# Icelandic: styggðaryrði



## ShakeyX

"Nafn íslenskrar konu úr Kópavogi kemur upp þegar eitt tiltekið styggðaryrði á ensku er slegið inn í þýðingarvélina Google Translate."

Really simple one... what does styggðaryrði mean 

The dictionary I use doesn't have it, google doesn't translate it, and 4 Icelanders just said they cannot translate it. Help a man out.


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## NoMoreMrIceGuy

Styggur: Upset
Orð: Word
Styggðaryrði: A word that upsets, a swear word


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## ShakeyX

Ah thankyou. In what way does yrði relate to orð? Is it an old or alternate word for it?

And also while I am on the topic of this article just wanted to ask one thing in addition.

"Finnur Breki Þórarinsson, starfsmaður Google, sagðist ekki vita hvernig svona mistök gerast. „Ég mun hafa samband við *þá *úti og láta* þá* vita af þessu. Ég er ekki viss hvernig svona gerist. Þetta eru mistök. Eftir *því sem ég best* veit er þýðingarvélin mötuð með fullt af skjölum með þýðingum. Hvernig svona kemur upp er mér ráðgáta,“ segir hann."

1) The two þá in this paragraph. Is this the accusative plural of sá or is it þá that deals with time. I think I know which one it is but just like to make sure. And if it is the first, who is þá? He nor the article has mentioned anyone to refer to so I guess in the context maybe he is referring to... google techs?

2) Eftir því sem ég best. Just wondered what a good english translation of this would be... after/according to that which I know best.. or to the best of my knowledge? Is this on the right path?


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## Alxmrphi

> 1) The two þá in this paragraph. Is this the accusative plural of sá or is it þá that deals with time.


Neither. It's the accusative plural of_ hann_.


> 2) Eftir því sem ég best. Just wondered what a good english translation of this would be... after/according to that which I know best.. or to the best of my knowledge? Is this on the right path?


Yeah, you're on the right track._ As far as I know_ / _to the best of my knowledge_ / _Based on what I know_ etc.

About orð->yrði, do you know about how the I-shift works in Icelandic?


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## ShakeyX

Nope I'm not familiar? Is the a historical change or something that always happens in compound words?

And with þá? plural of hann? Who? I just don't know who it's referring to? Finnur willl be in contact with him?


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## Alxmrphi

ShakeyX said:


> And with þá? plural of hann? Who? I just don't know who it's referring to? Finnur willl be in contact with him?



"Them" (see)

Yes, it's a historical change that brought a lot of changes into the language and some forms have stuck. Its effects are absolutely everywhere in verb forms and noun changes (though the element causing the change has in many cases disappeared). Just like "u" causes "a" to become "ö", there are _*i*_'s that round vowels. It's discussed in great detail in Colloquial Icelandic and I know you have that book, it might be worth looking over that part if you're not familiar with it.

Also, does it say what the swear word is that you can enter in Google? I really want to know what it is!


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## ShakeyX

So what are you are saying is there was a historical change however the compound version of this word has stayed in it's historical form rather than writing styggðarorð (which is the modern version if you like, if the historical change was mapped across the whole language)?

And Okay... it seems I'm missing something so obvious here. I knew þá was they... i honestly still don't know who it's referring to  I was just using he/hann to show you i understood it wasn't sá.

Finnner, a Google employee, says he doesn't know how such a mistake happens. I will contact them out? and let them know of this.

I really still don't know who "them" are or what them úti means. Sorry this might seem obvious but I swear there is no hint to who he is talking about?

Haha no unfortunately the article ends with this:

"Ritstjórn Vísis tók þá ákvörðun að birta ekki nafn konunnar né styggðaryrðið sem þýðingarvélin tengir við hana, í virðingarskyni við konuna."


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## Alxmrphi

> So what are you are saying is there was a historical change however the compound version of this word has stayed in it's historical form rather than writing styggðarorð (which is the modern version if you like, if the historical change was mapped across the whole language)?


Nothing that complicated. The effect of the *i* on words caused vowel changes. It's the same reason why _feet_ is the plural of _foot_ in English.
So, with an* i* after _orð_, it created the form _yrði_. Different words (for whatever historical reasons) use different versions. You have _hnitti(n)yrði_ but _tökuorð_ (though someone could have coined _tökuyrði_ just as well; it just didn't happen that way). You have _verð_ but a version exists in many compounds that have an -i at the end (and that had the effect of raising the *e* in _v*e*rð_ to i in _v*i*rði_) in words such as _andvirði _(equivalent value),_ markaðsvirði _(market value), _sannvirði _(true/fair price) and phrases such as_ á hálfvirði _(half price) and so on and so forth. It's how these similar terms link together, the i has an effect on a vowel and changes it. Then, a pretty common feature is that these words are usually the second elements in compounds (i.e. _blótsyrði_ instead of blótsorð for a swearword).


> it seems I'm missing something so obvious here. I knew þá was they... i honestly still don't know who it's referring to


You're not missing anything, don't worry. It's just that masculine is used when gender is undetermined and speaking generally about groups of people. You can interpret whoever from this, just like in English if he said, "_I'll (get in touch with them / get in contact with them) and let them know about this._"


> Haha no unfortunately the article ends with this:
> 
> "Ritstjórn Vísis tók þá ákvörðun að birta ekki nafn konunnar né styggðaryrðið sem þýðingarvélin tengir við hana, í virðingarskyni við konuna."


Boo! Time to go and try putting in as many swear words as I know into Google. I'll post it if I find it.


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## ShakeyX

Haha i've already exhausted all the swear words I know and found nothing 

Ahhhh daymit, no one has corrected me when I've been using þau... like when talking about the general people of some company and if they sell something I've always said.. "kannski þau hjá xxx selja það" etc...

I always use enginn and other masculine pronouns for the unknown but this one just slipped me by.


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## Alxmrphi

I don't think that's especially wrong to use _þau_. Some people prefer it.
It's just, in general, the masculine is the default but most people (I don't think) would really be taken aback if someone used the neuter version, especially if it was a non-native speaker. The Pirate Party here even put forward propositions about it in their election manifesto last year, to try to promote '_demasculinised'_ language. Anyway, that's getting a bit off-topic.


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