Otto Jespersen

Mankind, Nation and Individual - from a Linguistic Point of View Otto Jespersen

This early work by Otto Jespersen was originally published in 1925 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'Mankind, Nation and Individual' is a work on the subject of linguistics that deals with slang, standard of correctness, mysticism, and much more. Otto Jespersen was born in Randers, Denmark on 16th July 1869. Jespersen taught at Copenhagen University and rose to the position of professor of English, a post he held from 1893 to 1925. Early in this period he produced work on language teaching reform and phonetics, but later became a prominent figure in the areas of syntax and lanuguage development. He went on to write several well received books, such as 'Language: Its Nature, Development and Origin' (1922), 'Modern English Grammar on Historical Principles' (1909-1949), and 'Growth and Structure of the English Language' (1905). He also pioneered the field of sociolinguistics.