fornafn

Fornafn is the term in Icelandic grammar for the class of pronouns. A fornafn is a word that stands in for a noun or noun phrase in a sentence, allowing speakers to refer to people, places, or things without repeating their names. Pronouns can refer to antecedents established in discourse or to something understood from context.

The main subtypes of fornafn include personal fornafn, demonstrative fornafn, possessive fornafn, interrogative fornafn, relative fornafn, reflexive fornafn, and indefinite fornafn. Personal fornafn denotes people or things (for example, ég, þú, hann, hún, það, við, þið, þeir/þær/þau). Demonstrative fornafn marks proximity or distinction (for example, this, that and similar forms). Possessive fornafn expresses possession and can function as determiners or stand-alone pronouns. Interrogative fornafn introduces questions (who, what, which). Relative fornafn begins relative clauses (for example, a form equivalent to 'that/which/who' in English). Reflexive fornafn refers back to the subject (such as oneself), and indefinite fornafn denotes indefinites like somebody or something.

Morphology and syntax of fornafn in Icelandic involve agreement with person, number, and case, and they often decline to reflect grammatical function in a sentence. Pronouns can act as subjects, objects, or possessors, and they frequently stand in for nouns to avoid repetition. In Icelandic, word order and case endings provide clear cues to the pronoun’s role, while pronoun choice carries nuances of formality, emphasis, and referential clarity.

In usage, fornafn is essential for coherent discourse, enabling concise reference and stylistic variety. Dialectal variation exists, but the core functions and categories of fornafn are widely recognized in Icelandic grammar.