Vi\u00f0 sem eigum \u00edslensku a\u00f0 m\u00f3\u00f0urm\u00e1li erum ekki \u00ed vandr\u00e6\u00f0um me\u00f0 a\u00f0 \u00feekkja hana \u00feegar vi\u00f0 heyrum hana tala\u00f0a e\u00f0a sj\u00e1um hana \u00e1 prenti, en m\u00e1li\u00f0 vandast ef vi\u00f0 eigum a\u00f0 skilgreina tunguna. Fram \u00e1 s\u00ed\u00f0ustu \u00f6ld hef\u00f0i duga\u00f0 a\u00f0 segja: \u201e\u00cdslenska er \u00fea\u00f0 tungum\u00e1l sem er tala\u00f0 \u00e1 \u00cdslandi\u201c, \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 t\u00e6past voru \u00f6nnur tungum\u00e1l t\u00f6lu\u00f0 \u00ed landinu nema hj\u00e1 f\u00e1einum d\u00f6nskum kaupm\u00f6nnum og emb\u00e6ttism\u00f6nnum.<\/p>\n
N\u00fa eru a\u00f0st\u00e6\u00f0ur gerbreyttar og fj\u00f6lm\u00f6rg tungum\u00e1l t\u00f6lu\u00f0 \u00e1 \u00cdslandi, \u00fe\u00f3tt \u00edslenska s\u00e9 vitaskuld enn\u00fe\u00e1 m\u00f3\u00f0urm\u00e1l yfirgn\u00e6fandi meirihluta \u00edb\u00faanna. Ef skilgreining af \u00feessu tagi er notu\u00f0 ver\u00f0ur \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 minnsta kosti a\u00f0 breyta or\u00f0alaginu og segja: \u201e\u00cdslenska er \u00fea\u00f0 tungum\u00e1l sem langflestir \u00edb\u00faar \u00cdslands eiga a\u00f0 m\u00f3\u00f0urm\u00e1li\u201c. (Athugi\u00f0 a\u00f0 h\u00e9r er sagt \u201e\u00edb\u00faar \u00cdslands\u201c en ekki \u201e\u00cdslendingar\u201c, vegna \u00feess a\u00f0 skilgreining \u00feess hver s\u00e9 \u00cdslendingur er ekki s\u00ed\u00f0ur sn\u00fain en skilgreining tungum\u00e1lsins.)<\/p>\n
\u00dea\u00f0 m\u00e1 l\u00edka hugsa s\u00e9r a\u00f0 skilgreina \u00edslensku \u00fat fr\u00e1 \u00e1kve\u00f0num formseinkennum \u00ed hlj\u00f3\u00f0afari, beygingum og setningager\u00f0. Til d\u00e6mis m\u00e1 segja a\u00f0 \u00edslenska s\u00e9 tungum\u00e1l \u00fear sem tiltekin m\u00e1lhlj\u00f3\u00f0 eru notu\u00f0 (og telja \u00feau upp) og tilteknar reglur gilda um \u00fea\u00f0 hvernig \u00feau geta ra\u00f0ast saman; \u00fear sem fallor\u00f0 hafa \u00ferj\u00fa kyn, tv\u00e6r t\u00f6lur og fj\u00f6gur f\u00f6ll, og sagnir beygjast \u00ed pers\u00f3num t\u00f6lum, t\u00ed\u00f0um og h\u00e1ttum; \u00fear sem s\u00f6gn \u00ed pers\u00f3nuh\u00e6tti er yfirleitt ekki aftar en annar li\u00f0ur \u00ed setningu; og svo framvegis. Hvert \u00feessara atri\u00f0a um sig getur \u00e1tt vi\u00f0 fleiri m\u00e1l en \u00edslensku, en \u00feegar \u00feau koma \u00f6ll saman f\u00e1um vi\u00f0 l\u00fdsingu sem fellur v\u00e6ntanlega ekki a\u00f0 neinu \u00f6\u00f0ru m\u00e1li. En skilgreining af \u00feessu tagi er fl\u00f3kin og vandme\u00f0farin.<\/p>\n
