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Vopnafjörður Councilmember Criticised For Speaking English
At a recent council meeting in Vopnafjörður, Progressive and Unaffiliated Party representative and council member Bobana Micanovic was criticised for speaking English, RÚV reports. On February 10, Bobana announced that she will not seek reelection, citing communication issues and the behaviour of…
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Rapyd Insists On English Data In New Chargeback Process
Iceland-based automated clearing house (ACH) provider Rapyd has implemented a new chargeback process, stipulating that information regarding transaction reversals must delivered in English, or an equivalent translation, RÚV reports. The changes are scheduled to take effect on December 1. In an email…
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As Foreign Population Grows, So Does Demand For Icelandic Classes
Foreign nationals in Icelandic have grown by 160% since 2010, RÚV reports, and now comprise some 15% of the total population. Alongside this, the demand for Icelandic classes also grows, but the supply side of the issue cannot keep up. Gígja Svavarsdóttir,…
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Celtic Influence In Iceland Might Be Stronger Than Believed Before
The Celtic influence might be more significant in Icelandic culture than previously suspected, reports RÚV. [su_pullquote]It’s only one week until Iceland Airwaves returns to Reykjavík! Get prepared by pre-ordering our Airwaves Goodie Bag! It contains everything you need to survive the festival,…
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Icelandic Classes During Working Hours Increasingly In Public Discussion
Offering free Icelandic classes during working hours is gaining significant traction in public discourse in Iceland, opening the question: how would it be offered, and when? [su_pullquote]Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know if a volcano erupts in…
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Icelanders Too Impatient With Accented Icelandic, Professor Of Icelandic Says
Eiríkur Rögnvaldsson, a professor of Icelandic who has been very outspoken on how inclusive the language needs to be, told the radio station Bylgjan yesterday morning what many foreigners living in Iceland can likely attest to: Icelanders need to be more patient…
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Petition Ongoing To Bring Icelandic To Duolingo
A popular language learning app Duolingo has over 120 million users and teaches 19 languages. Icelandic, however, is not one of them. A petition has been started recently to bring more attention to the case. [su_pullquote]Not in Iceland for a while but…
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Key Role Of School System In Strengthening Icelandic Language
The Icelandic school system is a key actor in improving the image of the Icelandic language, according to the opinion of the Icelandic Language Committee (Íslensk málnefnd) as stated in their annual opinion on the state of the language, Vísir reports. The…
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Increased Funding Needed To Teach Foreigners Icelandic
Steinunn Ósk Kolbeinsdóttir, project manager for Icelandic language teaching at Fræðslunet Suðurlands, says that she is surprised by the government’s reluctance to provide extra funds for the teaching of Icelandic to foreigners, Vísir reports. Steinunn Ósk says that the time of Covid,…
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Icelandic Teacher: Don’t Speak English To Those Trying To Learn Icelandic
One of the biggest complaints of those learning and teaching Icelandic is the tendency for Icelanders to switch over to English when a foreigner attempts to speak to them in Icelandic. RÚV paid a recent visit to the University Centre of the…
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Number Of People Choosing To Learn Icelandic Reaches Record High
According to the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, more than 200,000 people all over the world are registered as users on local website Icelandic Online, where users can follow various courses to learn Icelandic according to their skills, for free. Minister for Education Lilja…
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Part 4: Meet The Foreigners Learning Icelandic
Do you want to learn Icelandic? Well, today is the Day of the Icelandic Tongue, where we honour this unique and colourful language. The number of speakers is growing every year, thanks in no small part to the people who move to…
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Readers Write: On Preserving The Icelandic Language
To the editor of the Reykjavik Grapevine, My name is Marjorie and I live in Texas. I am learning Icelandic and feel passionate about it. I’ve heard that Icelandic is being undermined by English and it scares me. I am writing this…
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Word Of The Issue: Farfuglaheimili
Iceland may be on everyone’s bucket list, but did you know that it’s also a firm favourite with migratory birds? Each year, thousands of species stop off en route to sunnier climes. Enter “farfuglaheimi,” directly translated as “home of migratory birds.” In…
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Word Of The Issue: Ljósmóðir
Literally translated as “mother of light,” “ljósmóðir” is the Icelandic word for “midwife,” and it’s considered by many to be the most beautiful word in the Icelandic language. Its soft sound does not do justice to the strength and determination of midwives,…
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Words of Interest: Long Live Icelandic
Icelandic has been global news as of late, because, like the Icelandic goat, it’s at risk of becoming extinct. The estimated number of Icelandic speakers in the world is only 400,000, and it remains one of the most poorly supported languages on…
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Low Wages And Digital Death: Icelandic In Crisis
The Icelandic language is vulnerable – and it’s not because of foreign loan words. In any discussion about Icelandic, Icelanders will invariably contend that their language is threatened with extinction. These threats can come from any number of speculated sources, from the…
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Ask A Scientist: Where Did Inhaling While Saying “Já” Come From?
What a lot of newcomers to Iceland may notice, when listening to Icelanders speak with each other, is that they will sometimes say “Já” while inhaling. This quirk of speech, known as the innsog, is done to denote emphasis of agreement, or…
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Professor Of Icelandic Supports Abolishing Name Laws
A professor of the Icelandic language believes abolishing the naming laws would be “beneficial to human rights”. Eiríkur Rögnvaldsson, a professor of Icelandic at the University of Iceland, has written a detailed, point-by-point opinion that criticises Iceland’s current naming laws. As reported,…
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Icelanders Still Getting Used To Icelandic With An Accent
A doctorate student of Icelandic says not everyone has the same capabilities or chances of learning Icelandic, but asking that immigrants working in the service sector have a basic command of Icelandic is “a fair request”. In a radio interview with Bylgjan,…
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Icelandic Needs To Be In More Tech
A professor of Icelandic grammar contends the language needs to be more firmly and broadly established in the tech world, for the sake of its survival. RÚV reports that Eiríkur Rögnvaldsson, a professor of Icelandic grammar, said in a radio interview yesterday…
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![[ˈkwarˌerˈeɪjaˌfjatl̥aˌjœːkʏɬ] Or, Why Is Icelandic Considered Difficult To Learn?](https://grapevine.is/wp-content/uploads/Scan.jpg)
[ˈkwarˌerˈeɪjaˌfjatl̥aˌjœːkʏɬ] Or, Why Is Icelandic Considered Difficult To Learn?
For most English-speaking tourists, the Icelandic language might be another in a long list of quaint novelties experienced from behind the padding of a tour group decked out in matching rain slickers: a bunch of tongue-air and whisper-sounds in the distance as…
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Dinosaurs Given Old Icelandic Names
A group of enterprising students in the Medieval Icelandic Studies programme at the University of Iceland have united to bestow dinosaurs with adequate Old Icelandic names. “For a start, we coined the word for Jurassic Park in Old Icelandic, which would have…