Education paper by Gárdosi, Rita
Hungarian Language Maintenance in Cleveland, Ohio
Type of Abstract (select):Abstract (max. 250 words):
This paper focuses on the situation of Hungarian language maintenance in Cleveland, Ohio. In addition to the history of Hungarian language instruction, I will give a detailed account of actual Hungarian language teaching based on interviews, a questionnaire and published materials as well as an outline of my own experience.
Cleveland is one of the most important centers of Hungarian Americans in the USA. The Hungarian population of this very significant American city is about 150,000. For the Hungarian Americans it is important to preserve their language, culture and traditions. In this question three major themes emerge: the value of speaking Hungarian as a sense of identity, the impact of parenting on language maintenance, and the influence of friends and peers through organized events in the Hungarian community, mostly through the scouting movement.
The first Hungarian schools were organized in the Roman Catholic, Reformed and Greek Catholic Churches built in the 1890s by the Cleveland Hungarian community on Buckeye Road. St. Emeric Parish in the near west side area, established in 1904, also provided Hungarian instruction. Presently this church is the home of the Hungarian School and scouting activities.
Founded in 1958, the Hungarian School or Magyar Iskola is attended by students in addition to their regular schooling. The origin of this school may be found in scouting by recognizing the need for a weekend-type school. Since 2002 the Hungarian School is also offering conversational Hungarian classes for adults in different levels.
The history of Hungarian studies in higher education reach back to Hungarian cultural courses at Western Reserve University. In 1960s the center of Hungarian studies has shifted to Cleveland State University and after a long pause it has recently been reestablished in the Department of Modern Languages.
Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Rita Gárdosi is currently in residence in the Department of Modern Languages at Cleveland State University, in the status of a Fulbright Visiting Professor in Hungarian language and culture. She graduated in 2007 from the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, with Masters Degrees in Hungarian Language and Literature and Hungarian as a Foreign Language. She worked for six years at the University of Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris III as Hungarian lecturer and assistant professor in Hungarian linguistics. While in Paris, Rita Gárdosi earned a doctorate in Linguistics and Language Teaching, graduating in 2012.