Faroese

Faroese is a North Germanic language spoken by the Faroese people of the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark in the North Atlantic. It is part of the West Nordic subgroup, and is most closely related to Icelandic; mutual intelligibility with other Nordic languages is limited.

The language derives from Old Norse and developed into a distinct vernacular in the Middle Ages. The modern written standard was established in the 19th century by Venceslaus Ulricus Hammershaimb, whose orthography remains the basis for contemporary Faroese spelling. Use of a Latin-based alphabet with several special letters and diacritics is typical; the alphabet includes ø and æ, among others, and vowels may carry acute marks such as á, í, ó to indicate stress or length in educational material.

Faroese is the official language of the Faroe Islands and is used in education, government, media, and everyday communication. Danish is also widely known and used, particularly in administration and higher education, and many speakers are bilingual. The language has about 70,000 speakers, most on the islands, with smaller communities in Denmark and elsewhere in the diaspora.

Linguistically, Faroese preserves some archaic features of Old Norse grammar while continuing to evolve. It has a rich oral tradition and a growing body of literature, journalism, and online content, supporting its continued use in public life and culture.