Why do linguists love icelandic

However, the history of Icelandic is one that would definitely ignite the interest of linguists anywhere. Many archaic languages have died out due to outside influence, the corruption of other languages, inability to keep up with modern topics, or lack of cultural interest within a nation.

Although the number of Icelandic speakers is declining, the fact that it has remained, more or less untouched since medieval times and continues to be spoken at all, means there is probably little cause for concern in this century at least… and much for celebration.

Icelandic is an endlessly intriguing language for several little known reasons. Read on to discover why! Icelandic is considered to be an Indo-European language, which belongs to a subgroup of North Germanic languages. This group once numbered five languages, including Norwegian, Faroese the native language of those living on the Faroe Islands, which is also spoken in parts of Denmark and the extinct languages of Norn once spoken in the Northern Islands of Orkney and Shetland, to the north of Scotland and Greenlandic Norse.

It is most closely related to Norwegian and Faroese, particularly the latter, the written version of which closely resembles Icelandic. Icelandic is not dissimilar from Old Norse, a medieval language. In fact, Icelandic is thought to be a dialect of Old Norse. It is considered an insular language in that it has not been influenced greatly by other languages and so has not changed all that much since the 9th and 10th centuries. Although the recorded history of Iceland began with the arrival of Viking explorers, largely from Norway in the late 9th century, there is archaeological evidence that indicates Gaelic monks had settled in Iceland well before then.

Icelandic prevailed over the centuries, despite initially absorbing many features of the Gaelic language. German, English, Dutch, French and Basque were introduced, due to the advent of northern trade routes, with some merchants and clergymen settling in Iceland. Icelandic was also threatened during the Danish reign. It was around the 18th century that a push for language purity began, which is ongoing today.

When you look to the stars on a clear night, you are seeing the light that left its original source, in some instances millions of years ago. Listening to someone speak Icelandic is not a dissimilar experience. The language has changed little over time, staying true to the form of Icelandic that existed during the Middle Ages. But would he ever write more fiction in English?

Not out of the question, he says. Just like her Icelandic husband. They speak to each other in Icelandic. She is fluent in several languages but says she would only ever write in her mother tongue. Two of her novels are translated into English. You feel the influence of the Sagas. Sverrir Norland, the writer who has written in English but now is back writing in Icelandic, believes the Icelandic identity comes with writing and speaking the language.

This is the second of two podcasts on Icelandic. Check out The future of the Icelandic language may lie in its past. The World in Words podcast is on Facebook and iTunes. A third example of how Icelanders maintain their language skills is through learning about Icelandic sagas. The high school curriculum has teenagers reading the old literature, in its original form, and pupils are tested on their knowledge of this unique Viking heritage.

The fund is meant to help produce open-source materials that developers can then use to create semantic technology. This could, for example, led to popular apps having an Icelandic language option. Something that we have never seen with the bigger apps like WhatsApp or Instagram.

Despite this, radical action is something that the government sees as an essential step in order to modernize the language and keep it afloat.

The way you write and pronounce the words are miles apart. Getting to know the Icelandic language might feel like stepping into a linguistic jungle but trust me when I say it does get better. As soon as you start to understand some of it, a much better grasp will soon follow.

This mainly has to do with the fact that the Icelandic language is very see-through. So, if you use your common sense and do a little linguistic math you might just start to understand all those big words. After all, they are usually just made up of many other smaller ones. Yes, Icelandic is very hard to learn. We have numerous ways to change each word and will, for example, use i and y with no pronunciation difference.

For instance, if you write kirkja , it means church but if you write kyrkja it means to strangle. Even though there is no difference in the way these two words are pronounced. It is all about the context! Another way we have found ways to complicate the language are tenses and functions. Here I will use the word hestur, the Icelandic word for horse.

Now, this is a hard one to explain. It can main so many different things. The closest in any other language I have found is Allora in Italian but so far, nothing in English. It can for example mean:. An intense conversation usually one-on-one where people reveal deep emotions or secrets. This happens more frequently when people have been drinking. These words are very useful and are commonly used in everyday life.