Learning insular nordic languages : Comparative perspectives on migrants’ experiences learning Faroese and Icelandic

• Published in: Nordic Journal of Migration Research
• Main Authors: Hoffmann, Lara Wilhelmine, Holm, Anna Elisabeth
• Other Authors: Centre of Doctoral Studies
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Iceland; Inclusion; Language learning; Migration; Rural superdiversity; The Faroe Islands; Ísland; Tungumál; Innflytjendur; Demography; Geography; Planning and Development; Anthropology; Sociology and Political Science; Law; Faroe Islands
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/3697; https://doi.org/10.33134/NJMR.474

Funding Information: With increasing migration to Iceland, both formal and informal ways of Icelandic language teaching have been implemented recently. Today, Icelandic is for the most part taught at lifelong learning centres, funded by a combination of private and government funding. There are also university-level courses. There are no formal requirements for teachers of Icelandic as an additional language, so teachers have different backgrounds and experiences, although there is a master’s degree in teaching Icelandic as an additional language. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). This article explores migrants’ language learning experiences in two small language communities in the West Nordic Region. We provide a comparative perspective based on an online survey and ethnographic interviews conducted in Iceland and qualitative research conducted in the Faroe Islands. A major finding from this study is that investment in language learning is a highly situated type of activity, which is contingent on personal circumstances, and on structural conditions. Prevailing language ideologies, such as purism and authenticity, can pose constraints on the language learning process among learners who are initially motivated to learn the language. Results show that many migrants follow a utilitarian approach to learning and perceived usefulness of languages influences participants’ linguistic choices. A lack of opportunities for language learning has been mentioned by learners in both places we investigate. This article explores migrants’ language learning experiences in two small language communities in the West Nordic Region. We provide a comparative perspective based on an online survey and ethnographic interviews conducted in Iceland and qualitative research conducted in the Faroe Islands. A major finding from this study is that investment in language learning is a highly situated type of activity, which is contingent on personal circumstances, and on structural conditions. Prevailing language ideologies, such ...