Purpose
The Icelandic language is a basic element of the national identity of the Icelanders. The main focus of linguistic purism in Icelandic is to maintain the structure of the language (as a heavily declined language compared to other West-European Indo-European languages, such as English or French), and to develop its vocabulary particularly, so the language can be used to speak about any topic—no matter how technical—which, in turn, contributes to keep the language up-to-date. Since Icelandic has been made the official language of Iceland, the Icelanders have developed new words in all fields to keep the language alive.
Read more about this topic: Linguistic Purism In Icelandic
Famous quotes containing the word purpose:
“For the purpose of knowledge, one must know how to use that inner current that draws us to a thing, and then the one that, after a time, draws us away from it.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (18441900)
“Whoever considers morality the main objective of human existence, seems to me like a person who defines the purpose of a clock as not going wrong. The first objective for a clock, is, however, that it does run; not going wrong is an additional regulative function. If not a watchs greatest accomplishment were not going wrong, unwound watches might be the best.”
—Franz Grillparzer (17911872)
“Men may construe things after their fashion,
Clean from the purpose of the things themselves.”
—William Shakespeare (15641616)