Academics and students at the University of Iceland have created a new mobile and computer app that uses flashcards to teach Icelandic vocabulary. The flashcard deck contains the 4,000 most frequently used words in Icelandic and provides translations into English, Polish, Chinese, and Ukrainian.
“Flashcards [are] a well-known and well-established method used in diverse studies. The cards used to be made out of paper but now they are usually digital on phones or in computers,” says Anton Karl Ingason, associate professor of Icelandic linguistics and language technology at the University of Iceland. Anton has developed the app, called IceFlash 4K, along with Xindan Xu, Veronika Teresa Kolka, and Alesia Kovaleva at the University of Iceland’s Institute of Linguistics.
“There has been rapid progress in Icelandic language technology in recent years, both when it comes to software and databases,” Anton stated. “We also believe that there is a considerable demand for tools to facilitate learning Icelandic; this project is thus a certain contribution to meet this demand.”
The vocabulary app is open to all and is free of charge. Anton stated that the database behind the teaching tool is open source, making it easier for other developers to create language-learning tools built in part on IceFlash 4K.
Instructions on how to set up the app are available in the YouTube video below. See Iceland Review’s comprehensive guide to online resources for learning Icelandic.
