fallorð

Fallorð is a term used in Icelandic grammar to refer to words that inflect for grammatical case. The class typically includes nouns, pronouns, adjectives and some numerals, all of which change form to indicate their function in a sentence. The word itself comes from fall, meaning “case,” and orð, meaning “word.”

In Icelandic, the main cases are nominative, accusative, dative and genitive. Fallorð take different endings depending on number (singular or plural) and gender, and they interact with definite and indefinite forms. The case system marks roles such as subject, direct object, indirect object and possession. Nouns and pronouns undergo endings that reflect case and number, while adjectives within a noun phrase must agree with the noun in case, number and definiteness. Definite forms often involve specific endings that differ from their indefinite counterparts.

Many fallorð are inherently pronominal, including personal, demonstrative and interrogative pronouns, which have distinct inflected forms for person and number. Numerals and determiners may also be declined in many contexts. The inflectional system is central to Icelandic syntax, allowing relatively flexible word order because grammatical relationships are carried by the forms themselves.

In language teaching and reference works, fallorð is described as the set of inflected words that carry the grammatical information necessary to parse a sentence. Understanding fallorð and their endings is essential for correct agreement and for interpreting who is performing an action and to whom or for whom.