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
ADDRESSING OF LETTERS Private letter (to family members) Samples from other collections Private letter (to a friend) Aciyeketä éji äba xoyortu, Kalm. Ac ikt éj äw xoyrt "To [my] very benevolent mother and father" Itegeltä fir Muskadu, Kalm. It git iir Muskäd "To [my] faithful son Muchka" Official letter itegeltei inaq simedtii "To my dear friend Schmidt" (Herrnhut p. 11.) Mini onca itegeltei inaq mini sarabta balyasuni labkiyin zalu simed "My specially faithful friend, Schmidt the Shopkeeper in Sarepta city" (Herrnhut p. 77.) Erketen nutugln parbalengdü (parablendü) "To the administration of the tribe Erketen " Xosüt nutugln parbalendii "To the administration of the tribe Khoshuut" The address to the recipient in private letters is follov in Buddhist style Occasionally there is thanksgiving 1 Private letter (to family-members) yed immediately by greeting and wishing good health or a previous letter or some other goods sent. Private letter (to a friend) I was so happy getting the letter sent by post to learn that all of you live in peace and calm without any trouble thanks to the benevolent Buddha's protection, and receiving the ten Rubbles. It was as if a poor man had found an inexhaustible treasury mine. As for me, I also live without any 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. A further example of Buddhist-style good-wishes addressee's and the sender's health). Private letter (to family members) burxan tenggeriyin ibelér cuyär mendüsen bayiqsanitan morin sarayin arban dolöndu biciqsenten üzéd sedkel mani yekedii bayasabi. bida cigi mendii bayinai biden (Herrnhut p. 11.) "Our spirits greatly rejoiced having learned from your letter written on the seventeenth of the HorseMonth that, through the grace of God and Heaven all you have been in good health. We also are well." (Herrnhut p. 12.) (thanking the Buddhas for the protection of the Official letter I was so happy getting the letter sent by post 18 3 to learn that all of you live in peace and calm without any trouble thanks to the benevolent Buddha's protection, and receiving the ten Rubbles. It was as if a poor man had found an inexhaustible treasury 18 5 Bálint postarar biciksen bicigäsü, Kalm. postär bicsn bicges, probably misspelling of post + -är (instrumental). burxani xayirär yeke örsöltü dédü ezeni xayiran-du kiirteji züra xäluyadu cilal iigei mendii amar irebü ta. ende bi cigi dédü ezeni örsöl xayirär mendii bayiba (Ubaäi p. 32.) "Po blagoslaveniju boga ot vsemilostivejsija lit. "by the letter the letter written by post", the form postarar is 36
