Language · 2
Which country has a legal policy requiring new foreign concepts to be given invented native-language words rather than borrowed terms?
Answer
Iceland
Iceland legally prohibits foreign loanwords, requiring the creation of new Icelandic terms for modern concepts. For example, the word 'sími' was coined for telephone. This practice of neologism is called 'language purism' and is enforced through official language councils.
💡 Did you know?
Icelandic bans foreign words by law, forcing citizens to invent new Icelandic terms—'sími' means both telephone and woodworking, depending on context.
Other options people guess
- France
- Japan
- Hungary
Topics
- icelandic
- language-policy
- neologism
- loanwords
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