I see we’ve got our wires crossed; I was speaking elliptically. I meant: It doesn’t mean that there still aren’t native Icelandic radio and TV stations producing Icelandic content for Icelanders.**.
I think the patronymic thing – all the men are named -son, and all the women named -dottir – is the coolest thing ever. I think it’s because “dottir” is such a cute word. It sounds like “daughter”. Snerk!
Ok, enough silliness.
And I’m sure I’ve never seen “Icelandic” and “patriotism” (not to mention uber-patriotism) used in the same sentence.
Damn double posts! (how’d I do that?)
Do I have to like Bjork or whatever her name is? I still go :eek: re her strange dying swan outfit at some award ceremony…
I have long said that Björk is the woman I’d “go gay” for. She is quite lovely.
It was my great disappointment when I flew Icelandair this summer that not all the flight attendants looked like her. I did enjoy “reading” the Icelandic newspaper though. The written language was remarkably like Swedish, given how totally different they sound when spoken.
Mama Tiger, what movie was that? Who made it? I know there was a camera crew on one of the boats I was on a year or two back so if it’s the same movie, some of my friends would be in there. Gotta see it.
Ah, I see what you mean now, no thanks to the word “elliptical”, may I add. I’m fine with colloquial English but my complete lack of education renders some of your fancier words …obfuscatory? Save for a significant down-dumbing on your behalf, I fear our wires may yet cross again.
jsc1953, Dottir and Daughter are effectively the same word, of course, much as Tochter (german), Dochter (dutch, I’m pretty sure) and, if I’m not mistaken, Doche (russian). There’s lots more of course, as languages seem to form similar words for the closest family members (guess what Brodir and Systir means?). Memes, I guess? Also, Icelandic is one of the parent languages of English. I’m probably missing some of this “sarcasm” of yours but there it is.
eleanorigby, liking Bjork is not a prerequisite for visiting Iceland. I, for one, am not a fan and can bear about three of her songs. The Sugarcubes made much better music, as did Tappi Tikarrass, come to think of it. Oh, and be welcome; there’s always room for more merkins up here.
In Iran they have maman, baba, barodar and dokhtar. The simliarities are caused not by memes, but a common aryan ancestor language. Icelandic is not a mother to English, rather the languages are both in the Germanic branch of the Indo-European family.
As for Miss World, I had never heard of that contest before, but she looks cute.
The meme idea, admittedly, is from some looney Chomskian linguistic rhetoric or other; genetic language or something… I am aware that English did not specifically evolve from Icelandic or Old Norse (the same thing) and I do know the language family trees, but the viking invasions, for example, had a considerable lasting effect on the English language. I’m not just extracting this from my muscular posterior; I’ve seen Icelandic named as one of the “parent languages” of English in several places.
Awesome… how do people like it? It’s a little different from your average American cakes, methinks.
I’ve probably mentioned this before but if you’re interested, I can help you trace your family here pretty much back to the days of settlement or at least to around 1000. My ancestors include one who killed his first man at six (Egill Skalla-Grimsson of Borg [resistance was indeed futile]), another who is famous for fighting the Devil himself (Saemundur the Wise) and more notable figures from Icelandic history–I can pretty much guarantee that you have a lot of “famous” ancestors back here and they at least make for interesting discussion topics.
Huh. OK-that’s the last time I’ll believe my parents. They told me that Iceladair didn’t fly outta Chicago.
Oh, wait-they’re flying it to London–and it doesn’t fly out of Chicago and go to London–it only goes to Iceland (note avoidance of attempt to spell capitol city of Iceland’s name).
Anyhoo, I would like to come visit–maybe some day–it sounds lovely.
Could you rustle up a heroic ancestor for me as well? I am completely WASP, so who knows…one of them might have come from there!
Oh, btw-I don’t understand the merkin reference at all. Do Icelandic people wear such items?
I would think they would itch. Not for me, thanks anway!
Sorry; meant Americans. Come one come all. Not all at the same time, though.
merkin = American. Unless one of us is being whooshed.
I suspect the looking hard after age 30 has more to do w/ the drinking and partying till 4am than with the weather…
A more important question, do Icelandic women turn into water heaters after having children? 