Dagsetningar

Dagsetningar, in Icelandic commonly called dagsetning, refer to calendar dates that specify a point in time. They are typically composed of a day, a month, and a year, and they are used to timestamp events, documents, and records. In historical and everyday usage, dagsetningar help place actions and facts in a temporal context.

In prose, dates are usually written as day, the month name, and the year, for example “14. maí 2020.” The day is followed by a period, and a space before the month name. In more compact or technical contexts, numeric forms can be used, such as “14.05.2020” or “2020-05-14” (the latter following ISO 8601 in many digital systems). Icelandic date notation tends to be consistent within a document, and the month is written in full when readability is preferred.

Dagsetningar appear in a wide range of texts, including official documents, historical writing, newspapers, archives, and everyday communication. In formal or legal contexts, the year is usually written in full, and months are often shown as names rather than numbers to avoid ambiguity. In digital data and programming, standardized formats like ISO 8601 are common to ensure clarity across languages and systems.

Cultural and linguistic notes: the Icelandic month names used in prose include janúar, febrúar, mars, apríl, maí, júní, júlí, ágúst, september, október, nóvember, and desember. The concept of dagsetning also underpins indexing and archival practices, where precise dating is essential for organizing information.