Icelandic Language
The Icelandic language is the official language of Iceland, a Northern Germanic language spoken by approximately 300,000 people primarily in Iceland, as well as in Canada and the United States. It has its roots in Old Norse, the language of the Viking settlers who established a permanent presence on the island around 870 CE. Modern Icelandic has retained much of its original structure and is notably similar to Old Norse, allowing contemporary speakers to read ancient texts with relative ease, despite changes in pronunciation over the centuries. Icelandic culture is rich in literary traditions, with the Icelandic Sagas and Skaldic poetry being significant contributions to Nordic heritage.
The language is characterized by a lack of dialects and a strong emphasis on linguistic uniformity, with efforts to resist foreign influences and preserve Icelandic vocabulary. While Icelanders often borrow terms from English, they also strive to create new words to describe modern concepts. The Icelandic alphabet mirrors that of English, but with unique letters that reflect its linguistic heritage. As a result of its cultural significance, Iceland celebrates an annual Icelandic Language Day to honor its literary traditions and the connection to the language.
Icelandic Language
The Icelandic language is the official language of Iceland, a volcanic island in the northern Atlantic. It is a Northern Germanic language spoken by about 300,000 people in Iceland, Canada, and the United States. Iceland is Europe's westernmost country and was the last to be settled by explorers and colonists. Icelandic traditions have been inspired by its remote location and harsh climate, along with a blend of pagan influences on adopted Christian culture. Original colonists on Iceland spoke Old Norse, a Nordic language that has since evolved into modern tongues such as Norwegian, Swedish, Faroese, Danish, and Icelandic. Modern Icelandic has changed very little over time and is remarkably similar to the original Old Norse tongue. Icelandic speakers are able to read Old Norse without difficulty although pronunciation has shifted over the centuries.
The Icelandic Sagas are an important part of Icelandic and Nordic heritage and tell stories of family, traditions, blood feuds, and the history of Nordic people. Originally an oral tradition, the Sagas were eventually transcribed by authors such as Ari the Learned (1068̶̶ 1148) and Snorri Sturlson (1179̶-1241). Icelanders created other written works such as Skaldic poetry, grammar textbooks, historical records, genealogies, and the Eddas, Old Norse prose.
History and Classification
Icelandic is classified as a Northern Germanic language from the Indo-European family. Germanic languages are sub-classified into three groups: North Germanic, also known as Nordic, Western Germanic, and East Germanic. The Indo-European language family includes Celtic, Slavonic, Romance languages, Greek, Albanian, and Armenian. Linguistically, modern Icelandic is most similar to Norwegian and Faroese.
Viking settlers arrived in the "Land of Fire and Ice" to form a permanent settlement in 870 CE. The colonists were mostly from western Norway, but some were from Sweden and the British Isles. The majority of the settlers spoke dönsk tunga, the Danish tongue, a dialect of Old Norse. Traces of the Celtic language exist, such as in place and personal names; however, the language was not markedly different from Norwegian until the fourteenth century. Throughout Scandinavia, languages were so similar that, if they listened carefully, people were able to understand each other's language and determine their point of origin.
Christianity came to the island during the twelfth century when Icelandic was known as Old Icelandic. With Christianity came the Latin alphabet, which was adapted into the Icelandic alphabet. The Icelandic alphabet is nearly the same as the English alphabet. The minor differences include a minimal use of the letters c, q, w, and z, four letters not used in English (such as Þ and Ð), and except for æ and ö, each vowel appears in two forms with or without an accent mark (a, á, e, é, i, í, o, ó, u, ú and y, ý). Beginning in the early twelfth century, Icelanders transcribed laws and grammar treatises with this alphabet. Christianity also required Icelanders to develop new vocabulary to describe religious concepts; most of this vocabulary was borrowed from other languages. Literature and trading connections led to additional words being adopted from France, the Netherlands, and Germany throughout the Middle Ages.
The Icelandic language is particularly informal. Formal pronouns and verb forms are not customary, and Icelanders address each other using their Christian (first) names. Last names are formed in the traditional Nordic fashion, using the father's or mother's Christian name in a possessive form followed by "son" or "dóttir." Last names are far less important than in other cultures, and even the phone book is organized by Christian names first.
Geographic Distribution and Modern Usage
Uniformity is a mainstay of the Icelandic language. No dialects exist within the language or among its speakers. Icelanders resist changes to their traditional language and although it is spoken in emigrant and student communities, the majority of speakers reside on the island. Icelandic immigrants began arriving in Canada and the United States in the late nineteenth century. They formed a settlement in Utah in 1855 and another on Washington Island in Lake Michigan in 1870. In Canada, "New Iceland" was settled in 1875 on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg while other communities arose in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia.
Icelandic is the sole official language of the nation and used by the government, schools, businesses, and the media. Publishing is a major industry—Icelandic authors publish more books per capita than any other country in the world. These books are all published in Icelandic. The Icelandic Language Committee is an advisory institution that maintains standards of grammar and vocabulary.
Throughout the twenty-first century, the Icelandic language has faced a rapid influx of foreign words due to international trade, communications, and media exposure. Concepts and vocabulary that have not previously existed in Icelandic are often replaced with their English counterparts. Students are required to study both English and Danish in compulsory school, which makes it easy for them to access and understand foreign technology, machines, and products. It is an ongoing effort to coin new words or adapt old words to new meanings, such as simi for telephone, tolva for computer, thota for jet, and hlodfrar for supersonic.
Icelanders want to be able to speak and write about all subjects wholly in native Icelandic, and most enjoy the challenge of creating new words. This connection to their ancient language is so revered that Iceland began celebrating an annual Icelandic Language Day on November 16, 1995, the birthday of nineteenth-century Icelandic poet Jónas Hallgrímsson.
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