communities. This occasion marked a tribute to a half century’s work and contributions. A newlyprepared Hungarian flag was dedicated during part of the ceremony. Embroidery on the fringed tri-color was donated by Mrs. Jennie Drotar, and the coat of arms in its center was embroidered by Mrs. Elizabeth Orvos. The J.C.M.R.C.’s charter members of living history, then and now, include: Mrs. Elizabeth Adam, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Balint, Mrs. Mary Bereczki, Mrs. Anna Danes, Mrs. Esther Jakab, Mrs. Lydia Kovács,
