Icelandic alphabet

The Icelandic alphabet consists of the following letters:

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:A Á B (C) D Ð E É F G H I Í J K L M N O Ó P (Q) R S T U Ú V (W) X Y Ý (Z) Þ Æ Ö

Related Topics:
A - Á - B - C - D - Ð - E - É - F - G - H - I - Í - J - K - L - M - N - O - Ó - P - Q - R - S - T - U - Ú - V - W - X - Y - Ý - Z - Þ - Æ - Ö

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The modern Icelandic alphabet has developed from a standard established in the 19th century, by the Danish linguist Rasmus Rask primarily. It is ultimately based heavily on an orthographic standard created in the early 12th century by a mysterious document referred to as The First Grammatical Treatise, author unknown. The standard was intended for what its author perceived to be a common language of Scandinavia, alias Old Norse. It did not have much influence, however, at the time.

Related Topics:
Icelandic - Alphabet - 19th century - Rasmus Rask - 12th century - The First Grammatical Treatise - Language of Scandinavia - Old Norse

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The most defining characteristics of the alphabet were established in the old treatise:

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• Use of the acute accent (originally to signify vowel length).
• Use of þ, borrowed from the Old English alphabet letter thorn, a language which the astute grammarian described as "more or less the same" as Old Norse.

The later Rasmus Rask standard was basically a re-enactment of the old treatise, with some changes to fit concurrent Germanic conventions, such as the exclusive use of k rather than c. Various old features, like ð, had actually not seen much use in the later centuries, so Rask's standard constituted a major change in practice.

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Later 20th century changes are most notably the adoption of é, which had previously been written as je (reflecting the modern pronunciation), and the abolition of z in 1974, which had long been a mere etymological detail.

Related Topics:
20th century - 1974

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