Rasmus Rask

Rasmus Rask
Born	Rasmus Christian Nielsen Rasch (1787-11-22)22 November 1787 Brændekilde, Denmark
Died	14 November 1832(1832-11-14) (aged 44) Copenhagen, Denmark
Academic background
Alma mater	University of Copenhagen
Academic work
Discipline	Linguistics, Philology
Sub-discipline	Historical linguistics Comparative linguistics

Rasmus Kristian Rask (Danish: [ˈʁɑsmus ˈkʰʁestjæn ˈʁɑsk]; born Rasmus Christian Nielsen Rasch;^[1] 22 November 1787 – 14 November 1832) was a Danish linguist and philologist. He wrote several grammars and worked on comparative phonology and morphology. Rask traveled extensively to study languages, first to Iceland, where he wrote the first grammar of Icelandic, and later to Russia, Persia, India, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Shortly before his death, he was hired as professor of Eastern languages at the University of Copenhagen. Rask is especially known for his contributions to comparative linguistics, including an early formulation of what would later be known as Grimm's Law.^[1][2] He was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society in 1829.^[3]