Cover not available

In:English in Nordic Universities: Ideologies and practices
Edited by Anna Kristina Hultgren, Frans Gregersen and Jacob Thøgersen
[Studies in World Language Problems 5] 2014
► pp. 165–177

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload Book PDF
authorization required

Ideologies in Iceland

the protection of language forms

Published online: 24 October 2014
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/wlp.5.08kri
The author shows that while Iceland’s protectionist language ideologies are deeply rooted as to the forms of Icelandic, Icelanders are more pragmatic when it comes to questions of language choice. It is therefore not contradictory that English is increasingly used in Icelandic academia, even if this is a purist speech community. The chapter draws on data on purist language attitudes and practices concerning the native linguistic code, and on practices that reveal that increased use of English in Iceland, notably in tertiary education and research, is popularly accepted as natural. Therefore, recent official language policies (in 2009) and legislation (in 2011), aiming to restrict the use of English at Icelandic universities, are not likely to be effective in the long run.
References (31)
Ammon, U. (1998). Ist Deutsch noch internationale Wissenschaftssprache? Englisch auch für die Lehre an den deutschsprachigen Hochschulen. Berlin / New York: de Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2010). World languages: Trends and futures. In N. Coupland (Ed.), The Handbook of Language and Globalization (pp. 101–122). Oxford: Blackwell. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Árnason, Kristján. (2005). Íslenska og enska: Vísir að greiningu á málvistkerfi [Icelandic and English: A preliminary attempt at analysing a language ecology system]. Ritið, 2, 99–140.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2006). Island [Iceland]. In T. Kristiansen & L.S. Vikør (Eds.), Nordiske språkhaldningar. Ei meiningsmåling [Nordic language attitudes. An opinion survey] (pp. 17–39). Oslo: Novus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Arnbjörnsdóttir, Birna. (2011). Exposure to English in Iceland. A quantitative and qualitative study. Ráðstefnurit Netlu – Menntakvika 2011. Reykjavik: Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands. Retrieved June11, 2013, from [URL].Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dofradóttir, A., Arnalds, Á.A., Sturludóttir, G.J. & Jónsson, F.H. (2010). Íslensk menningarvog. Könnun á menningarneyslu Íslendinga [An Icelandic culture barometer. A survey of Icelanders’ consumption of culture]. Reykjavik: Félagsvísindastofnun Háskóla Íslands.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Eysteinsson, Ástráður. (2012). Islandsk sprogpolitik, kultur og akademisk praksis. Domæner, store og små [Icelandic language policy, culture and academic practice. Large and small domains]. Nordand. Nordisk tidsskrift for andrespråksforskning, 7(2), 143–159.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Friðriksson, Finnur. (2009). Language change vs. stability in conservative language communities: A case study of Icelandic. Saarbrücken: VDM Verlag.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Graddol, D. (2006). English next. Why global English may mean the end of ‘English as a Foreign Language’. Retrieved June11, 2013, from [URL]Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Heller, M. & Duchêne, A. (2007). Discourses of endangerment: Sociolinguistics, globalization and social order. In A. Duchêne & M. Heller (Eds.), Discourses of endangerment. Ideology and interest in the defence of languages (pp. 1–13). London / New York: Continuum.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
House, J. (2008). English as lingua franca in Europe today. In G. Extra & D. Gorter (Eds.), Multilingual Europe: Facts and policies (pp. 63–86). Berlin / New York: Mouton de Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ingvarsdóttir, Hafdís & Arnbjörnsdóttir, Birna. (2010). Coping with English at tertiary level: Instructors’ views. Ráðstefnurit Netlu – Menntakvika 2010. Reykjavik: Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands. Retrieved June11, 2013, from [URL].Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Íslenska til alls. Tillögur Íslenskrar málnefndar að íslenskri málstefnu samþykktar á Alþingi 12. mars 2009 [Icelandic for everything. Icelandic language policy proposals drafted by the Icelandic Language Council, and approved by Parliament on March 12, 2009] (2009). Reykjavik: Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. Retrieved June 11, 2013, from [URL].Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kristiansen, T. & Vikør, L.S. (2006a). Nordiske språkhaldningar – jamføring og konklusjonar [Nordic language attitudes – comparison and conclusions]. In T. Kristiansen & L.S. Vikør (Eds.), Nordiske språkhaldningar. Ei meiningsmåling [Nordic language attitudes. An opinion poll] (pp. 199–214). Oslo: Novus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2006b). Tillegg 1: Totalresultat – Island [Appendix 1: General results – Iceland]. In T. Kristiansen & L.S. Vikør (Eds.), Nordiske språkhaldningar. Ei meiningsmåling [Nordic language attitudes. An opionion poll] (pp. 215–217). Oslo: Novus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kristinsson, Ari Páll. (2012). Language management agencies counteracting perceived threats to tradition. Language Policy, 11(4), 343–356. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kristinsson, Ari Páll & Bernharðsson, Haraldur. (2014). Íslenska og enska í íslensku háskólastarfi [Icelandic and English in Icelandic academia]. Orð og tunga, 16, 93–122.
Kristinsson, Ari Páll & Hilmarsson-Dunn, Amanda. (2013). Evaluation of different registers in Icelandic written media. In T. Kristiansen & S. Grondelaers (Eds.), Language (de)standardisation in late modern Europe: Experimental studies (pp. 331–354). Oslo: Novus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kristoffersen, G., Kristiansen, M. & Røyneland, U. (2014). Landrapport Norge: Internasjonalisering og parallelspråklighet ved norske universitet og høyskoler [Country report Norway: Internationalization and parallel language use at Norwegian universities and colleges]. In F. Gregersen (Ed.), Hvor parallelt. Om parallelspråkighet på Nordens universitet [How parallel. On parallel language use at the universities in the Nordic countries], TemaNord 2014:535, (pp. 197–259). Copenhagen: Nordisk Ministerråd. Url: [URL].Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Leonard, S.P. & Árnason, Kristján. (2011). Language ideology and standardisation in Iceland. In T. Kristiansen & N. Coupland (Eds.), Standard languages and language standards in a changing europe (pp. 9–96). Oslo: Novus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lög um stöðu íslenskrar tungu og íslensks táknmáls 61/2011 [Law on the status of Icelandic and Icelandic sign language]. (2011). Althingi [Parliament]. Retrieved June 11, 2013, from [URL].Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Milani, T.M. (2007). Voices of endangerment: A language ideological debate on the Swedish language. In A. Duchêne & M. Heller (Eds.), Discourses of endangerment. Ideology and interest in the defence of languages (pp. 169–196). London / New York: Continuum.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mortensen, J. & Haberland, H. (2012). English ‒ the new Latin of academia? Danish universities as a case. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 216, 175197.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Óladóttir, Hanna. (2009). Shake, sjeik eller mjólkurhristingur? Islandske holdninger til engelsk språkpåvirkning [ Shake, sjeik or mjólkurhristingur? Attitudes in Iceland to English language influence]. Oslo: Novus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ottósson, Kjartan G. (1997). Purisme på islandsk [Purism in Icelandic]. In Purisme på norsk? [Purism in Norwegian?], 31–37. Oslo: Norsk språkråd.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Salö, L. (2010). Engelska eller svenska? En kartläggning av språksituationen inom högre utbildning och forskning [English or Swedish? A survey of the language situation in higher education and research]. Stockholm: Språkrådet, Institutet för språk och folkminnen.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sandøy, H. & Kristiansen, T. (2010). Conclusion. Globalization and language in the Nordic countries: conditions and consequences. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 204, 151–159.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Skutnabb-Kangas, T. & Phillipson, R. (2010). The global politics of language: Markets, maintenance, marginalization, or murder? In N. Coupland (Ed.), The handbook of language and globalization (pp. 77–100). Oxford: Blackwell. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Spolsky, B. (2004). Language policy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Thøgersen, J. (2004). Attitudes towards the English influx in the Nordic countries: A quantitative investigation. Nordic Journal of English Studies, 3(2), 23–38.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Vikør, L.S. (2010). Language purism in the Nordic countries. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 204, 9–30.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (1)

Cited by one other publication

Isenmann, Vanessa M.
2024. Icelandic on Facebook: Linguistic practices in an informal communication space. Sociolinguistica 38:2 ► pp. 193 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 24 november 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue