More Amazing Versatility of the Hungarian Language: Nyakas a Parasztgazda by Kárpátia

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(Edited)

It's another Monday, so why not continue with another Monday Music post, tying right into my last one about the amazing things Hungarian is capable of. For those who don't bother clicking on the link, it was about a song that only used one single consonant in each of its verses, which nevertheless created coherent and humorous lyrics. I didn't think I would write a continuation, but thanks to a fellow Hungarian reader (köszi, @fairyberry ! 😜) I was introduced to another song that uses only one vowel in each of its verses. Once again, it is the nationalist rock band Kárpátia, with the song Nyakas a parasztgazda, which can be translated into The peasant farmer is stubborn.


image source

Give It a Try!

First of all, I would recommend you to listen to the song, and make sure that I didn't promise too much. Unfortunately this time there are no cool cartoons illustrating the song, only the words... in Hungarian! So even if you don't understand the meaning (until you scroll down to my translation), you will see that indeed there is only one vowel used in each verse. First the A, followed by the E, the I, and finally the O. And yes, for those who have not been outside the English language environment: the vowels may not be pronounced like you'd expect them to, and the A is an ah rather than an aye. Nevertheless, they are uniform and consistent. Right? Good.

So What About the Meaning?

Just like in the consonant song, the words are carefully chosen, so the meaning is obviously adjusted to the availability of words with only one consonant. Still, the final result is intelligible and somewhat humorous (sometimes). So let's see what we got:

First Verse with A:

The peasant farmer is stubborn, he's the unrefined type. He laughs under his drooping mustache when the flask is bulging (full of liquor). Oh dear! Under the window he breaks into song, and keeps going without a break. When the drawstring of his pants is loose he just wears a hat.

Is this the description of a typical rural Hungarian? I won't confirm, nor deny it! Instead, let's continue with the second verse.

Second Verse with E:

A young woman is milking a cow, wearing a light linen blouse. But her blouse became undone and her breasts got uncovered. Oh wow! She got a little embarrassed about this for a minute, of course this was her loss. A handsome young man saw her and immediately wrestled her down.

Hmmm... let's just say it was love at first sight and they both ended up together happily ever after. Moving on to the next verse.

Third Verse with I:

He drinks a little, and that's how he sets out riding his bike. Sure enough, they catch him and take him straight to the jail of Nyírpilis (town). He's crying and moaning: There is no small latch and no handcuff that a civilian can open. Is it proper to take such a tiny naughtiness full on to prison?

For anyone who has driven in rural Hungary, especially at night after the bars close, this scene will feel pretty familiar. And for those who haven't: yes, it is indeed possible to ride a bike when drunk as a skunk. Next verse!

Last Verse with O:

A constantly voracious Slovak tinker is tasting some crunchy fried ram meat. Now lots of cheap buttons are falling due to (the pressure from) such a serious stomach. Look at that! He's greedily gulping down good wine cascading from an ancient barrel. Doctor, now is the time to be responsible for getting a decent casket.

I guess this is my favorite verse, simply for the well fitting sounds and meanings, something I could never possibly dream of translating into any other languages.

What About the Other Vowels?

If you've read my post about the other song you may remember how I mentioned that there are 14 vowels in Hungarian. So how come they only used four here? To be fair, I have to admit that in this song they combined the short and long forms of each of the four vowels A, E, I, and O. (Otherwise I couldn't possibly imagine it at all, not even in Hungarian.) This leaves us with the long and short forms of the U, and the Ö and Ü which are very similar to the Umlauts in German. Though after seeing all these other amazing verses Kárpátia came up with, I'm fairly certain that they didn't leave them out by mistake. I just suppose these vowels are not too common.

No More Contest, Just Enjoy the Song!

Last time I challenged you guys to send me similar feats of other languages. If you happen to have something cool to share, please put it into a comment. If I really like it I may actually reward you with the 5 HBD I was hoping to send out in the last challenge. Otherwise, just lean back and listen to the folky-rocky tune with these weird sounding lyrics! And if you haven't done so yet, take a look at the Kontár dal, a more audiovisual experience, focusing on consonants!



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8 comments
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That's a fun idea to do a song. The consonant song was especially funny 😂

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Awesome, @celestal ! I'm glad you liked it. But now please tell me, I'm really curious: Is something like this possible in the Finnish language? Is there maybe a similar song or verse you might know? I don't know anything about it, except for that it's also Finno-Ugric, so I'm having high hopes!
!PIZZA

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(Edited)

Is something like this possible in the Finnish language? Is there maybe a similar song or verse you might know?

I can't recall any song, but we have some riddles like:

Person A: Kokoo koko kokko kokoon!
Person B: Koko kokkoko kokoon?
Person A: Koko kokko kokoon.

In English:

Person A: Gather up a full bonfire!
Person B: A full bonfire?
Person A: A full bonfire.

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Beautiful! This is exactly what I'm talking about!

What I don't understand though, is how the answer to the riddle is a question. Or is the question just repeating the first statement, to which person A responds with the same words?

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So person A commands person B to gather a bonfire. Person B ensures "a full bonfire?" Person A then confirms that person B heard it right.

Hope that makes sense.

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