Have you ever noticed that while many languages say ‘computer’, we Icelanders say tölva?

Or while the world uses ‘telephone’, we say sími?

This isn’t an accident!

It’s because of a special feature of our language called “linguistic purism.” It sounds complicated, but it’s actually a pretty simple and cool idea.

Basically, instead of borrowing words from other languages like English, we try to create new words using our own Icelandic building blocks.

In this guide, I’ll show you how we do it and why it makes learning Icelandic so unique and fun.

What is linguistic purism, anyway?

Linguistic purism is the idea of keeping a language “pure” from outside influences. For Icelandic, this means when a new invention or concept appears, like the internet or a smartphone, we don’t just adopt the international word. Instead, we look into our own language’s toolbox to build a new one.

Why do we do this? There are a few reasons:

• To keep our history alive: Icelandic has changed very little over the last 1,000 years. This means we can still read ancient texts, like the Sagas, without too much trouble. Creating new words from old roots helps keep that connection strong.
• To make words understandable: A word like rafmagn (electricity) might seem strange at first, but it’s made of raf (amber) and magn (power). This makes sense, because static electricity was first observed by rubbing amber!
• National identity: Our language is a huge part of what makes Iceland, well, Iceland! Taking care of it is a source of national pride.

There’s even a special committee that suggests new words, though it’s ultimately the people who decide which ones stick.

How new Icelandic words are made

So how do you make a new word for something like “television”? It usually happens in one of two ways.

1. Putting old words together (compounding)

This is the most common method. We take two or more existing Icelandic words and combine them to describe a new thing. It’s like a puzzle!

One of the most famous examples is our word for computer.

This beautiful word is a combination of tala (number) and völva (a prophetess or seer). So, a computer is a “prophetess of numbers.” Isn’t that amazing?

Here’s another one:

This comes from sjón (sight) and varp (projection or throwing). So, television is literally “sight-projection.” Simple and logical!

2. Giving old words new jobs

Sometimes, we find an old word that isn’t used much anymore and give it a new, modern meaning.

Our word for telephone is a perfect example.

Sími is an ancient word that originally meant “thread” or “cord.” When the first telephones with their long cords came along, it was the perfect fit!

The same goes for the word for a screen (like on your phone or computer).

This word once meant a “window pane” in a Viking-era longhouse, which was often made from a stretched animal membrane. Now, it’s our window to the digital world.

Pure Icelandic vs. international words

Let’s look at some more fun examples. Once you know the building blocks, you can start to see the logic behind many Icelandic words.

But do Icelanders really talk like this?

This is a great question. The official, “pure” Icelandic words are used in the news, in books, at school, and in formal situations. This is the Icelandic you should aim to learn.

However, in everyday, casual conversation, things can be a little different.

Like in many languages, Icelanders, especially younger people, often mix in English words. We call this “sletta.” It’s a type of slang, and while it’s very common, it’s not considered “proper” Icelandic.

For example, while the official word for “cool” is töff or flott, you’ll almost always hear people say kúl.

You might also hear someone use the English word “sorry” instead of the Icelandic fyrirgefðu.

So, while we have our own word for a hamburger (borgari), most people will just say hamborgari. This shows that language is always changing and adapting, no matter how hard we try to protect it! There isn’t really a regional variation on this, but more of a generational one—older speakers tend to use less sletta than younger speakers.

What this means for you

Iceland’s approach to new words makes it a truly special language. It can seem intimidating at first to see a long word like gervihnöttur, but don’t panic!

Try to break it down into its smaller parts. If you know gervi- means “artificial” and hnöttur means “globe,” you can guess the meaning. This logical system can actually make learning vocabulary easier in the long run.

So embrace our unique words! They are a window into the Icelandic way of thinking and a direct link to our Viking past.