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 Grammar
The chapter on morphology contains nominal and verbal morphology, adverbs, so-called conjunctions, interjections, and word-formation. The nominal morphology is very detailed and follows in many respects the traditional grammars of written Mongolian languages. Comparing the examples of the Grammar with Bobrovnikov's, one realizes that Bálint took over some words and declensional paradigms. Bálint's innovation is, for instance, in the discussion of the plural. While Bobrovnikov systematizes the phenomena according to the word ending sounds, Bálint's classification is based upon the enumeration of the morphemes. The nominal declension is very detailed, encompassing written Mongolian and also Buryat material parallel to the Khalkha and Oirat (= Kalmyk) paradigms. Bálint offers declensional paradigms (cases) classified by nominal endings, as it is usually demonstrated in other grammars (omitting the cases of Vocative and Directive). A subchapter is devoted to the so called "particular case signs", in which he discusses the case suffixes used only limitedly in Mongolian dialects (his explanation includes some endings that are not real case suffixes), and touches upon combined suffixation (double declension Gen. + Dat., Abi.; Dat. + Abi. etc.). The reflexive suffixation is examined in detail besides the use of the possessive pronouns (Bálint called this latter "demonstrative declension", and listed only the Sg.3. forms). The suffixation of the lexemes with adjectival meaning is demonstrated quite accurately and in detail, especially the suffixes bearing - among others - diminutive meaning. Discussing the adjectival comparison, Bálint specifies the differences between Khalkha and Oirat (= Kalmyk). Concerning the superlative there are numerous words which do not mean "the most ...", but "very", and the most frequently used form for the superlative, xamgin (Khalkha and Oirat, cf. Mong. qamuy-un) "the most ..." (lit. "... of all"), is not included among his examples. The following categories and paradigms of pronouns are listed by Bálint: personal (the inclusive and exclusive forms explained in detail), possessive, demonstrative, interrogative, reflexive and indefinite. The pronouns are followed by the numerals (cardinal, ordinal, distributive, collective, multiplying, fractional numbers), where he gives also Chakhar examples and tries to etymologise the origin of particular designations of numbers. A list of postpositions is added to the nominal declension (the East-Mongolian forms are discussed separately). A bulky chapter is devoted to verbal morphology. In some instances, the enumeration of the morphemes differs from the later classification used today as well (cf. below). The transitive and intransitive nature of the verbs is revealed first, and then the following categories are demonstrated: causative, cooperative (reciprocal), iterative, passive, inchoative and inceptive (aspect of quick action). It is remarkable, that the cooperative infix -cgä (Khalkha and Oirat) is discussed as an Oirat phenomenon, though it is productive even today in Khalkha. Verbal nouns and gerunds (also verbal adverbs in present-day use) are represented in detail, but some gerundial categories, as the conditional and concessive are put into the category of mood (conditional mood, concessive mood). Hereafter the moods of various imperatives (optative, prescriptive, etc.) are listed. 8 7 A good reference material is offered in the subchapter of Auxiliary verbs and the Compound tenses with the substantive verbs. At the end of the verbal morphology, useful comprehensive lists of the tenses and moods are demonstrated. It is striking, however, that Bálint avoided offering a subchapter on the characteristic personal endings of Oirat/Kalmyk. It appears only in passing, e. g. in the "interrogative conjugation". The chapters devoted to the syntax of Khalkha and Kalmyk deal with sentence types and morphosyntax. 8 5 The morpheme bearing the meaning of dubitative (Mong. -yujaiZ-giijei) is called dubitative future tense and is wrongly identified with the Khalkha -x bij (nomen futuri + particle of certainty). XXIII
