Református prédikációk szülte helyesírás: Geleji Katona István esete
Spelling by Genevan’s Sermons: the Case of István Katona Geleji

Summary/Abstract: In this paper I am looking for the answer to the question which way did Istvan Geleji Katona use his volumes to promote the use of Hungarian language among his religious thesis. Also, I am studying how much he applied these rules established in his work, Magyar Grammatikatska and other theological works like Öreg Graduál and Váltság titka. After presenting his life I discuss the relationship between language and proselytization: I wonder if Istvan Geleji Katona using the advantages of typography helped the spread of the language or just used it to promote his own religious ideas among the believers. After the analysis of fragments from Öreg Graduál, which is considered the predecessor of Magyar Grammatikatska, I present this religious work appeared in 1645. Its foreword presents the birth of the above mentioned work, with its two main parts. My paper is focusing on the orthographical and stylistic rules presented in the second part of Geleji’s work. Doing this I was able to establish which rules were born during the writing of sermons. The analysis proved that Geleji was aware of the direct link between spreading the word of God and the use of Hungarian language. As a conclusion, I can state Geleji truly believed that Hungarian language has to be used correctly, and it is his duty to promote his religious and linguistic beliefs.

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