Magne Oftedal (10 March 1921 - 26 May 1985) was a Norwegian linguist who carried out a large amount of comparative research on Scottish Gaelic dialects, the Celtic languages and SpanishHe was born in Sandnes in the county of Rogaland in 1921 and began studying for a degree in philology at the University of Oslo but his studies were interrupted by the Second World War and he only managed to complete his degree in 1947.