| North American Icelandic: The Life of a Language Contributor(s): Arnbjörnsdóttir, Birna (Author) |
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ISBN: 0887556949 ISBN-13: 9780887556944 Publisher: University of Manitoba Press OUR PRICE: $35.96 Product Type: Paperback Published: December 2006 Annotation: 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 Flamaeli, which is the merger of two sets of front vowels. Although Flamaeli was once a part of traditional Icelandic, it was considered too confusing and was systematically eradicated from the language. But in North America, Flamaeli use spread unchecked, allowing the rare opportunity of viewing the evolution of a dialect from its birth to its impending demise. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Foreign Language Study | Scandinavian Languages (other) |
| Dewey: 439.609 |
| Physical Information: 0.6" H x 5.9" W x 8.9" (0.44 lbs) 220 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: 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. |
Contributor Bio(s): Arnbjornsdottir, Birna: - Birna Arnbjörnsdóttir is an Associate Professor in English at the University of Iceland. |