Language Arts & Disciplines General
North American Icelandic
The Life of a Language
- Publisher
- University of Manitoba Press
- Initial publish date
- Dec 2006
- Category
- General, Scandinavian Languages (Other)
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eBook
- ISBN
- 9780887559983
- Publish Date
- Dec 2006
- List Price
- $25.00
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
North American Icelandic evolved mainly in Icelandic settlements in Manitoba and North Dakota and is the only version of Icelandic that is not spoken in Iceland. But North American Icelandic is a dying language with few left who speak it. North American Icelandic is the only book about the nature and development of this variety of Icelandic. It details the social and linguistic constraints of one specific feature of North American Icelandic phonology undergoing change, namely Flámæli, which is the merger of two sets of front vowels. Although Flámæli was once a part of traditional Icelandic, it was considered too confusing and was systematically eradicated from the language. But in North America, Flámæli use spread unchecked, allowing the rare opportunity of viewing the evolution of a dialect from its birth to its impending demise.
About the author
Birna Arnbjörnsdóttir is professor emerita of Second Language Studies at the University of Iceland, former dean of the Faculty of Languages and Cultures, and director of the Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute.