Transitioning to English
By the late 1930s, the Icelandic community in Manitoba had been subject to language assimilation for several decades. In November 1937, a “Young Icelanders in Winnipeg” organization formed, which consisted of Icelandic community members who expressed themselves more fluently in English than in Icelandic. The group was, however, still eager to preserve their shared sense of Icelandic identity through social and cultural events.
Icelandic and Icelandic Canadian participants at the All Nations Parade, Winnipeg, July 4, 1942
The organization eventually became “The Icelandic Canadian Club.” In 1942, they published the first issue of The Icelandic Canadian, their quarterly magazine. Its first editor was Laura Goodman Salverson, Governor General Award winner for fiction and non-fiction in 1937 and 1939. The Icelandic Canadian featured original and translated stories and poems alongside essays on Icelandic and North American-Icelandic culture and history. It continues today under the title Icelandic Connection.
Original 1948 painting by Laura Goodman Salverson.
By the mid-1950s, Icelandic-language book publishing in Manitoba had all but ended. A few Icelandic religious periodicals published in the province persisted. The only other Icelandic magazine remaining in circulation was Tímarit Þjóðræknisfélags Íslendinga. It continued to appear until 1968.
The 1940s and 50s also saw a major decline in readership of the two Icelandic weekly papers, Heimskringla and Lögberg.
Stefan Jonasson, editor of the newspaper Lögberg-Heimskringla, discusses how the Icelander’s transition to English affected Heimskringla and Lögberg. Enjoy this audio clip with an English transcript.
To ensure the survival of at least one Icelandic newspaper in North America, the community took major steps.
Stefan Jonasson discusses the amalgamation of Heimskringla and Lögberg. Enjoy this audio clip with an English transcript.
The amalgamated paper, Lögberg-Heimskringla, continues to be published bi-weekly today, both in print and digital formats. Its contents are exclusively in English. Its long history also tells the story of the many changes Icelandic migrants and their descendants experienced over the last 150 years.
Stefan Jonasson discusses the changes the amalgamated paper has experienced over the years and its future. Enjoy this audio clip with an English transcript.
The current home of Lögberg-Heimskringla at 835 Marion Street in Winnipeg.
Icelanders in Manitoba, and elsewhere in North America, took deliberate steps to best navigate the community’s gradual transition to English. However, their desire to preserve, strengthen, and promote Icelandic culture, identity, and heritage remained strong over the years and continues today.