Iceland is a small country with a population of only about 339,000, but it has its own language. However, language experts are concerned that this language may disappear in the modern age. The reason for this appears to be a combination of globalization and technology. On one hand, the increase in tourism is making the use of English more widespread in Iceland. On the other hand, modern voice activated technology is usually not available in Icelandic, making the language less useful in modern society.

Icelandic is believed to be one of the ten oldest languages in the world. In addition, probably due to the fact that Iceland is an island nation, the language has changed very little from its traditional form, unlike most European languages. The Icelandic language is unique and suited for life in the Icelandic environment, and it is a source of pride and identity for many Icelandic people. Currently, the language is spoken by less than 400,000 people in the world.

There are two main problems for this language. The first is tourism and globalization. Tourism has become the biggest industry in Iceland these days. In fact, half of the new jobs in Iceland are being taken by foreigners. As a result, the use of English is becoming more and more widespread in the country. Teachers, for example, have observed that students in school often use English when talking amongst themselves. Additionally, some recent studies suggest that children are no longer getting enough experience with the language during their childhood to fully learn Icelandic.

The second problem comes from modern technology. Most technology these days, in particular voice-activated devices, does not recognize Icelandic. One possible reason for this is the language’s difficult rules. Another reason is that the small number of people who speak the language do not present a big enough demand for software and technology companies to include Icelandic in their products. The result is that Icelandic people are forced to use English daily to make use of modern technology, such as GPS or voice-activated robots.

Many people are worried that these problems will lead to the complete disappearance of the language. In fact, the Multilingual Europe Technology Alliance estimated that at least 2000 of the world’s languages will stop being used in the near future.

For Iceland, losing the language could mean losing their identity. Ásgeir Jónsson, an economics professor at the University of Iceland, in an interview with the Associated Press stated that switching over to English as the main language could cause professionals and experts to leave the country.

Language experts and activists such as Iceland’s former president Vigdís Finnbogadóttir are trying to prevent the language from falling out of use. The Ministry of Education estimates that creating a database that can be used to include Icelandic into digital devices would cost about 1 billion krona (about ￥12.8 billion). But the government must move quickly.

“If we wait, it may already be too late,” said Svandis Svavarsdottir, a member of Iceland’s government.

Iceland is a small country with only about 339,000 people, but it has its own language. However, language researchers are worried that this language may stop being used. The problem seems to be globalization and technology. First of all, tourism is making the use of English more common in Iceland. Secondly, technology these days is usually not available in Icelandic. This makes the language less useful in society.

Icelandic is believed to be one of the ten oldest languages in the world. The language changed very little over time, probably because Iceland is an island country. Iceland is also far away from Europe. Most European languages have changed a lot from their beginnings. The Icelandic language is different from other languages and matches life in Iceland. Many Icelandic people are proud of their language. However, the language is spoken by less than 400,000 people in the world.

There are two main problems for this language. The first is tourism and globalization. Tourism has become the biggest business in Iceland these days. Half of the new jobs in Iceland are being taken by foreigners. So using English is becoming more and more common in the country. Teachers, for example, have noticed that students in school often use English when talking to each other. Some recent studies also show that children are not hearing enough of the Icelandic language during their childhood.

The second problem comes from technology. Most technology these days does not recognize Icelandic. One possible reason for this is the language’s difficult rules. It could also be because of the small number of people who speak the language. Because Icelandic speakers are a small market, software and technology companies feel they don’t need to use Icelandic in their products. So Icelandic people have to use English daily to use technology such as GPS or robots that understand human voices.

Many people are worried that the language will stop being used because of these problems. The Multilingual Europe Technology Alliance said that at least 2000 of the world’s languages will stop being used in the near future.

For Iceland, losing the language could mean losing their culture. Ásgeir Jónsson, a teacher at the University of Iceland, in an interview with the Associated Press said that more people may leave the country if English becomes the main language.

Some people, such as Iceland’s former president Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, are trying to save the language. The Ministry of Education says that creating a database for using Icelandic with today’s technology would cost about 1 billion krona (about ￥12.8 billion). But the government must move fast.

“If we wait, it may already be too late,” said Svandis Svavarsdottir, a member of Iceland’s government.