State, Nation and Language. On Icelandic Language Policy, Its Objectives and Values

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the objectives and values behind Icelandic language policy. The article will therefore both discuss the language policy empirically and from the perspective of political philosophy, especially debates about the relationship between culture and the state and questions of normative or just language policy. The aim is to recontextualize Icelandic language policy and study it from a new perspective. Traditional Icelandic language policy was based on the preservation of the Icelandic language and to modernize the language from within to keep it in touch with modern conditions. This policy had its background in purism and cultural nationalism and was frequently defended as vital to Icelandic independence and national sovereignty. Recently the policy has shifted from this emphasis on historical continuity to the defense of the use of Icelandic in all spheres or domains, including science, university education, business, and the society more generally. This policy is defensive and mostly a response to the increasing dominance of English. Language policy is usually defended by giving instrumental reasons or identity reasons, but in Iceland the intrinsic value of the language and cultural heritage has been very important as well. By viewing the Icelandic language as cultural heritage both vital for Icelanders and humanity more generally, the emphasis on preservation and cultivation becomes paramount. This language policy has an inbuilt tension between emphasis on freedom and diversity, and the need to preserve the Icelandic language and linguistic community.