North American Icelandic: The Life of a Language

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 Flám li, which is the merger of two sets of front vowels. Although Flám li was once a part of traditional Icelandic, it was considered too confusing and was systematically eradicated from the language. But in North America, Flám li use spread unchecked, allowing the rare opportunity of viewing the evolution of a dialect from its birth to its impending demise.

Author: Birna Arnbjornsdottir
Publisher: University of Manitoba Press
Published: 12/15/2006
Pages: 220
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.44lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9780887556944

About the Author
Birna Arnbj?rnsd?ttir is an Associate Professor in English at the University of Iceland.