Svokölluðum

Svokölluðum is an inflected form of the Icelandic adjective svokallaður, meaning “the so-called.” It is used to indicate that a term, label, or group is widely used or accepted in discourse, but the speaker regards it as potentially disputed, dubious, or insubstantial as a description. The form svokölluðum specifically appears as the dative plural form, to be used when the following noun is in the dative case and plural.

Grammatical notes: svokallaður is the base form for masculine nominative singular; svokölluð is feminine; svokallað is neuter; svokölluð (plural) covers nominative plural. The dative plural form, svokölluðum, accompanies masculine or mixed-gender plural nouns in the dative case (for example svokölluðum rannsóknum or svokölluðum hópum). Icelandic adjectives agree with their nouns in gender, number, and case, so the exact ending changes with the noun it modifies.

Usage and tone: svokallaður, svokölluð, svokallað, and their inflected forms, including svokölluðum, appear frequently in journalism, academic writing, and everyday language. They signal that the following label is a conventional designation and not an assertion of inherent truth. Depending on context and punctuation, the phrase can convey skepticism, distance, or a cautious framing, but it is not inherently pejorative. Writers may choose to use it to contextualize or critique how a term is applied.

Cross-linguistic note: English uses the equivalent “so-called.” The Icelandic term functions similarly, with the exact form chosen to match the noun’s gender, number, and case in a sentence.