Milli mála - 2023, Page 109

MILLI MÁLA
Milli mála 15/2/2023 109
benefit of the public, institutions and companies” (Rannís 2018). The
Icelandic Language Technology Fund supports projects related to
Icelandic language technology in the digital age. Lastly, “a parlia-
mentary resolution on Icelandic was unanimously passed by the
Icelandic Parliament” in which a “nationwide language awareness
campaign […] is promoted” (Kristinsson 2020, 7–8). The need “to
protect the Icelandic language” is also emphasized in the migration
policy implemented in 2007, in which Icelandic language education
is described as serving a dual purpose of “speeding up their [immi-
grants’] integration into society and strengthening the position of
the Icelandic language” (Icelandic Ministry of Social Affairs 2007,
6).
While “Icelandic with a foreign accent is increasingly a part of
everyday language experience” (Kristinsson 2018, 245), studies have
indicated that it is not always easy for speakers of Icelandic as a second
language to use the language in their everyday lives. Skaptadóttir and
Innes (2017) show that Icelandic proficiency functions as a tool for
inclusion in terms of social contacts or access to the labor market, but
the authors also show that many immigrants perceived the difficulties
they faced when trying to become a part of the speaking community
and use Icelandic in their everyday lives as “the largest hindrance to
integration and acceptance” (Skaptadóttir and Innes 2017, 25).
Innes (2015) illustrates that formal education in Icelandic as a sec-
ond language is a relatively recent development. Informal conversa-
tional courses were offered in people’s homes from the 1980s onwards
(Innes 2015, 188). Until today, informal courses are offered by volun-
teers in various initiatives across the country. Formal Icelandic langu-
age courses were first offered in the 1990s by companies for their
employees. In the 2000s, schools devoted to teaching colloquial
Icelandic were established. Although it had not yet instituted any
formal overview over language training, the government began turn-
ing its attention to the language skills of immigrants, particularly
those seeking permanent residence and citizenship. The 2007 decision
to make language learning a condition for permanent residence per-
mits and citizenship was based on policies in Denmark, Finland, and
Norway (Innes 2020). Language tests were administered to applicants
starting in 2009. Today, anyone seeking permanent residency must
LARA W. HOFFMANN, YVONNE HÖLLER, MARKUS MECKL