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Iceland is a small country of 280,000 inhabitants. Its language, Icelandic, has a long and stable history and has changed little in 1000 years. Most Icelanders consider the Icelandic language to be a prerequisite of national identity. However, there are fears that their language and national identity may change under the ubiquitous influence of English as a result of global trends. Resistance to language change in Iceland is very strong. The Icelandic Government has reacted to the threat of English by implementing a protectionist language policy, the two cornerstones of which are preservation and enhancement of the Icelandic language. This policy covers such areas as education, the media and information technology. Despite such efforts, however, English is on the rise. This paper analyses the current situation, exploring whether Iceland’s language policies have had any effect on preserving Icelandic and on protecting Iceland’s national identity.
