Language Information
Icelandic is a Northern Germanic language with over 300,000 speakers in Iceland (Ísland), Canada, and the US. Icelandic is the closest of the Northern Germanic languages to Old Norse and it is possible for Icelandic speakers to read the Old Norse sagas in the original language without too much difficulty. Old Icelandic, the predecessor to Modern Icelandic, was a dialect of Old West Norse. The transition to Modern Icelandic is considered to have occurred in 1540.
Modern Icelandic is not currently taught at Indiana Univeristy. However, Old Icelandic language and literature courses are available through the Department of German Studies.