Languages are constantly evolving, and many have come and gone during the course of human history. Is Icelandic about to head into obscurity? The Associated Press reported it could be in danger of dying just like Latin, the language spoken by the once powerful ancient Romans. "The revered Icelandic language, seen by many as a source of identity and pride, is being undermined by the widespread use of English, both for mass tourism and in the voice-controlled artificial intelligence devices coming into vogue," the AP said. Asgeir Jonsson, an economics professor at the University of Iceland, told the news service, "Not being able to speak Icelandic to voice-activated fridges, interactive robots and similar devices would be yet another lost field."

When an Icelander arrives at an office building and sees'Solarfri' posted, they need no further explanation for the empty premises: The word means'when staff get an unexpected afternoon off to enjoy good weather.' The people of this rugged North Atlantic island settled by Norsemen some 1,100 years ago have a unique dialect of Old Norse that has adapted to life at the edge of the Artic. Hundslappadrifa, for example, means'heavy snowfall with large flakes occurring in calm wind.' Linguistics experts wonder if this is the beginning of the end for the Icelandic tongue. Salome Sigurjonsdottir, 10, tests a voice-controlled television in an electronics store in Reykjavik. Linguistics experts, studying the future of a language spoken by fewer than 400,000 people in an increasingly globalized world, wonder if this is the beginning of the end for the Icelandic tongue.

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. SEE ALSO: Companies will have to prove equal pay in Iceland now, and it's pretty great 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. Linguistic experts have warned the language is at risk of dying out in the modern world, particularly as tourism booms and foreign workers find more jobs on the rugged island. Unless the government, educators, families, and tech developers make a concerted effort to preserve Icelandic, it could easily be relegated to history books.