The Icelandic Language
Icelandic is the national language of Iceland and a cornerstone of national identity. It is a Nordic language that has changed so little since the Middle Ages that Icelanders can still read the medieval sagas in the original with relatively little effort.
Origins and history
Icelandic descends from Old Norse, which was spoken in the Nordic countries during the Viking Age. Because of the country's isolation and strong literary culture, the language has been preserved better than the other Nordic languages. The greatest changes have been in pronunciation, while the grammar and vocabulary remain largely the same. Faroese is the closest related language, but other Scandinavians rarely understand Icelandic unless they have studied it.
The Icelandic alphabet
The Icelandic alphabet has 32 letters:
A Á B D Ð E É F G H I Í J K L M N O Ó P R S T U Ú V X Y Ý Þ Æ Ö
The letters C, Q, W and Z are not part of the alphabet and are used only in foreign words and names. Z was removed from official spelling in 1974. Þ (thorn) is pronounced like "th" in the English word "thing", and Ð (eth) like "th" in "this". Ð never appears at the beginning of a word.
Grammar
Icelandic is an inflected language. Nouns, adjectives, pronouns and numerals are declined in four cases, two numbers and three genders. Verbs are conjugated for person, number, tense, mood and voice. This makes the language challenging for learners, but also precise and flexible.
| Case | Question word | Example: hestur (horse) | Example: kona (woman) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | hver? | hestur | kona |
| Accusative | hvern? | hest | konu |
| Dative | hverjum? | hesti | konu |
| Genitive | hvers? | hests | konu |
New words and language care
Instead of adopting foreign words, Icelanders have long created new words from Icelandic roots. This language policy, known as linguistic purism, dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The Icelandic Language Council and the Árni Magnússon Institute work on language planning and terminology.
| Icelandic word | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| sími | telephone | Old word for "thread", revived in 1906 |
| tölva | computer | From "tala" (number) and "völva" (prophetess) |
| þota | jet | From the verb "að þjóta" (to rush) |
| sjónvarp | television | "Sjón" (sight) + "varp" (cast), like útvarp (radio) |
| þyrla | helicopter | From the verb "að þyrla" (to whirl) |
| veira | virus | Adapted from the Latin word virus |
| snjallsími | smartphone | "Snjall" (smart) + "sími" (phone) |
Icelandic Language Day
Icelandic Language Day is held on 16 November each year, the birthday of the poet Jónas Hallgrímsson (1807–1845). Jónas was one of the great coiners of new words in Icelandic history and created words such as "sjónauki" (telescope), "aðdráttarafl" (gravity) and "sporbaugur" (orbit). On the day, the Jónas Hallgrímsson Award is presented to those who have served the Icelandic language.
Icelandic today
Icelandic faces new challenges. English dominates computers, streaming services and social media, and children and young people use it more and more. The government has therefore invested in language technology so that people can speak to devices and apps in Icelandic. At the same time the number of residents of foreign origin has grown, and teaching Icelandic as a second language has become more important than ever.
Frequently asked questions
How many people speak Icelandic?
About 350,000 people have Icelandic as their mother tongue, most of them living in Iceland.
Is Icelandic a difficult language?
Icelandic is considered challenging because of its complex inflections and pronunciation, but many learners master it with practice.
How many letters are in the Icelandic alphabet?
The Icelandic alphabet has 32 letters.