Icelandic on Facebook: Linguistic practices in an informal communication space

Abstract This article is based on a PhD project that addressed the multilingual digital practices of native Icelandic speakers in so-called “computer-mediated communication” (CMC) and more specifically on Facebook. The research draws on new literacy studies as well as linguistic research on multilingualism in the context of digital environments to investigate the digital practices of Icelandic Facebook users. By applying both quantitative and qualitative research methods, the article argues for a mixed-method approach that allows for a more holistic analysis of digital discourse data. It is especially interested in the formal characteristics of Icelandic digital writing and tries to explore what linguistic resources users draw upon and how different communicative functions and contextual factors influence the users’ digital practices. Icelandic forms an interesting test case for the study of digital practices as Facebook constitutes an important communication space for Icelanders. However, the digital practices that can be observed on this social network site are characterised by informality and linguistic forms that may contrast with language regard and language ideology in Iceland.