Icelanders’ Knowledge of Danish in the 19th Century.

Abstract

Danish influence in its Icelandic colony was considerable in the 19th century. The Danish language was used for communication with Danes and also played a central role in colonial administration in Iceland. The implementation of mother tongue instruction in the Danish educational system made knowledge of the Danish langu­­age necessary for Icelanders seeking an education in Den­mark. As many Icelanders had difficulties in understanding and speaking Danish, instruction in the language was increased in the Latin School.

In the main trading stations, and in Reykjavik in particular, Danes made their presence felt strongly and Danish culture and the Danish language featured highly in daily life and all relations. This provided opportunities for Icelanders to learn Danish. Some people were in favour of Danish rule and identified with the Danish-Icelandic elite, demonstrating this by speaking Danish or using plenty of Danish loan-words in Icelandic. As popular contem­porary printed works in Icelandic were very scarce, many people learned Danish on their own initiative to read newspapers, books and magazines. 

Danish was a subject in the Latin School and when new schools for younger children appeared near the end of the century Danish was among the subjects taught. Much of the study material in other subjects was also in Danish. Grammar and translation of texts was the dominant method of Danish instruction, which suited well enough for teaching reading and writing, but was less useful in helping pupils to understand or speak the language. Many Iceland­ers are likely to have had good reading skills but few would have had a command of spoken Danish, especially those who lived in rural areas where dealings with Danes were limited.

Keywords: Danish in Iceland, Danish influence, proficiency in Danish, national identity, attitudes toward Danish language