The Icelandic Language, Modern Technology and Satellite Television

This article briefly describes the historical background of the Icelandic language policy. The tradition of using the vernacular for all purposes traces back to the age of settlement, and in later centuries the ideal of keeping the Icelandic language and culture alive became part of the basic political manifesto for independence, with cultural independence being used as an argument for political and economic independence. In later years international technology and mass media formed new surroundings for the traditional Icelandic language policy. The language has to cope with an endless number of technological innovations, and there is a certain amount of confusion as to how to react to the influx of foreign television material. However, the basic political aim of maintaining the Icelandic culture and language seems still to have general support.