Icelandic language

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Icelandic

Pronunciation	[ˈistlɛnska]
Speakers	314,000
Language family	Indo-European
This language related article is a stub.

Icelandic (íslenska) is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Iceland. It is the official language of Iceland and has approximately 314,000 speakers. Icelandic is closely related to Faroese and Western Norwegian dialects.

History

The Icelandic language has its roots in the Old Norse language, which was brought to Iceland by Norse settlers in the 9th century. Over the centuries, Icelandic has preserved many features of Old Norse, making it one of the most conservative languages in the Germanic family.

Phonology

Icelandic phonology is characterized by a range of vowel sounds and a complex system of consonants. The language has both voiced and voiceless consonants, and it uses a variety of diphthongs.

Grammar

Icelandic grammar is highly inflected, with four cases for nouns, pronouns, and adjectives: nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive. Verbs are conjugated for tense, mood, person, and number.

Vocabulary

The Icelandic vocabulary is largely derived from Old Norse, with some influence from Danish and English. The language has a strong tradition of linguistic purism, and new words are often created from existing Icelandic roots rather than borrowed from other languages.

Writing System

Icelandic uses the Latin alphabet, with a few additional letters: Ð/ð, Þ/þ, Æ/æ, and Ö/ö. The Icelandic alphabet consists of 32 letters.

Literature

Icelandic literature is renowned for its medieval sagas, which are prose narratives based on historical events and legendary figures. Modern Icelandic literature continues to thrive, with a strong tradition of poetry and prose.

Related Pages

• Old Norse language
• Faroese language
• Western Norwegian dialects
• Iceland
• North Germanic languages
• Germanic languages