Svörun

Svörun is an Icelandic noun meaning the act or process of responding or answering. It can refer to a speaker’s reply in a conversation, the overall responsiveness of a person, system, or organization, or the speed and quality with which an inquiry is answered.

Etymology: The word is derived from the verb svara, “to answer,” with the nominalizing suffix -un, forming a term that denotes the act or capacity of answering. It is used in both historical and contemporary Icelandic.

Usage: In everyday Icelandic, svörun describes a response or reply. It is commonly used to talk about how promptly someone answers a question or how well a service answers inquiries. In academic and technical contexts, svörun appears in discussions of linguistics, communication studies, and human–computer interaction to denote the production of an answer in conversation or the responsiveness of a system to user input. The term can pair with references to speed, quality, or reliability of responses.

Examples: Góð svörun við fyrirspurninni er mikilvæg fyrir notendaupplifun. Translation: Good responsiveness to the inquiry is important for the user experience. Tölvukerfið sýndi skjóta svörun við spurningunni. Translation: The computer system showed a rapid response to the question.

Notes: Svörun is a general term that covers both human and non-human responsiveness. In many contexts, it complements or contrasts with svar, the word for a specific answer or reply.