Four teenage students from Selfoss, south Iceland, and Reykholt, west Iceland, recently paid a visit to the Ministry of Education in Reykjavík to announce that they had founded the Association of Icelandic-Speaking Youth to preserve the Icelandic language.
The purpose of the association is to fight English slang and improper use of Icelandic, as stated in a newsletter from the ministry.
The teenagers want to spark an awakening of the recent development of the Icelandic language where even preschoolers are using slang in imitation of the speech of their elder siblings and parents.
With the association, its founders want to turn this development around and establish cooperation with students and teachers from schools across the country, parents, the public and media.
In its newsletter, the ministry stated that the boys’ visit had made them reconsider their use of the Icelandic language and they hope others will follow their example.
Vigfús Blaer Ingason is the spokesperson for the Association of Icelandic-Speaking Youth (Félag íslenskumaelandi ungmenna) and he can be reached at [email protected].
