ABSTRACT
Denmark 1 is a North European country of 5.2 million citizens. More than 90% are mother-tongue speakers of Danish, a Germanic language closely related to Norwegian and Icelandic. Throughout the country there are also sign language users, and in Slesvig, there is a bilingual German minority. By 1996, about 4% of the population were non-Danish citizens. Roughly one third were Nordic, European Union (EU), or North American citizens. Among the largest groups from other countries we find Turks (including Kurds), Pakistanis, Iranians, Yugoslavs, Sri Lankans, Poles, Vietnamese, Moroccans, Lebanese, Somalis, and Iraqis (including Kurds). Migrant workers have mainly settled in and around Copenhagen, the capital, and the major towns of Denmark, whereas refugees, owing to a deliberate policy, are dispersed all over the country.
