Perhaps the strongest, earliest influences on the English language were from Scandinavian sources. As a result, a knowledge of the Icelandic language is considered of great importance. Not only does Icelandic give the basis for such a study, it also gives the source of information for understanding medieval British history. Old Icelandic affords a wealth of interesting poetry and prose.

Geir T. Zoega's A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic has long been the foremost reference source for the Icelandic language.