Otto Jespersen

Danish grammarian of English whose name rides the cycle by which negatives wear out and renew.

Core Principles & Analysis

• His seven-volume Modern English Grammar took four decades to complete.
• Jespersen’s cycle describes negators weakening and being reinforced, as French "ne … pas" shows.
• He championed language teaching reform and devised the auxiliary language Novial.

Specifications & Metrics

• ERA: 1860 – 1943