Birna Arnbjrnsdttir

Birna Arnbjörnsdóttir (born 1952) is an Icelandic linguist and Professor of Second Language Studies at the University of Iceland. She serves as Director of the Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute of Foreign Languages and Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Cultures. Born in Keflavík, Iceland, to parents Arnbjörn Ólafsson and Erna Vigfúsdóttir, she earned a BA in English and French from the University of Iceland (1976), an MA from the University of Reading (1977), and a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin (1990).

Birna worked as Assistant Professor and later Associate Professor at Notre Dame College and taught linguistics and English writing at several U.S. universities before joining the University of Iceland in 2000. Her research focuses on language contact, bilingualism, and Icelandic heritage languages. She has led projects such as WILA (World Initiative for Language Preservation and Advancement) and developed Icelandic Online, an educational platform.

Birna has served on various committees related to education and diversity in the U.S., including the New Hampshire Department of Education Ad Hoc Committee on Multicultural Affairs. She co-founded Móðurmál to strengthen first-language skills for migrant children and chaired the board of the Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute of Foreign Languages. She is also owner and chair of RASK, a company specializing in Computer Assisted Language Teaching.

Birna has authored several publications, including *North American Icelandic: The Life of a Language* (2006) and *Language Development Across the Life Span* (2017). She has four children.