Rask, Rasmus

Rask, Rasmus (Kristian)

(born Nov. 22, 1787, Braendekilde, Den.—died Nov. 14, 1832, Copenhagen) Danish linguist. A scholar of Indo-European languages, he was a principal founder of the science of comparative linguistics. His observation that sound shifts between corresponding words in Germanic and other Indo-European languages followed predictable patterns was the basis of a fundamental law of linguistics later enunciated by Jacob Grimm (Grimm's law). Rask also carried out extensive research on Old Norse, publishing his Investigation of the Origin of the Old Norse or Icelandic Language in 1818. By the end of his life he had mastered 25 languages and dialects.