Rasmus Rask
Danish linguist
Died when: 44 years 358 days (539 months)Star Sign: Sagittarius
Rasmus Kristian Rask (Danish: ['??smus 'k??estjæn '??sk]; born Rasmus Christian Nielsen Rasch; 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.
He was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society in 1829.
