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How did Jacob Grimm’s research affect German spelling and printing practices?
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Brothers Grimm
Jacob (right) and Wilhelm Grimm, oil portrait by Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann, 1855; in the National-Galerie, Berlin.
Jacob Grimm’s extensive philological research significantly influenced German writing and printing conventions. His work on the history of the German language encouraged new approaches to orthography and typography.1
Specifically, Jacob Grimm advocated for the following changes:
* Typography: He promoted the use of roman typefaces rather than the traditional black-letter (Fraktur) style common in German printing at the time.1
* Spelling: He proposed the modernization of German spelling by advocating for the removal of capital letters for [nouns].1
These suggestions were part of a broader effort to apply scientific rigor to the study of language, which also stimulated further research into dialects and naming conventions.1