Tungumál

Tungumál is the Icelandic word for language, the system of communication used by a community. It covers spoken, written, and signed forms and includes the conventions, vocabulary, grammar, and phonology that people use to convey meaning. In everyday use, tungumál can refer to any natural language, as well as to the concept of language in general.

Etymology: The term combines tungu- (tongue) and mál (speech or language). This reflects a common cross-linguistic metaphor that language is the tongue or voice of a community. The form is cognate with related terms in other Germanic languages and has been established in Icelandic since the medieval period.

Usage: In Icelandic contexts, tungumál is a generic category used in education, media, linguistics, and policy discussion to refer to any natural language, including Icelandic, English, Norwegian, and others. When referring to a specific language, Icelandic often prefixes the language name and adds tungumál in dependent phrasing, for example íslenska tungumálið or enska tungumálið.

Relation to linguistics: In linguistic study, tungumál is examined as a system consisting of phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. The term is also used in compound forms such as tungumálafræði (linguistics) and tungumálastefna (language policy) to describe the study and governance of languages. This contrasts with related but narrower terms like mál (speech/language) and málfræði (grammar).

See also: language, linguistics, language policy, Icelandic language.