Einkamál

Einkamál is the Icelandic term for the philosophical concept of the private language, a notion in the philosophy of language and mind. The idea is most closely associated with Ludwig Wittgenstein, particularly in his later work. The private language argument contends that a truly private language—one whose terms refer to private sensations accessible only to an individual—cannot be a genuine language. Meaning, for Wittgenstein, arises from public use and from rules that are shared within a community; there must be publicly checkable criteria for correctness.

A word that names only private inner states would lack any objective standard by which its reference could be verified. If correctness depended on private criteria alone, there would be no way to determine whether the word was used correctly, making genuine communication and intersubjective meaning impossible. In his early writings, Wittgenstein hints at limits of what can be said, and in his later philosophy, he emphasizes that language is a system of practices embedded in forms of life rather than a private conduit for inner experiences.

The private language argument has been influential in debates about mental content, intentionality, and the nature of meaning, and it has stimulated extensive discussion and various interpretations, including critical responses and reformulations. In Icelandic scholarship, einkamál is used to discuss the social character of language, the accessibility of mental states, and how language relates to public criteria of correctness.