Icelandic

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Icelandic is a North Germanic language spoken in Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese, although the two languages are not mutually intelligible because they have developed in isolation due to their insular location.

The first known settlers of Iceland came from Norway in 874 AD. They spoke Old Norwegian, also known as Old Norse. After the adoption of Christianity around 1000 AD, Icelanders produced a large number of manuscripts including sagas and Eddas (described below). Between 1000 and 1400 AD, the Norwegian spoken in Iceland diverged from the Norwegian spoken in Scandinavia and became known as Icelandic.

Icelandic is the official language of Iceland where it is spoken by some 230,000 people. There are also speakers of Icelandic in the U.S. and Canada (Ethnologue). There are a number of Icelandic newspapers, magazines and radio stations in addition to several TV channels. Icelandic is the medium of education, although some education is available in other languages.

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