Hungarian Historical Phonology hall
hall 'listen'
First attestation/Old Hungarian data
Hadlaua 'listen'
Important dialectal forms
[coming]
Uralic/Ugric/Pre-Hungarian reconstruction
PU *kVntǝlǝ-
Aikio 2013: PU ? *kuntiCli- 'listen'
Abondolo 1996: 95: *kanta-li-
Sammallahti 1988: 544: PUg *kVnta- < PU *kunta- 'perceive, catch'
UEW: PUg (? PFU) *kunta-lɜ- ‘hören, horchen; hear, eavesdrop‘
Status of the Ugric etymology
Probable but with cognate also in Finnic
Loan etymology
None suggested
Cognates suggested in earlier research
UEW:
Khanty: East (V) kunγəl- 'hören', (Trj) kuntəγʌə- 'hören; vernehmen' < Proto-Khanty *kūntǝɣlǝ- (Aikio 2013)
Mansi: South (TJ) kantāl-, East (KU) χōntl-, West (P) kontl-, North χūntl- 'horchen' < Proto-Mansi *kwāntǝl- (Aikio 2013)
Finnic: Fi kuunnella < PFi *kuntëlë-
Commentary
The etymology is listed in UEW both under the Finno-Ugric and Ugric etymologies (with the Finno-Ugric etymology marked as uncertain). It is clear that this verb is not limited to Ugric but the Finno-Ugric/Uralic etymology seems quite certain, even if there are issues with the reconstruction of the vocalism (Aikio 2013 lists the word under etymologies that show aberrant vowel correspondencies). Abondolo reconstructs Proto-Uralic *kantali-, assuming that the forms pointing to *u (such as the Finnic cognate) show Proto-Uralic ablaut; this idea is impossible, but the reconstruction *kantali- would explain Hungarian *a regularly (there are few cases where *a comes from *u and most examples are not very good).
It is an old idea that the Uralic verb discussed here is derived from the Uralic word 'hunt', reconstructed as *kunta- in the UEW. The reconstruction of the vocalism of this word is also notoriously complicated (Aikio 2013 reconstructs ? *ko/untV ‘hunt; hunting party’).
Conclusion
The Uralic etymology is convincing although many phonological details require further attention.
References
Aikio 2006: 16: PU
Aikio 2013: PU (aberrant vowel correspondences)
Abondolo 1996: 95, No. 295: PU
Sammallahti 1988: 544: PFU
UEW s.v. : PUg kunta-lɜ, ? PFU Uralonet