Setningarliði

Setningarliði is a term used in Icelandic grammar to describe the parts of a sentence that carry meaning and function. A setningarliði can be a single word or a phrase, and it contributes to the structure and interpretation of a clause. In standard analysis, the principal setningarliðir are those that express who or what performs the action, what is said or asked, and how other information relates to the action.

Common types of setningarliði include:

- The subject, which denotes who or what the sentence is about.

- The predicate, typically represented by the verb and any auxiliary elements, which expresses the action or state.

- The direct object, the entity directly affected by the action.

- The indirect object or recipient, indicating to whom or for whom something is done.

- Adverbials, which provide information about time, place, manner, reason, or other circumstantial details.

- Descriptive modifiers and attributes, which add qualities to nouns.

- Predicatives, which follow a linking verb and provide a description of the subject.

- Vocatives, terms used to address a person directly.

The arrangement and form of setningarliði are influenced by Icelandic word order and case inflection. Noun phrases can show their grammatical role through case endings, while verb forms mark tense and agreement. In analysis, setningarliði can be identified by questions such as who/what (subject), what happened (predicate), whom or what received the action (direct object), where/when/how (adverbials).

Example: Ég las bókina í gær. Here, "Ég" is the subject, "las" is the predicate, "bókina" is the direct object, and "í gær" is an adverbial of time. Understanding setningarliðir helps describe sentence structure and aids in syntactic analysis.