Catching up with Europe: Speakers and Functions of English in Hungary
Abstract
In several studies it has been shown that, since the political and economic changes precipitated by the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1989, English in the ‘new’ Hungary is in great demand and the number of its uses and users is expanding (e.g. Halasz, 1993; Medgyes, 1993; Petzold, 1994). This paper discusses the functional range of English and its penetration into Hungarian society and shows that in just a few years English has become an essential tool for modernization and economic development and a significant medium in the tourist and entertainment industries as well as education, and that need for the use of English in the workplace has had a major impact on its learning, especially in Budapest. The data is drawn from Petzold's comprehensive study of English in the capital city (1994). The authors offer an account of the sociolinguistic contexts of English in Hungary and provide insights into the reasons why Hungarians regard English proficiency as vital to their country's efforts to catch up with its more prosperous neighbors to the west.