The official and primary language spoken in Iceland is Icelandic. It is a North Germanic language that has changed very little since the island was settled in the 9th century, making it one of the most conservative Western European languages. Icelandic is spoken by about 93% of the population as their mother tongue and is the national language of Iceland
. In addition to Icelandic, Icelandic Sign Language is officially recognized and used within the deaf community
. Due to Iceland's history and education system, most Icelanders are also fluent in English, and many learn Danish or another Scandinavian language in school. Other foreign languages like German, Spanish, and French are also commonly studied and spoken to varying degrees
. There are also minority immigrant languages spoken in Iceland, including Polish, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Filipino, Thai, and Latvian, but these are spoken by small percentages of the population
. In summary:
- Official language: Icelandic (spoken by the vast majority)
- Recognized minority language: Icelandic Sign Language
- Widely spoken second language: English (fluently spoken by most Icelanders)
- Other languages learned: Danish, German, Spanish, French
- Immigrant languages: Polish, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Filipino, Thai, Latvian (minority groups)
This linguistic profile reflects Iceland's strong cultural preservation of its native language alongside widespread multilingualism in English and Scandinavian languages
