Computers can't grasp Icelandic. Here's why that's a big problem

Iceland's mother tongue has a major tech problem.

Many new computer devices do not understand Icelandic, a unique descendant of the Old Norse language filled with ultra-descriptive words such as Hundslappadrifa, or "heavy snowfall with large flakes occurring in calm wind."

This omission is compounding a bigger issue on the North Atlantic island of about 340,000 people.

Icelandic, seen by residents as a source of identity and pride, is losing ground as English becomes the lingua franca of mass tourism and voice-activated devices, the Associated Press reported. Read more...