Iceland and Images of the North

The Use of English in Iceland: Convenience or a Cultural Threat? A Lingua Franca or Lingua Detrimental?

Hallfríður Þórarinsdóttir, “The Use of English in Iceland: Convenience or a Cultural Threat? A Lingua Franca or Lingua Detrimental?” in Iceland and Images of the North, ed. Sumarliði R. Ísleifsson with the collaboration of Daniel Chartier, Québec: Presses de l’Université du Québec, “Droit au Pôle” series, and Reykjavík: ReykjavíkurAkademían, 2011. The Use of English in Iceland: Convenience or a Cultural Threat? A Lingua Franca or Lingua Detrimental? Hallfríður Þórarinsdóttir The Reykjavík Academy (Iceland) Abstract – The Icelandic language has been the primary criterion for national identity and has played an important role in the image of Iceland within the Nordic countries. The article traces the role of how linguistic nationalism gained an indisputable position for the Icelandic language as the foundation of national identity in the country. During the period of independence struggle, Danish, the language of the colonizers, was considered to be enemy number one of the Icelandic language, but in recent times English has taken over that role. Equipped with the historical dimension of the role of Icelandic and Danish within the process of national identity-making in Iceland, the article aims to analyze the ongoing discourse on the alleged threat of English dominance in Icelandic society. Specific focus will be on the use of English as lingua franca in Icelandic businesses operating at an international level. In recent years the number of Icelandic corporations expanding their operation across the globe has multiplied. Recently some of these companies changed their official language of internal communication from Icelandic to English. This change stirred up great controversy, reflected in the media discourse and on blog sites on the Internet. Keywords – Culture, identity, power, language, language policy, linguistic capital, symbolic power Introduction In September 2007 a heated debate broke out in the Icelandic media over the role of Icelandic in Icelandic society on the one hand and the alleged intrusion of English on the other. The cause of the conflict were the words of Sigurjón Árnason, CEO of Landsbanki, who said in passing in an interview that it was perhaps unavoidable for Icelandic financial companies operating abroad, to switch over to using English at their headquarters ICELAND AND IMAGES OF THE NORTH [ 374 ] in Iceland. That would enable the bank to hire some foreigners to work in all kinds of detailed analytical jobs, where specific skills are required.1 The editorial of the Morgunblaðið daily responded immediately to Árnason’s statement and said: Is the Icelandic language an unusable language? Is it time to cease struggling to maintain a specific language in a society counting only several hundred thousand people? Is Icelandic a burden, hampering the success of Icelandic businesses? Has the Icelandic language become a yoke to the Icelandic nation? Or is the opposite true: As soon as Icelandic disappears, then all the specific characteristics of the Icelandic nation are lost and the nation will disappear into the ocean of nations […] And the editorial went on: The Icelandic language is the foundation of Icelandic culture. That culture is the soil and foundation of the current welfare, which now rules in Iceland. Rather than assaulting the tongue, an offence in its defence should be carried out.2 A year later at the collapse of the Icelandic financial system, an article under the headline “A Blessing in Disguise” could be found in the same newspaper, which said, “With the collapse of the Icelandic financial system, the biggest threat to the Icelandic language is gone, at least for now.”3 1 “óhjákvæmilegt fyrir íslensk fjármálafyrirtæki í útrás að taka upp ensku sem vinnmál í höfuðstöðvum sínum á Íslandi. Þannig yrði þeim kleift að ráða útlendinga til starfa við ýmsa bakvinnslu sem krefst menntunar.” “Enskan vinnumál á Íslandi? [English a Working Language in Iceland?] 2007: 13. All translations from Icelandic are my own. 2 “Leiðari: Íslenska eða enska?” [Editorial: Icelandic or English?] 2007: 44. Since its foundation in 1913, Morgunblaðið daily has been a staunch supporter of linguistic purism and nationalism. The paper has a regular column on the Icelandic language and language use. 3 “Íslensk tunga hagnast best. Með falli íslenska fjármálakerfisins er helsta ógn íslenskrar tungu úr sögunni, að minnsta kosti í bili.” Helgason 2008: 1. THE USE OF ENGLISH IN ICELAND [ 375 ] Icelandic has never been spoken by more people...