North American Icelandic: The Life of a Language

By Birna Arnbjornsdottir and Birna Arnbjörnsdóttir

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

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0887556949
• ISBN13: 9780887556944
• Release Date: December 2006
• Publisher: University of Manitoba Press
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 8.9"