Tölulegum

Tölulegum is the dative plural form of the Icelandic adjective tölulegur, meaning numerical or quantitative. It is used when describing a plural noun that is in the dative case. In Icelandic, adjectives agree with the noun in gender, number and case, so their endings change accordingly. The base meaning of tölulegur covers relations to numbers, data, measurement and statistics, and tölulegum appears whenever a plural noun in the dative is described as numerical or data-driven.

The form is part of a broader system of inflection for adjectives in Icelandic. While many adjectives have multiple endings for different genders, numbers and cases, tölulegum specifically marks the dative plural context. It can modify a range of plural nouns in the dative, for example in phrases like tölulegum gögnum or tölulegum aðferðum, where nouns such as gögn (data) or aðferðir (methods) are plural and in the dative case.

Usage and scope: tölulegum is commonly found in academic, statistical, and data-analytic language, where numerical aspects of objects or phenomena are described. It is used both in written and spoken Icelandic to emphasize quantitative characteristics.

Etymology: tölulegur derives from tala or tölur (numbers) with the adjectival suffix -legr, forming a word that denotes numerical or quantitative properties. Tölulegum is therefore a morphological variant that enables correct grammatical agreement within sentences. See also tölulegur and related terms such as tölfræði (statistics) and tölumál (numerical language).