Introduction to the Icelandic Language

The Icelandic language is a dialect of Old Norse: the pan-Scandinavian language at the time of Iceland's settlement 1,150 years ago. But this common Norse tongue evolved into Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish over the centuries as local Kings tightened their grip, or lost an invasion. The Icelanders, meanwhile, kept the language alive by penning stories known as the Sagas of Icelanders.

History of Icelandic

Like many languages, Icelandic was passed down orally before being preserved at an impressively early date, around 1100. At least, this is the oldest preserved Icelandic text found. From the 12th century, the world-renowned Icelandic Sagas and Eddas were written in Old Icelandic.

Because of Iceland's isolated location in the North Atlantic, the language was easily preserved with only slight evolution over the centuries.

Not many nations have the privilege of reading and understanding such an ancient text without specialized knowledge of the language. Modern English speakers, for instance, would struggle to read the first lines from the 12th-century poem "Layamon's Brut" written in Middle English: "An preost wes on leoden; Layamon wes ihoten. / he wes Leouenaðes sone; liðe him beo Drihten.” By contrast, most Icelanders can, with a bit of guesswork, read the Sagas, penned around the same time.

Icelandic Language Preservation

Given its unique history, it is understandable that many efforts are in place to preserve the Icelandic language. While it may seem old-fashioned to keep a language from evolving, many real threats posed by digital technology and social media encourage the adoption of English words, thereby bypassing its complex inflectional grammar. Visitors will definitely notice a generational difference in the way things are said.

At the center of these efforts is the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, known in Icelandic as Árnastofnun. Founded in honor of the 17th-century scholar Árni Magnússon, who spent his life collecting and preserving Iceland's medieval manuscripts, the institute is an independent academic research body operating under the Ministry of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education. Its work spans language research, literary scholarship, and the preservation of manuscripts that are among Iceland's most treasured cultural artifacts. Many of those manuscripts, including the original sagas, are displayed at the World in Words exhibition in central Reykjavík, the only place in Iceland where visitors can see them in person.

The institute also has official committees that propose new Icelandic names for technologies that have no existing name. Most of these committees focus on a particular area, such as medicine or tourism. This tradition helps explain why the adoption of foreign words is less common in Icelandic than in other languages. Telephone, for example, is teléfono in Spanish, téléphone in French, and Telefon in German, but it is sími in Icelandic, an old word meaning something like "long thread."

An Icelandic Naming Committee also decides which names new Icelanders are allowed to use and which are not. Decisions are based on the name being able to conjugate into the grammatical inflection. No names with a C are permitted, as C is not in the Icelandic alphabet. While this may sound Orwellian, the intentions are well-meaning.

Icelandic Grammar

The city of Reykjavík nurtures its literary heritage, culminating in a UNESCO City of Literature designation. Famous as a nation of bookworms, Iceland has one of the highest book-publishing rates per capita, with 3.5 books per 1,000 inhabitants, and the most authors per capita in the world. Over 30 publishers in Reykjavik alone are active at both the annual Reykjavik International Literary Festival and the Reykjavik Book Fair.

The Iceland Writers Retreat claims that part of the reason Iceland is home to so many writers is the influence of the Sagas, masterpieces of medieval European prose that are hundreds of years old and form part of the canon of lore that every Icelander grows up with. There is also the phenomenon of the Christmas book flood - jólabókaflóð - when publishers release hundreds of new titles on the market, and Icelandic authors are in the spotlight. Books are also a trendy Christmas gift, ensuring long winter nights spent diving into the latest voices in Icelandic literature.

Resources for Learning Icelandic

While the best advice for learning a language is immersion, even that is becoming increasingly difficult as English is spoken so widely throughout the country. Many excellent podcasts are a good place to start your language learning journey. If you want to start from the very beginning, check out Saga Thing, hosted by two professors of medieval literature who read and review the sagas with a critical eye, one at a time. There is also this podcast on Icelandic literature hosted by the Icelandic Literature Center. If you find yourself in Reykjavik and want somewhere to practice, one option is the Reykjavik City Library, Borgarbokasafn. There are free Icelandic practice meet-ups for anyone who wants to practice their Icelandic skills through word games hosted by the librarians.

Also view: Books to read in Iceland