James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, Scottish judge (died 1799)

James Burnett, Lord Monboddo

Scottish judge and scholar (1714–1799)

James Burnett, Lord Monboddo was a Scottish judge, scholar of linguistic evolution, philosopher and deist. He is most famous today as a founder of modern comparative historical linguistics. In 1767, he became a judge in the Court of Session.