Magne Oftedal (10 March 1921 - 26 May 1985) was a Norwegian linguist who carried out a large amount of comparative research on

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

dialects, the

Celtic languages The Celtic languages ( usually , but sometimes ) are a group of related languages descended from Proto-Celtic. They form a branch of the Indo-European language family. The term "Celtic" was first used to describe this language group by Edward ...

and Spanish. He was born in

Sandnes Sandnes () is a city and municipality in Rogaland, Norway. It lies immediately south of Stavanger, the 4th largest city in Norway and together, the Stavanger/Sandnes area is the third-largest urban area in Norway. The urban city of Sandnes lies ...

in the county of

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 47 ...

in 1921 and began studying for a degree in

philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and writing, written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defin ...

at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

, but his studies were interrupted by the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and he only managed to complete his degree in 1947. During his time at the University of Oslo, he studied the Gaelic of Lewis between 1949 and 1954, publishing his first important paper, ''The village names of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides'', in 1954. He was subsequently awarded a doctorate for his research into the Gaelic dialect of Leurbost, published as ''The Gaelic of Leurbost'' in 1956. Throughout his career his main focus remained the phonology and place-names of Gaelic,

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

and Norwegian. He became a professor at the University of Oslo after

Carl Marstrander Carl Johan Sverdrup Marstrander (26 November 1883 – 23 December 1965) was a Norwegian linguist, known for his work on the Irish language. His works, largely written in Norwegian, on the Celtic and Norse components in Norwegian culture, are consi ...

and remained there for some 30 years. He was also an editor of the publication ''Lochlann - A Review of Celtic Studies'' between 1969 and 1974, and a member and chair of numerous bodies such as the

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters ( no, Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick Univer ...

(from 1958) and the ''Norsk Forening for Språkvitenskap''. He died in 1985 in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

Sources

1921 births 1950 deaths People from Sandnes Linguists from Norway Scottish Gaelic language University of Oslo alumni Academic staff of the University of Oslo Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters {{norway-linguist-stub