Tämelyek

Tämelyek is an obscure linguistic form that appears in a limited number of historical manuscripts and is not part of contemporary standard Hungarian. In scholarly discussions it is often treated as a variant or contaminant rather than a living grammatical category.

Definition and scope

The term tämelyek is generally associated with Hungarian-language texts and is sometimes described as a variant of the relative pronoun or demonstrative sequence that corresponds to “which” or “those which.” Because the form is attested only sporadically, its precise function—whether as a genuine relative pronoun, a demonstrative, or a scribal/typographical variant—remains unsettled.

Attestation and interpretation

Occurrences of tämelyek are scarce and tend to appear in edited reconstructions of older sources, where orthography was not standardized. In many cases editors note that the form likely reflects a manuscript reading, a dialectal feature, or a transcription error rather than a stable grammatical element. The lack of systematic use in later Hungarian means that few grammars or dictionaries include it as a separate entry.

Relationship to standard forms

In modern Hungarian the corresponding standard forms are amelyek (which, those which) and azok, those, with amelyek as the common relative pronoun for plural subjects and objects. When tämelyek is encountered in scholarly editions, it is typically treated as an historical variant or as a textual artifact rather than as a productive part of the language.

See also

amelyek, amely, relative pronouns, Old Hungarian, Hungarian orthography, manuscript studies

References

References to tämelyek come from a small canon of historical manuscripts and critical editions. It is not widely discussed in contemporary reference grammars, and discussions often appear within palaeographic or textual-editing notes rather than as standalone descriptive entries.