Tjáningu

Tjáningu is an Icelandic noun meaning the act or process of expressing thoughts, feelings, or information. It covers how people convey meaning through language, writing, gesture, art, or other media. The term is derived from the verb tjá, meaning to express, declare, or disclose, with the suffix -ning forming an abstract noun. In Icelandic, tjáningu appears in different grammatical forms depending on context.

In everyday use, tjáningu often refers to personal expression—the communication of opinions, emotions, or identity. In scholarly contexts, tjáning is common in linguistics as a term for linguistic expression, including utterances and their meanings, and in philosophy and semiotics as the expression of meaning or intention. It also denotes artistic expression in literature, music, and the visual arts, and the public display of attitudes or information in social or digital environments.

The word is closely related to English expression and to broader notions of articulation and manifestation. It is used across disciplines to discuss how humans convey inner states, knowledge, or information to others, and how such conveyance shapes interpretation, interaction, and meaning in communication.