How can we make learning Icelandic easier? 🇮🇸 Eiríkur Rögnvaldsson is known both as a fervent defender of the language who advocates for its protection, as well as someone ready, willing, and able to shut down conversations about the language’s survival when they turn xenophobic. Although he is now retired from his post of teaching Icelandic at the University of Iceland, he is more active than ever in public discourse around the Icelandic language. This is his take on what can be done to make

There's NOTHING more humbling than trying to learn Icelandic (I speak from experience) 🙈 Even though I still don't consider myself fluent, I have learned a thing or two after 8 years of living in Iceland. So, let's have some fun with a few words you’re likely pronouncing wrong as a tourist 😅 In order from easiest to hardest, here’s the line-up. 1️⃣ Vík - Pronounced: "Veek" 2️⃣ Reykjavík - Pronounced: "Ray-kya-veek" (Roll the 'R'!) 3️⃣ Þingvellir - Pronounced: "Thing-vet-leer" (Soft 'th' as in

Modern Icelandic pronunciation is a common standard when studying Old Norse, as it provides an unequivocal reference: reconstructed pronunciations are very interesting but problematic, as you could reconstruct a different pronunciation for every half or even quarter of a century! Also, there were dialects and variations in the past as much as today, which variants are you gonna pick? All these questions are easily avoided with the modern Icelandic pronunciation: a reconstructed one is only ultim