Milli mála - 2022, Page 86
MILLI MÁLA
Milli mála 14/1/2022 85
Abstract
Bilingual Wordplay in Kainn’s Poetry
Icelandic-American poet Kristján Níels Jónsson (1860–1936), whose
initials, K. N., turned into the pen name Káinn, lived in North
America, and wrote about his immediate reality in the language that
he commanded exceptionally well, be it in pure and proper Icelandic,
or peppered with English and American-Icelandic borrowings. In
Iceland, Káinn’s poetry claimed immediate attention when it first
came out, his playful use of the Icelandic language often casting a
new and unexpected light upon common, everyday life, language,
ideas, and actions. Due to poor command of English until the late
twentieth century, however, Icelandic readers were in general not able
to appreciate Káinn’s playful expansion of poetic possibilities by the
language contact examined in this article.
Keywords: Kristján Níels Jónsson Julius, Káinn, Kviðlingar, bilingual
wordplay, ludic theory
GUÐRÚN BJÖRK GUÐSTEINSDÓTTIR