Icelandic is the language of Iceland and one of the Germanic languages. Icelandic is derived from the Old Norse language that was brought to Iceland in the 9th
and 10th centuries by settlers from western Norway. With respect to spelling, vocabulary, and grammar, modern Icelandic is undoubtedly the most traditional of the Scandinavian languages. Speakers of modern Icelandic are still able to read Old Norse. While most Western European languages have minimized the extent of inflection, especially with respect to noun declension, the Icelandic language maintains an inflectional grammar similar to that of Ancient Greek, Latin, or more so to Old English. Icelanders are serious about the preservation of their language. Rather than borrowing foreign words for new concepts, they take pains to create new Icelandic words for public use.