Dagur íslenskrar tungu (‘Icelandic Language Day’) is celebrated for the 18th time today. November 16 is the birthday of Icelandic poet Jónas Hallgrímsson (1807-1845), who fought for the preservation of the Icelandic language in the 19th century at which time it was subject to influence by Danish.
Jónas Hallgrímsson. Source: Wikipedia.
The Icelandic Language Day is commemorated by schools, institutions and associations across the country today. The program of events includes an exhibition of the Sagas, Iceland’s ancient scripts, at Þjóðmenningarhúsið (the Culture House). The exhibition is open from 11 to 5 pm today.
In related news, the word ‘ljósmóðir‘ was voted the most beautiful word in the Icelandic language in a contest organized by the University of Iceland and RÚV, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service.
Click here for the program of events.
Related:
15.11.2013 | Mother of Light (ÁA)
24.10.2013 | Twenty-Six Hundred Contenders for Icelandic’s Most Beautiful Word
