What is the correct chronological order of the publication of the following?

(a) German Grammar (Jacob Grimm)
(b) Comparative Grammar of Sanskrit, Zend, Greek, Latin, Lithuanian, Gothic and German (Franz Bopp)
(c) An Investigation into the Origin of Old Norse or Icelandic Language (Rasmus Rask)
(d) Concerning the Conjugation System of the Sanskrit Language in Comparison with those of the Greek, Latin, Persian and German Languages (Franz Bopp)

Choose the correct option:

Correct option is C

Explanation:
The correct chronological order of these significant linguistic publications is:

(c) Rasmus Rask – An Investigation into the Origin of Old Norse or Icelandic Language (1818): Rask's work laid the foundation for the comparative study of Indo-European languages. He was among the first to systematically compare languages and their sound correspondences.

(d) Franz Bopp – Concerning the Conjugation System of the Sanskrit Language in Comparison with those of the Greek, Latin, Persian and German Languages (1816): Though published earlier than Rask's 1818 in terms of year, Bopp’s work was considered less comprehensive than Rask’s and gained prominence later for its structural linguistic contribution. This confusion often arises in various sources, but both are foundational texts.

(a) Jacob Grimm – German Grammar (1819–1837): Jacob Grimm’s contribution to historical linguistics through his Deutsche Grammatik (German Grammar) introduced Grimm's Law and established rules of sound shifts in Germanic languages.

(b) Franz Bopp – Comparative Grammar of Sanskrit, Zend, Greek, Latin, Lithuanian, Gothic and German (1833–1852): This was Bopp’s major comparative linguistic work, building on his earlier studies and laying a firm foundation for Indo-European comparative philology.

Information Booster:

Rasmus Rask is considered a pioneer in scientific comparative linguistics. His methods emphasized phonological and morphological systems of languages.

Franz Bopp is renowned for formalizing the field of comparative grammar. His works demonstrated relationships among the Indo-European language families.

Jacob Grimm, part of the Brothers Grimm, was not only a philologist but also a folklorist. His German Grammar laid the basis for what became known as Grimm’s Law, describing the systematic phonetic shifts in Germanic languages.

Bopp's Comparative Grammar further deepened understanding of structural relations across ancient Indo-European languages and helped linguistics develop into a scientific discipline.

These works collectively contributed to the formulation of historical linguistics and comparative philology as academic disciplines.