 He studied at a grammar school (gymnasium) in Ružomberok ("Rózsahegy") 1774-78, and later in Trnava ("Nagyszombat") and Vienna, and graduated in theology at the general seminary in Pressburg (present-day Bratislava) in 1787.In the very same year, he codified the first Slovak language standard, which he based on western Slovak dialects spoken around Trnava, with some elements from the central dialects.The language, called "bernolákovčina", wasn't accepted as a national standard language, although it was a milestone on the way to the formation of the modern Slovak nation.