Slovak/Hungarian relations, part 1

When we were in Hungary for the wine festival, we shared a picnic table with a fellow who wanted to use his English. It took patience on both sides, but we enjoyed the conversation. The Hungarian language is Uralic, believed to have originated in the Ural Mountains. Needless to say is is quite different from English and indeed from Slovak.

We talked about how Hungarians learn foreign language and the relative difficulty of each. I mentioned that we were staying in Slovakia and asked if anyone learned Slovak. It is a neighbor, after all. It seemed to be the last language anyone would study. From there, he went off on a political commentary. "We hate the Slovaks, because they hate us!" Then he pointed out that Hungary was a very old country. Slovakia was a very young country, seemingly unworthy of consideration. Since our discussion could not develop in much subtlety, I left it at that. 

Upon reflection, it should be noted that the Slavs had been ruled by the Hungarians for centuries. It may be understandable that there is leftover animosity over a century after the relationship was dissolved. The country may be young, but the people have been around all along.

By the way, Bratislava has many names in many languages. I often see references to "Preßburg" or "Pressburg" , it's German name. I haven't noticed much of "Pozsony", the Hungarian name. I'll have to start looking.