Is there more to teaching Nordic languages than “røvkedelig dansk” and ”þungur hnífur”? : A comparative study of language policy for Nordic languages as norm and practise in Sweden and on Iceland.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the Nordic Councils’ language policy as norm and practice in Sweden and Iceland. The study covers how the policy is represented in governing documents, how teachers relate to the policy in attitudes and in teaching, and what differences and similarities can be seen in both countries. The study consists of qualitative interviews with Icelandic and Swedish teachers. The material was analysed by a theoretical framework set up by earlier studies done in the relevant field of research. The findings show that the aims of the Nordic language policy are not entirely met for various reasons. There are discrepancies between teachers’ praxis and school curriculums in Iceland. Nordic languages are peripheral and vague subjects in the Swedish teacher’s praxis. Both countries have similar attitudes towards Nordic languages and the purpose of teaching coincide between the countries and the Nordic Council