About technology-related neologisms in Icelandic

Abstract

English is increasingly influencing the Icelandic language community, raising concerns about the state and prospects of the Icelandic language. Recent studies indicate that such concerns are probably justified. The viability of the language depends on it being used in all areas of daily communication and the attitudes of speakers toward the contact between Icelandic and English is important in this respect. This paper describes the results of a recent study of the att itudes of about 350 Icelandic speakers toward neologisms and their use of a few technology-related neologisms. The paper discusses possible reasons for why some neologisms are received more positively than others and the relationship between neologisms and language viability in the context of Icelandic. The general discussion is then related to the findings of the study which indicate that there is a general consensus among all age groups that Icelandic neologisms should be created and adopted instead of foreign loanwords, although the proportion of such responses is lower in the younger age groups. Icelandic neologisms were viewed more favorably than loanwords in most cases but it is nevertheless clear that not all neologisms are equally well received. We consider some possible explanations for such diff erences.