Wikijunior:Languages/Icelandic

What writing system(s) does Icelandic use? edit

 
Where the Latin Alphabet is used today

Icelandic uses what is today called the Latin Alphabet. This alphabet is thought by many historians to have been a modified version of the ancient Greek alphabet, which in turn is also a variation of ancient Phoenician writing. Icelandic also uses some letters that are not very common in other languages, like ð (eth) and æ (ash).

Icelandic is descended from Old Norse.

How many people speak Icelandic? edit

All inhabitants of Iceland (about 300,000) speak Icelandic.

Where is this language spoken? edit

In Iceland, some parts of Canada and also some people from Denmark, Sweden, Norway speak the language.

What is the history of this language? edit

It descends from Old Norse.

Some famous people who spoke this language edit

 
Björk comes from Iceland.

What are some basic words in this language that I can learn? edit

  • Halló, hæ- Hello, hi
  • Bless, bæ- Goodbye, bye
  • Fögur er hlíðin- The hill is beautiful, an excerpt from Njála.
  • Og - And
  • Ég - I
  • Hvað heitir þú? - What is your name?
  • Ég heiti Páll. - My name is Paul.
  • Hvaðan kemurðu? - Where do you come from?
  • Ég kem frá Bretlandi. - I come from Britain.
  • Takk (fyrir).- Thank you

References edit