Á. Birtalan (ed.).: Bálint of Szentkatolna, Gábor: A Romanized Grammar of the East- and West-Mongolian Languages (Budapest Oriental Reprints, Ser. B 3.)

Introduction - The fate of Bálint's texts

basis of Schmidt's publication written originally in Uigur Mongolian script.

3

6 "'During 155 days I did nothing else than writing down phonetically all things my lama or other persons called by him to me were able to dictate to me. I read the whole fable of Geser Khan with my lama and transcribed it in the spoken language. I must remark that my lama was no literátor [sic!] but cleaverer [sic!] and more experienced than many of the learned ones.".

3 As among the Kalmyks he was interested in collecting folk songs, in his Report he remarked with lenient irony that his lama teacher started to create song himself and that was why he looked for other informants (e. g. LusTn Dorj, in his transcription Lusin Dords) to record folk songs.

3

8 Bálint intended to collect language material from the Chakhar (Caxar) merchants in Urgha and although he was not able to record folklore texts, he could compare the phonemic systems of the Khalkha and Chakhar languages.

3

9 In Urgha he also decided to learn some spoken Manchu from a nobleman, called Nayintai (in Bálint's transcription Nainté)

4

0 The result of his research among the Khalkhas is a voluminous manuscript of Khalkha folklore materials and sample texts of the vernacular language.

4

1 Many of his texts represent probably a Western Khalkha dialect - as György Kara determined in his study devoted to the brief survey of the unedited texts of Bálint.

4

2 THE FATE OF BÁLINT'S TEXTS Unlike the Kazan Tatar materials, Bálint did not publish systematised scholarly outcomes from his Mongolian field records. He published only a few sample texts in various journals and in his Report. The Grammar, the systematised description of two Mongolian languages (Kalmyk and Khalkha) and numerous texts of its additional chrestomathies (cf. below the content of the Chrestomathies) have been translated into English, but they were not published. The Grammar can be considered a complete manuscript set up for publication, containing merely mistakes, errors that can easily be corrected during the publishing process. Due to the lack of the necessary sources it is hard to explain now why it was put aside. Bálint's desire to make the international scholarly public and also the larger one acquainted with his unique innovation cannot be questioned; otherwise he would not have written his work in English. Bálint's letter reporting about his Mongolian texts and confirming that he will finish their preparation for publication within a short time, is kept in the Department of Manuscripts and Rare 3

6 Smidt, I. Ja.: Podvigi ispolnennago zaslug geroja Bogdy Gesser Hana, istrebitelja desjati zol v desjati stranah

; gerojskoe predanie mongolov, s napecatannago v Pekine ekzemplara. S. Peterburg, Imperatorskaja Akademija Nauk 1836; Schmidt, I. J.: Die Thaten Bogda Gesser Chan's, des Vertügers der Wurzel der zehn Obel in den zehn Gegenden. Eine ostasiatische Heldensage. St. Petersburg, W. Graff- Leipzig, Leopold Voss 1839. Cf. Preface to the Grammar pp. IV, VIII (pp. 5, 9). 3

7 Preface to the Grammar, p. IV (p. 5). 3

8 Bálint Gábor jelentése, p. 14 (cf. Kara: Bálint Gábor keleti levelei.). 3

9 Bálint Gábor jelentése, pp. 15-16 (cf. Kara: Bálint Gábor keleti levelei.). The Caxar (Mong. Caqar) language belongs to the South-Mongolian (Inner-Mongolian) languages, the Inner-Mongolian standardised language is based on it; cf. Sechenbaatar, Borjigin: The Chakhar Dialect of Mongol. A Morphological Description. (Suomalais-Ugrilaisen Seuran Toimituksia. Mémoires de la Société Finno-Ougrienne 243). Helsinki, The Finno-Ugrian Society 2003. 4

0 Bálint Gábor jelentése, p. 16 (cf. Kara: Bálint Gábor keleti levelei.). Preface to the Grammar, p. IV (p. 5). 4

1 A detailed list of the content cf. Kara: O neizdannyh mongol 'skih tekstah G. Balinta. p. 162. 4

2 Kara: O neizdannyh mongol'skih tekstah G. Balinta. p. 163. XV