lagting
Very LowFormal, Academic, Historical, Technical (Political Science/History)
Definition
Meaning
A historical upper house or legislative assembly, especially referring to the upper house of the parliament of Norway until 2009.
In modern usage, a term for the legislative body in certain Nordic territories (e.g., Svalbard, or historically, the Faroe Islands). In a general sense, it can refer to a regional or territorial parliament in a Scandinavian context.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a term from Norwegian political history. Its usage outside historical or specific constitutional contexts is extremely rare. It denotes a specific chamber, not a parliament as a whole.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Equally rare in both dialects. More likely encountered in British texts due to closer academic and historical ties to Scandinavian studies.
Connotations
Historical, specialised, Scandinavian.
Frequency
Virtually never used in everyday language in either region.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
The Lagting + verb (e.g., was dissolved, convened)member of the Lagtingin the LagtingVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Not used.
Academic
Used in historical, political science, or Scandinavian studies contexts to describe the structure of the former Norwegian parliament.
Everyday
Not used.
Technical
Used in precise constitutional or historical descriptions of Norway or its territories.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- The Lagting era came to an end in 2009.
- Lagting members had specific duties.
American English
- The Lagting period in Norwegian history is studied by scholars.
- Lagting procedures were formal.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Norway had a parliament called the Storting, which was divided into the Lagting and the Odelsting.
- The Lagting was part of the government.
- Until the constitutional reform of 2009, the Norwegian Storting operated as a bicameral legislature, consisting of the Odelsting and the Lagting.
- A bill had to be passed by both the Odelsting and the Lagting to become law.
- The Lagting, as the upper chamber, often served as a revising body, scrutinising legislation passed by the more populous Odelsting.
- The abolition of the Lagting marked a significant shift towards a unicameral system in modern Norwegian governance.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'LAG' behind + 'TING' (thing/assembly). It was the 'slower' or more deliberative upper house (a common perception of upper chambers).
Conceptual Metaphor
A GOVERNMENT BODY IS A CONTAINER (for debate/lawmaking).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'лагерь' (camp).
- It is a proper noun for a specific institution, not a generic term for 'parliament' (which is 'parlament' or 'storting').
Common Mistakes
- Using it to refer to modern Norwegian Storting.
- Capitalising it incorrectly (proper noun, usually capitalised).
- Assuming it is a current term.
Practice
Quiz
What was the Lagting?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, the Lagting was dissolved in 2009 when Norway abolished its modified bicameral system within the Storting, moving to a fully unicameral parliament.
It derives from Old Norse 'lǫgþing', meaning 'law assembly' ('lǫg' = law, 'þing' = assembly).
The term is used for the parliament of Svalbard (Svalbard Lagting) and was historically used for the parliament of the Faroe Islands (Løgting). It is not used for mainland Norway's current parliament.
In English, it is commonly pronounced /ˈlɑːɡtɪŋ/ (UK) or /ˈlɑɡtɪŋ/ (US), approximating the Norwegian pronunciation. The 'g' is hard.