Introduction
The Icelandic language contains numerous terms for gender identity and expression in numerous distinct types of terms, though these terms are rarely associated with the official language proper. Rather than being associated with the language proper, the Icelandic government actually engineers new terms in an effort to preserve the Old Norse roots of the language.
Gender Identity and Expression
Iceland has utilized lexical engineering in the Icelandic language to protect the Old Norse roots and feel of the language. Though the pronunciation has changed somewhat from the era of the sagas, the official text of much of the language has remained relatively consistent from as far back as the ninth century, prior even to the introduction of the Latin-based alphabet to write the Icelandic language.
Even gender and sexuality terms in the Icelandic language can sound like technical terms especially associated with the language, as both require Icelandic roots in the lexical engineering as promoted by the Icelandic government.
Icelandic Naming Committee
When referring to baby names in Iceland, the Icelandic government has an approved list of both male and female baby names that represent Icelandic roots and origins. Though additional names are permitted at the discretion of the Icelandic government, every name must be compatible with conjugation in the Icelandic language. Apart from the Icelandic Naming Committee on forenames, the linguistic conventions also occur with regard to the patronymics (or increasingly matronymics) while the Icelandic population largely lacks family names entirely. Officially, the suffixes that represent sons and daughters have remained relatively consistent from the era of Old Norse; however, a non-binary patronymic suffix has also been available for use since circa 2019.
Officially, the masculine suffix is “-son,” the feminine suffix “-dóttir,” and the neuter suffix “-bur,” each representing references relative to a given parent. Outside Iceland, the patronymic naming conventions have proven difficult, particularly for immigration and customs staff serving countries and regions elsewhere. While many of the other Nordic countries are aware of the Icelandic naming system refusing modernization, most global societies expect children to bear surnames identical to parental surnames, resulting in the aforementioned complications.
Examples of the patronymic naming system relating to “Þór” and “Björn” are as follows:
- Masculine: Þórsson, Björnsson
- Feminine: Þórsdóttir, Björnsdóttir
- Neuter: Þórsbur, Björnsbur
Since the neuter names listed above have not existed in the Icelandic construction prior to circa 2019, the gender-neutral names may result in red lines or other apparent spelling errors given the situation and context.
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