De første skridt til en islandsk fremmed- og/eller låneordbog

Abstract

Towards an Icelandic dictionary of foreign words and/or loanwords. In this paper I start by
discussing the differences between the terms “framandorð” or “aðkomuorð” (foreign word) and
“tökuorð” (loanword). I then give a brief account of language purism in Iceland and its influence
on the vocabulary, referring in particular to examples from articles by Halldór Laxness and
Guðmundur Finnbogason. The last part of the paper is devoted to some guiding principles for
composing an Icelandic dictionary of foreign words. Five rules, that a word must fulfill to be
considered as adapted, are discussed. The conclusion is that the terms “tökuorð”, including both
foreign words and loan words, and “tökuorðabók”, dictionary of foreign words and loanwords,
are the best suited for Icelandic.