Talk:-lék

Etymology

Pinging @Adam78 and @Panda10 as the two active Hungarian editors that I'm aware of:

Curious about the statement in the Etymology section that the initial -l is the verb-forming suffix -l, given that 1) that suffix apparently only attaches "to a noun, an adjective or less frequently to an adverb", whereas the -lék suffix attaches to verbs; and 2) I can't seem to find any evidence of Hungarian verbs like adal or toldal or függel, etc. that might represent [VERB] + -l without the additional -ék part.

All of the -[a|e|∅]lék nouns I've looked at appear to be the passive object of the action of the verb. This roughly fits for the resultative definition given at -ék, with an additional passive sense. Consider:

• moslék: that which is washed away → scraps off the plates → leftover food used for swill as feed for pigs, etc.
• toldalék: that which is added / spliced onto something else → an addition
• tartalék: that which is kept back → a reserve, a spare
• töltelék: that which is stuffed (as the object, not the destination) → stuffing
• főzelék: that which is cooked → the common Hungarian vegetable stew

I think this -l piece must be something other than just a verb-forming suffix. Is there some other meaning inherent to this suffix than just [make this word a verb]? Or might there be a second etymology for this -l, some other derivation and function? ‑‑ Eiríkr Útlendi │^{Tala við mig} 21:57, 16 April 2024 (UTC)

@Eirikr Thank you for the question. I've expanded the entry of -l with verbs. These derivations are mostly obsolete, but one can still distinguish between three semantic types. You can find more information both on -lék and -l in the source linked from {{R:Zaicz 2006}} (p. 434 and p. 421). The source available from {{R:UESz}} is more comprehensive but it doesn’t have entries on suffixes as such. Adam78 (talk) 16:15, 17 April 2024 (UTC)

@Eirikr, Adam78 There is an entry for -lék in the old Czuczor-Fogarasi dictionary. It says it's a compound suffix from le and ék. I have a hard time understanding it. Adam, I hope it makes more sense to you. Panda10 (talk) 16:22, 17 April 2024 (UTC)