Danish linguist best known for his description of English grammar and for his theories of language development and change. His seven-volume A Modern English Grammar on Historical Principles remains a standard reference, and Noam Chomsky later credited Jespersen's ideas as anticipating later work in generative syntax.
Facts
RoleLinguist; grammarian of English and theorist of language change 1 Role
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Source Wikipedia: Otto Jespersen
Influenced
Chomsky credited Jespersen's ideas on syntax as anticipating later generative approaches.
Source Wikipedia: Otto Jespersen
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Sources
1. Wikipedia: Otto Jespersen
Wikimedia FoundationGeneral syntax section
the work of recent years tends generally to support the basic ideas that Jespersen outlined 50 years ago
- Introduction
- Introduction, IPA notation
Lead section
Jens Otto Harry Jespersen (Danish: [ˈʌtˢo ˈjespɐsn̩]; 16 July 1860 - 30 April 1943) was a Danish linguist who worked in foreign-language pedagogy, historical phonetics, and other areas, but is best known for his description of the grammar of the English language.
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