deciphering Armenian and other...
i've found and interesting monument in Budapest [18 arr., Szervet tér, near the Unitarian church of Pestszentlőrincz] - it has inscriptions in 14 languages spoken in Hungary [Hungarian, Bulgarian, "Gipsy" (Roma), Greek, Croatian, Polish, German, Armenian, Romanian, Ruthenian, Slovak, Slovenian, Serbian and Ukrainian]. i'm wondering, why there is Polish but no Yiddish... well, whatever.
ETA: according to Wikipedia, in Hungary Jews are not recognized as an ethnical/national minority, only as a religious one.
it's an excerpt from Saint Stephen's admonitions to his son Emeric, saying that a state of only one language and of only one custom [tradition/habit] is weak and unstable. this quote is from the 11th century.
i think it could be of your interest, especially after "the day of mother tongue", which was earlier this week.
i've deciphered almost everything, but i'm not sure about the Greek and Armenian, especially i'm not sure if the spaces were placed correctly, because there were some typographical mistakes in languages i'm familiar with, like misplaced spaces between words.
so, if you know Armenian or Greek, please correct me.
here are the inscriptions:
more pictures: share.ovi.com/channel/varpho.2009-02?page=20 [it's this high column]
Bulgarian: аковедна дьржава има едноезчие и еднообразие на обичайте таз и дьржавае слаба и уязвима.
Roma: ke a jekha sibako, thaj jekha krisako them kóvloj, thaj hxasarimaskoj.
Greek: Η ΧΩΡΑ ΠΟΥ ΕΧΕΙ ΜΙΑ ΓΛΩΣΣΑ ΕΝΑΝ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΟ ΚΑΙ ΜΙΑ ΣΥΝΗΘΕΙΑ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΑΔΥΝΑΤΗ ΚΑΙ ΑΝΥΠΕΡΑΣΠΙΣΤΗ. - thanks!
Croatian: jer jednojezična država i država s istim običajima je krhka i slaba. - thanks
Polish: bo kraj gdzie mowa jedna tylko i obyczaj niema sił y wzlotu.
German: denn ein Land das eine Sprache und Sitte hat ist schwach und gebrechlich.
Armenian: ԲԱԶՈԻՄ ԼԵԶՈԻՆԵՐ ԵՒ ՍՈՎՈՐՈՒՅԹՆԵՐ ԳՐԱՎԱԿԱԿԸ ՀԱՐՈԻՍՏ ՈԻ ՀԱՍՏԱՏՈԻՆ ԵՐԿՐԻ.
Romanian: pentru că ţara cu o singură limbă şi tradiţie este slabă şi necesită sprijin. - thanks!
Ruthenian: бо без силы устоя народ, котрый эдиноязичный.
Serbian: jедноjезична држава са само jедним обичаjима слаба jе раньива. - thanks!
Slovak: ved královstvo jediného jazyka a jediného mravu je slabe a krehké.
Slovenian: kajti samo s svojim jezikom in svojimi navadami je država šibka in nebogljena.
Ukrainian: тому що одномовна та однозвична країна э слабою та неспроможньою.
Hungarian: mert az egy nyelvű és egy szokású ország gyenge és esendő.
of course if you find mistakes in other language versions, feel free to correct them, too. :) thank you!
ETA: according to Wikipedia, in Hungary Jews are not recognized as an ethnical/national minority, only as a religious one.
it's an excerpt from Saint Stephen's admonitions to his son Emeric, saying that a state of only one language and of only one custom [tradition/habit] is weak and unstable. this quote is from the 11th century.
i think it could be of your interest, especially after "the day of mother tongue", which was earlier this week.
i've deciphered almost everything, but i'm not sure about the Greek and Armenian, especially i'm not sure if the spaces were placed correctly, because there were some typographical mistakes in languages i'm familiar with, like misplaced spaces between words.
so, if you know Armenian or Greek, please correct me.
here are the inscriptions:
more pictures: share.ovi.com/channel/varpho.2009-02?page=20 [it's this high column]
Bulgarian: аковедна дьржава има едноезчие и еднообразие на обичайте таз и дьржавае слаба и уязвима.
Roma: ke a jekha sibako, thaj jekha krisako them kóvloj, thaj hxasarimaskoj.
Greek: Η ΧΩΡΑ ΠΟΥ ΕΧΕΙ ΜΙΑ ΓΛΩΣΣΑ ΕΝΑΝ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΟ ΚΑΙ ΜΙΑ ΣΥΝΗΘΕΙΑ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΑΔΥΝΑΤΗ ΚΑΙ ΑΝΥΠΕΡΑΣΠΙΣΤΗ. - thanks!
Croatian: jer jednojezična država i država s istim običajima je krhka i slaba. - thanks
Polish: bo kraj gdzie mowa jedna tylko i obyczaj niema sił y wzlotu.
German: denn ein Land das eine Sprache und Sitte hat ist schwach und gebrechlich.
Armenian: ԲԱԶՈԻՄ ԼԵԶՈԻՆԵՐ ԵՒ ՍՈՎՈՐՈՒՅԹՆԵՐ ԳՐԱՎԱԿԱԿԸ ՀԱՐՈԻՍՏ ՈԻ ՀԱՍՏԱՏՈԻՆ ԵՐԿՐԻ.
Romanian: pentru că ţara cu o singură limbă şi tradiţie este slabă şi necesită sprijin. - thanks!
Ruthenian: бо без силы устоя народ, котрый эдиноязичный.
Serbian: jедноjезична држава са само jедним обичаjима слаба jе раньива. - thanks!
Slovak: ved královstvo jediného jazyka a jediného mravu je slabe a krehké.
Slovenian: kajti samo s svojim jezikom in svojimi navadami je država šibka in nebogljena.
Ukrainian: тому що одномовна та однозвична країна э слабою та неспроможньою.
Hungarian: mert az egy nyelvű és egy szokású ország gyenge és esendő.
of course if you find mistakes in other language versions, feel free to correct them, too. :) thank you!