# Counter-example of the statement: "The Hungarian word order is free"



## franknagy

"Muzulmán terrorista" implies a subset of terrorists who are Moslims.
"Terrorista muzulmán" has the meaning that all Moslims are terrorists.


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## uress

Free order doesnt mean that you can throw the words there without any order. Every order has a (different) meaning -or actually not any meaning at all.
"(a/egy) muzulmán terrorista" is meaningful: a moslim terrorist.
"terrorista muzulmán" is actually not really meaningful. I can imagine it only in poetry where the word order can be unnatural as well but even there its not common.
"(a/egy) terrorista muzulmán" is meaningful again: (the/a) terrorist is moslim.
Plural would be terroristák, muzulmánok.


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## francisgranada

Without any other context, in my opinion "muzulmán terrorista" means simply "Moslim terrorist" and "terrorista muzulmán" means "terrorist Moslim" in English. I.e. a noun preceding another noun has an attributive function both in Hungarian and in English. 

For me "Terrorista muzulmán" absolutely doesn't _a priori_ mean that "that all Moslims are terrorists". Of course, the usage of articles plus the context may modify the exact meaning.


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## tomtombp

francisgranada said:


> Without any other context, in my opinion "muzulmán terrorista" means simply "Moslim terrorist" and "terrorista muzulmán" means "terrorist Moslim" in English. I.e. a noun preceding another noun has an attributive function both in Hungarian and in English.
> 
> For me "Terrorista muzulmán" absolutely doesn't _a priori_ mean that "that all Moslims are terrorists". Of course, the usage of articles plus the context may modify the exact meaning.



I agree, as always.


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## francisgranada

tomtombp said:


> ... as always.


Thank you very much . 





uress said:


> Free order doesnt mean that you can throw the words there without any order ...


I agree, plus I'd say that the word order is not _absolutely _free neither in Hungarian. A concrete example is what we are just speaking about, i.e. the adjective/attribute obligatorily precedes the  related noun. We cannot say e.g. "ez egy ház szép", while e.g. in the Romance (partially also in Slavic) languages it is possible, even if the word order is more restricted.


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## Encolpius

What is the question and this thread about?


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## uress

francisgranada said:


> and "terrorista muzulmán" means "terrorist Moslim" in English. I.e. a noun preceding another noun has an attributive function both in Hungarian and in English.


This is not common at all. Adjectives has a certain order.
"Terrosrista? Muzulmán!"



francisgranada said:


> Thank you very much . I agree, plus I'd say that the word order is not _absolutely _free neither in Hungarian. A concrete example is what we are just speaking about, i.e. the adjective/attribute obligatorily precedes the  related noun. We cannot say e.g. "ez egy ház szép", while e.g. in the Romance (partially also in Slavic) languages it is possible, even if the word order is more restricted.


"Ez egy ház, szép."


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