Orðasamlags

Orðasamlags is the process in Icelandic of forming new words by combining two or more existing words into a single lexical unit. It is a central and productive mechanism for word formation, allowing speakers to express new concepts or more precise meanings without borrowing or creating new inflectional paradigms.

Most compounds in Icelandic are written as one word, though hyphenation or spacing can be used for readability or in newly coined terms. The full compound generally inflects as a unit, with the ending attached to the compound rather than to an individual component. Compounds can be analyzed in terms of their internal structure: endocentric compounds, where one element acts as the head and determines the syntactic category (for example sundlaug, swimming pool, where laug means pool and sund modifies it); and exocentric compounds, where the meaning is not directly predictable from the parts and the head is not apparent.

Common productive types include noun-noun compounds (bókabúð, bookshop), where the first element modifies the second; and noun + participle or noun + verb forms used as descriptors. Some compounds are highly transparent, while others are opaque or idiomatic. Productivity continues to grow in everyday language, especially with technological and cultural developments.

In orthography and usage, compounding interacts with semantic content and phonology, sometimes leading to phonetic adjustments at morpheme boundaries or in stress patterns. As with other Germanic languages, word formation through orðasamlags remains a defining feature of Icelandic vocabulary, contributing to concise expression and linguistic richness.

See also: compounding, word formation, Icelandic morphology, Icelandic orthography.