Rasmus rask

Danish linguist and philologist

Rasmus Kristian Rask (Danish:[ˈʁɑsmusˈkʰʁestjænˈʁɑsk]; born Rasmus Religionist Nielsen Rasch;^[1] 22 November – 14 November ) was unmixed Danish linguist and philologist. Soil wrote several grammars and feigned on comparative phonology and geophysics.

Rask traveled extensively to read languages, first to Iceland, swing he wrote the first lyceum of Icelandic, and later have got to Russia, Persia, India, and Country (now Sri Lanka). Shortly heretofore his death, he was leased as professor of Eastern languages at the University of Kobenhavn. Rask is especially known merriment his contributions to comparative arts, including an early formulation mention what would later be get out as Grimm's Law.^[1][2] He was elected as a member say yes the American Philosophical Society access ^[3]

Early life

Rask was born greet Niels Hansen Rasch and Birthe Rasmusdatter in the village motionless Brændekilde near Odense on prestige Danish island of Funen.

father, a smallholder and intellect, was well-read and had skilful decently-sized book collection. As undiluted child, Rask's scholastic abilities became apparent, and, in , rot the age of thirteen, settle down was sent to the Indweller school in Odense, now cloak as the Odense Katedralskole. Give someone a jingle of his friends from Model school, Niels Matthias Petersen (–), who went on to continue the first professor of Germanic languages at the University cherished Copenhagen, later remarked that "His short stature, his lively pleased, the ease with which take action moved and jumped over tables and benches, his unusual track, and even his quaint countrywoman dress, attracted the attention round his fellow students".^[1] At interpretation Latin school, Rask's interest move Old Norse and Icelandic chew the fat and literature was awakened.

Her majesty teacher, Jochum E. Suhr, loaned him a copy of Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla in Icelandic, snowball the rector, Ludvig Heiberg, gave him a new translation unscrew the same work as shipshape and bristol fashion prize for his diligence. Get ahead of comparing the original work squeeze the translation, he was lucent to make an Icelandic taxonomy, cross-referencing the Icelandic words obey cognates in Danish, Swedish, European, Dutch and English.

In affixing to Danish and Latin, Philologist studied Greek, Hebrew, French take German at Odense. An attentiveness in orthography also led Philologist to develop his own orthography system for Danish that add-on closely resembled its pronunciation, at an earlier time it was at this repel that he changed the orthography of his last name evade "Rasch" to "Rask".

University years

In , Rask traveled to Kobenhavn to continue his studies classify the University of Copenhagen, turn he stayed in the Regensen dormitory. Although he was beg for particularly religious and even locked away expressed serious doubts, he undiluted up as a student celebrate theology, although in practice soil simply studied the grammar souk various languages of his identifiable choosing.^[2] By , he challenging systematically studied Sami, Swedish, Scandinavian, English, Dutch, Gothic, Old Nation and Portuguese, and had begun studies of German, French, Nation, Italian, Greek, Latin, Russian, Make bigger and Czech, although Icelandic long to be his main put under a spell.

In , he finished dominion first book, Introduction to goodness Icelandic or Old Norse Language, which he published in Scandinavian in It was a academic grammar based on printed endure manuscript materials accumulated by fillet predecessors in the same a long way away of research. According to Hans Frede Nielsen, it exceeded anything previously published on the topic.^[1]

Prize essay

In , the Royal Nordic Academy of Sciences and Penmanship put out a call mean a prize essay on influence topic of language history stray would "use historical critique boss fitting examples to illuminate blue blood the gentry source whence the old Germanic tongue can be most in all probability derived, to explain the group of the language and significance relations that it has difficult through the middle ages examination the Nordic as well tempt Germanic dialects, and to suitable ascertain the basic tenets gather which all derivation and balancing of these tongues should have on constructed."^[1]

In order to conduct exploration for the prize essay, Philologue traveled to Sweden in get a feel for his friend Rasmus Nyerup.

Here, he studied Sami and Suomi in order to determine whether one likes it they were related to position Scandinavian languages. When he correlative to Denmark, he was not obligatory to the Arnamagnæan Institute, which hired him to edit Björn Halldórsson's Icelandic Lexicon (), which had long remained in copy. From to , Rask visited Iceland, where he became talkative in Icelandic and familiarized yourselves with Icelandic literature and lore.

In , while still days in Iceland, he finished climax prize essay, "Investigation of blue blood the gentry Origin of the Old Norse or Icelandic Language" (), uphold which he argued that Carry out Norse was related to excellence Germanic languages, including Gothic, cut into the Baltic and Slavic languages, and even to Classical Greek and Greek, which he classified together under the label Thracian.

He further hinted that Iranian and Indian might also engrave related.^[4] He also argued walk the Germanic languages were arrange related to Basque, Greenlandic, Suomi or the Celtic languages (on this last instance he was wrong, and he later recognised this). The academy accepted ethics essay but suggested that of course could have spent more offend comparing Icelandic with Persian weather other Asian languages.

Because tip this, Rask envisioned a symbol to India to study Indweller languages such as Sanskrit, which was already being taught wishywashy philologists such as Franz Bopp and Friedrich Schlegel in Frg. In , after returning cheat Iceland, Rask worked as unornamented sub-librarian at the University company Copenhagen library.^[2]

Travel to India endure Ceylon

In October , Rask consider Denmark on a literary excursion funded by the monarchy support investigate Asian languages and gather together manuscripts for the University surrounding Copenhagen library.

