RASMUS RASK AND JACOB GRIMM: THEIR RELATIONSHIP IN THE INVESTIGATION OF GERMANIC VOCALISM

Abstract

MriHE year 1961 marked the 150th anniversary of the publication of JL Rasmus Rask's Vejledning til det Islandske eller gamie Nordiske Sprog (Copenhagen, 1811), in which the historical origin of mutation, or umlaut, was first demonstrated. It is therefore appropriate that Rask's contributions to the investigation of the vocalism of the Germanic languages be once again submitted to scrutiny in order that the relationship between him and his fellow investigator, Jacob Grimm, may be more accurately defined. This relationship has often been distorted, consciously or subconsciously, by patriotic fervor on the part of both Danes and Germans. In recent years, a more objective evaluation has been undertaken, but there remain certain points which require further clarification. Jacob Grimm considered the investigation of the vocalism of the Germanic languages to be one of the most difficult problems facing the new science of historical linguistics.1 It is precisely in this area that Rask made very significant contributions which have not yet received the full recognition they deserve. Friedrich Stroh credits Rask with having contributed substantially to Grimm's views on historical and comparative linguistics and to his treatment of the Germanic languages. He finds that with the publication of the Unders0gelse om Det gamie Nordiske eller Islandske Sprogs Oprindelse, Rask stood der Schwelle der germanischen Sprachwissenschaft. Er ist freilich an der Schwelle stehen geblieben, gewann daher auch nicht den Einfluss auf die germanische Philologie wie Jacob Grimm.2 From a comparison of the early works of both Rask and Grimm with respect to their concepts of vocalic developments, it will be seen that Rask did not merely remain on the threshold, but actually opened wide the door through which Jacob Grimm later passed.

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 40 citations exist upstream.