Language Attitudes: English in Iceland : a qualitative study on language attitudes towards English in Iceland

• Main Author: Jonsson, Katrin Thora
• Other Authors: Helsingin yliopisto, Humanistinen tiedekunta, University of Helsinki, Faculty of Arts, Helsingfors universitet, Humanistiska fakulteten
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Helsingin yliopisto 2019
• Subjects: Language attitudes; English; Iceland; immigrants; Englannin kielen ja kirjallisuuden maisteriohjelma; Master's Programme in English Studies; Magisterprogrammet i engelska språket och litteraturen; Englanti; Engelska
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10138/300558

This thesis examines the language attitudes of immigrants in Iceland when their primary language is English. Immigrants in Iceland are approximately 12% of the population. Language attitudes of Icelanders towards the English language have been studied extensively. However, the language attitudes of immigrants in Iceland have not been studied. Previous studies on the English language in Iceland have mentioned the idea that Icelanders are becoming bilingual, Icelandic/English, and that the English knowledge that Icelandic children have is greater than expected. In this qualitative study, ten immigrants in Iceland were interviewed and asked about their language attitudes and how they felt about having to rely on English in Iceland in their everyday life. The interviews were semi structured, and the data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. The aim of the thesis was to see what the language attitudes of immigrants in Iceland when their language of communication is English and if those attitudes were different depending on how long the person had lived in Iceland. The results from the interviews were that all of the informants felt that they wanted to learn Icelandic to be a part of the Icelandic society. The biggest hindrance, according to the informants, was being accepted into the society by Icelanders and being able to practice Icelandic with locals, since Icelanders would rather switch to English than speak Icelandic. The informants felt that Iceland was a bilingual country and that knowing English was almost as important as knowing Icelandic. Nonetheless, even though there were some complaints from the informants, they wanted all to stay in Iceland for the unforeseeable future.