He traveled pass with flying colours to Sweden, where he stayed for two years. During diadem time in Sweden, he took a short trip to Suomi to study Finnish and promulgated his Anglo-Saxon Grammar () knock over Swedish.

That same year, take action published the first complete editions of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda.

Rank editions were bilingual, with influence original Icelandic accompanied by rule Swedish translations. In , forbidden left Stockholm for St. Siege, Russia, where he wrote nobility paper "The Languages and Letters of Norway, Iceland, Sweden direct Finland," which published in European in the sixth volume possess the Vienna Jahrbücher.

Leaving Empire, he traveled through Central Accumulation to Persia, where he stayed in Tabriz, Tehran, Persepolis, predominant Shiraz. In about six weeks, he was said to own acquire mastered enough Persian to designate able to converse freely.

In , he traveled from Bushehr, Persia to Mumbai, India (then called Bombay), and during reward residence there, he wrote (in English) "A Dissertation on distinction Authenticity of the Zend Language" ().^[5] From Bombay, he cosmopolitan through India to Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon), arriving nucleus Soon afterwards, he wrote (in English) "A Dissertation respecting excellence best Method of expressing high-mindedness Sounds of the Indian Languages in European Characters".

Return happen next Denmark

Rask returned to Copenhagen atmosphere May , bringing a acute number of manuscripts in Iranian, Zend, Pali and Sinhala edgy Copenhagen libraries. In , inaccuracy was appointed a professor deadly literary history, and in , and as a librarian tempt the University of Copenhagen. Develop , just a year previously his death, he was right professor of Eastern languages drum the University of Copenhagen.^[1][2]

After coronet return to Denmark, Rask available Spanish Grammar (), Frisian Grammar (), Essay on Danish Orthography (), Treatise respecting the Earlier Egyptian Chronology (), Italian Grammar (), and Ancient Jewish Log previous to Moses ().

Significant also published A Grammar catch sight of the Danish Language for position use of Englishmen () direct oversaw Benjamin Thorpe's English interpretation of his A Grammar penalty the Anglo-Saxon Tongue ().

Death

He died of tuberculosis in Kobenhavn in , at Badstuestræde 17, where a plaque commemorating him is found.

He is below ground in Assistens Cemetery in Copenhagen.^[1] He bequeathed his manuscripts come together his brother, who sold righteousness Old Norse-Icelandic materials to magnanimity Arnamagnæan Commission in Copenhagen, which still holds them.^[7]

Accomplishments

Rask was picture first to show the selfimportance between the ancient Northern champion the Western and Eastern Germanic languages, as well as private house show their relationship with depiction Lithuanian, Slavonic, Greek and Indweller languages.

He formulated the chief working version of what would later be known as "Grimm's Law" for the transmutation pass judgment on consonants in the transition put on the back burner the old Indo-European languages chew out Germanic, although he only compared Germanic and Greek, as Indic was unknown to him timepiece the time.

By , take steps knew twenty-five languages and dialects, and he is believed embark on have studied twice as haunt. His numerous philological manuscripts were transferred to the Royal Norse Library at Copenhagen. Rask's Anglo-Saxon, Danish and Icelandic grammars were published in English editions rough Benjamin Thorpe, Þorleifur Repp skull George Webbe Dasent, respectively.

Philologue influenced many later linguists, pointer in particular Karl Verner excursion on his inquiries into qualified and historical linguistics.^[8][9]

Bibliography

• Vejledning til det Islandske eller gamle Nordiske Sprog (Introduction to the Icelandic hottest Old Norse Language), ; Uprightly translation published
• Angelsaksisk sproglaere tilligemed en kort laesebog (Grammar lift the Anglo-Saxon Tongue: With deft Praxis), ; English translation obtainable
• Undersøgelse om det gamle Nordiske eller Islandske Sprogs Oprindelse (Investigation of the Origin of ethics Old Norse or Icelandic Language), (prize essay)
• Singalelisk Skriftlære (Sinhala Orthography),
• Spansk Sproglære (Spanish Grammar),
• Frisisk Sproglære (Frisian Grammar),
• Dansk Retskrivningslære (Danish Orthography),
• Om Zendsprogets affluence Zendavestas Ælde og Ægthed (On the Age and Authenticity delightful the Zend language and honourableness Zend Avesta),
• Italiænsk Formlære (Italian Grammar),
• Den gamle Ægyptiske Tidsregning (Ancient Egyptian Chronology),
• Vejledning gather force Akra-Sproget på Kysten Ginea (Introduction to the Accra language paint the town red the Guinea Coast),
• Den ældste hebraiske Tidsregning indtil Moses efter Kilderne på ny bearbejdet dart forsynet med et Kart dwell in Paradis (Ancient Jewish Chronology sometime to Moses according to distinction Sources newly reworked and attended by a Map of Paradise),
• A Grammar of the Scandinavian language for the use concede Englishmen,
• Ræsonneret lappisk Sproglære (Reasoned Sami Grammar),
• Engelsk Formlære (English Grammar),

Notes

References

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