Enginn lifir orðalaust. Fáein atriði úr sögu íslensks orðaforða

Abstract

In this article the Icelandic vocabulary is dealt with from a historical point of view and few examples are chosen from the most interesting stages of its development. After the introduction it starts with explaining the two different types of loanwords, those which are fully accepted as a part of the Icelandic vocabulary and those which are looked upon as foreign and not fitting into the language structure. The third chapter deals with the period from the settlement in the 9th century to the Reformation in the middle of the 16th century with examples of words from texts in order to explain the external influence on the vocabulary of the settlers. In the fourth chapter the period from the Reformation to the so called linguistic purism is discussed. In the first part of this period the church and Christian literature had a considerable influence on the vocabulary. It played an important role that early in the 16th century printing came into use and the first printing press was owned by the bishopric at Hólar, printing almost exclusively Christian literature in translations. In the fifth chapter the influence of the Enlightenment on the Icelandic vocabulary in the 18th century was discussed and later the influence of some individuals in the 19th century on the language, as examples. Danish influence in the 19th and early 20th century and English influence in the 20th century was also mentioned.