Idioms and proverbs in the letter addressed to Gedeon Bohógyi in Felelet a Mondolatra

Abstract

The study shows that one part of Felelet a Mondolatra (written by Ferenc Kölcsey and Pál Szemere), a fictional letter addressed to Gedeon Bohógyi, is a parodic cento. The authors used András Dugonics’ novel Etelka, borrowing numerous phrases from it. In some places, they use longer passages, even several sentences from a single page, and reproduce them almost unchanged, while in others they string together half-sentences or longer phrases from different pages of the novel, skillfully shaping their structure. The study analyzes individual parts of the letter separately, showing which parts of Etelka were used by the authors of the letter, how they changed them, and also discusses the meaning of the contemporary idioms and proverbs used. It points out several spelling mistakes in the printed text and reveals the reasons behind the strong use of ö-ing in the text, as well as several incorrect forms of ö-ing, which are probably mistakes resulting from the lack of competence of the authors who did not speak the dialect with ö, or possibly intentional exaggerations.