sammenhenger

Sammenhenger is a Norwegian noun in the plural that denotes contexts, connections, or interrelations. It describes how components relate to one another within a larger whole, or the conditions that make a situation intelligible. In everyday use, the word often points to the broader situation rather than isolated facts.

Etymology and nuance: sammenhenger comes from sam- meaning together and heng, historically related to holding or binding. The term emphasizes coherence and interconnection, not just a single fact, and it is frequently used to stress how elements fit into a broader frame or system.

Usage across fields: In linguistics and semantics, sammenhenger refer to the contextual relations between words, sentences, or discourse. In research and statistics, it denotes the relationships or associations between variables. In history or social science, one speaks of a wider historical or social sammenheng to situate events or phenomena. In everyday Norwegian, phrases such as i en bredere sammenheng or i en eller annen sammenheng are common to indicate contextual relevance.

Common expressions and contrasts: The singular form sammenheng is often used to mean coherence or the immediate context of something, while the plural sammenhenger highlights multiple contexts or interrelations. It is closely related to kontekst (context), forhold (circumstances or relations), and relasjon (relation), with kohærens used in specific technical senses to describe coherence in argument or text.

See also: sammenheng (singular), kontekst, forhold, relasjon, kohærens.