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HUNGARIAN-ENGLISH LINGUISTIC CONTRASTS. A PRACTICAL APPROACH
In addition to specific and generic reference, a(n) may have unspecific reference.
In the case of unspecific reference the noun phrase does not refer to a particu¬
lar thing or person, but to any member of a class of things or persons. This is
similar to generic reference (see below), but it is not quite the same. Compare:
I have a steady girl.
I need a steady girl.
When a(n) is used in a generic sense (generic reference), we talk about things
or persons in general. In this case, the article indicates that the noun may
refer to any member of the class:
A cat has nine lives.
A fairy story is a story that prepares children to read newspapers.
A plough is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil.
The indefinite article is also used in a weakened numerical meaning. This is
matched by a similar use of the Hungarian indefinite article:
Egy fillérem sincs. — I haven't got a penny.
While English and Hungarian are congruent with respect to the specific meaning
of their indefinite articles, they are divergent with respect to generic meaning:
A horse is a beautiful animal. — "Egy ló szép állat.
The English indefinite article regularly corresponds to the Hungarian definite
article in definitions or in noun phrases where the endorsing item olyan is
used:
A horse is an animal that has four legs. — A ló olyan állat, amelynek négy
lába van.
The only solution is an agreement that - Az egyetlen megoldas olyan
is accepted by all those concerned. egyezmeny, amelyet minden
erdekelt fel elfogad.
It is important to note that countable nouns very rarely occur in the singular
in English without an article: they are used with either the definite or the in¬
definite article. If there is no article in Hungarian, we must decide which ar¬
ticle to use:
Elment rendőrt keresni, — He went to look for a policeman.
Villával egyél. — Eat with a fork.
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