V\u00e6ntanlega liggur \u00fe\u00f3 beinast vi\u00f0 skilgreina \u00edslensku \u00fat fr\u00e1 uppruna, segja a\u00f0 h\u00fan s\u00e9 ind\u00f3evr\u00f3pskt m\u00e1l<\/a>, n\u00e1nar til teki\u00f0 nor\u00f0urgermanskt<\/a>, og enn n\u00e1nar vesturnorr\u00e6nt<\/a>. \u00dea\u00f0 er svo \u00e1litam\u00e1l hven\u00e6r \u00edslenska hafi or\u00f0i\u00f0 til. T\u00e6past er h\u00e6gt a\u00f0 segja a\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 hafi veri\u00f0 \u00feegar vi\u00f0 landn\u00e1m \u2013 e\u00f0lilegra er a\u00f0 segja a\u00f0 \u00edslenska ver\u00f0i til sem s\u00e9rstakt tungum\u00e1l \u00feegar einhver tiltekinn munur er or\u00f0inn \u00e1 \u00fev\u00ed m\u00e1li sem tala\u00f0 er \u00e1 \u00cdslandi og m\u00e1linu \u00ed Noregi.<\/p>\n \u00dea\u00f0 er hins vegar \u00fatiloka\u00f0 a\u00f0 t\u00edmasetja tilur\u00f0 \u00edslensku \u2013 \u00ed \u00feessum skilningi \u2013 n\u00e1kv\u00e6mlega. B\u00e6\u00f0i skortir okkur heimildir um \u00fea\u00f0 hversu mikill munurinn var \u00e1 hverjum t\u00edma, og eins er skilgreiningaratri\u00f0i hversu mikill hann \u00fearf a\u00f0 vera til a\u00f0 r\u00e9ttl\u00e6tanlegt s\u00e9 a\u00f0 tala um \u00edslensku sem s\u00e9rstakt tungum\u00e1l \u2013 frekar en sem norska m\u00e1ll\u00fdsku. Munurinn \u00e1 m\u00e1li og m\u00e1ll\u00fdsku<\/a> er raunar s\u00e9rstakt vi\u00f0fangsefni sem ekki ver\u00f0ur leyst \u00e1 einfaldan h\u00e1tt.<\/p>\n Skilgreining tungum\u00e1ls er a\u00f0 einhverju leyti h\u00e1\u00f0 t\u00edma og ytri a\u00f0st\u00e6\u00f0um. Hva\u00f0 ef \u00edslenskan breytist verulega \u00ed framt\u00ed\u00f0inni? H\u00e6ttir h\u00fan \u00fe\u00e1 a\u00f0 vera \u00edslenska? Fyrir r\u00famum 40 \u00e1rum f\u00f3r \u00e9g \u00e1 fyrirlestur sem J\u00f3n Helgason pr\u00f3fessor flutti \u00ed H\u00e1sk\u00f3la \u00cdslands \u2013 fyrirlesturinn var kynntur \u00feannig a\u00f0 J\u00f3n spjalla\u00f0i um \u00fea\u00f0 sem honum dytti \u00ed hug. \u00de\u00e1 nefndi hann a\u00f0 n\u00fa stefndi \u00ed \u00fea\u00f0 a\u00f0 \u00edslenska hyrfi af landinu og bara yr\u00f0i eftir reykv\u00edska \u2013 sem v\u00e6ri gott, \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 \u00fe\u00e1 hef\u00f0i vi\u00f0fangsefni hans b\u00e6\u00f0i upphaf og endi.<\/p>\n \u00deetta var au\u00f0vita\u00f0 sagt \u00ed h\u00e1lfk\u00e6ringi eins og J\u00f3ns var von og v\u00edsa, en spurningin er samt gild. \u00cdslenska n\u00fat\u00edmans er talsvert fr\u00e1brug\u00f0in \u00edslensku Sturlungaaldar \u00e1 \u00fdmsan h\u00e1tt \u2013 hlj\u00f3\u00f0kerfi\u00f0 er gerbreytt, fj\u00f6ldi nafnor\u00f0a hefur breytt um beygingarflokk og beygingarflokkar runni\u00f0 saman, talsver\u00f0ar breytingar hafa or\u00f0i\u00f0 \u00e1 sagnendingum, \u00fdmislegt \u00ed setningager\u00f0 hefur breyst, og merking margra or\u00f0a er n\u00fa \u00f6nnur en h\u00fan var \u2013 en vi\u00f0 erum \u00fe\u00f3 ekki \u00ed vafa um a\u00f0 \u00feetta s\u00e9 sama tungum\u00e1li\u00f0.<\/p>\n