Ivar Andreas Aasen

Aasen (Ivar Andreas) (1813-96). A Norwegian philologist. He was born, at Söndmöre. He at first studied botany, but subsequently turned his attention to researches respecting the native dialects. Assisted by the Government, he traversed nearly the whole of Norway, investigating popular speech, upon which he sought to base a national language that should be free from Danish influence. In 1848 he published Det Norske Folkesprogs Grammatik, and in 1850 added Ordbog over det Norske Folkesprog, enlarged under the title of Norsk Ordbog in 1873, and in 1856 Norske Ordsprog, a treatise on Norwegian proverbs. Through his linguistic work he was the originator of the patriotic movement generally known as the “Maalstrœv.”