Ferdinand Berthier

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Ferdinand Berthier

Jean-Ferdinand Berthier (born September 28, 1803 in Louhans , † July 12, 1886 in Paris ) was a French deaf person who fought for the rights of the deaf and contributed to the spread of sign language .

Life

Ferdinand Berthier was the son of a surgeon and was deaf from birth . From 1811 he attended the deaf-mute institute in Paris, where he was tutored by the deaf Laurent Clerc and Jean Massieu , as well as by the hearing Auguste Bébian . As a brilliant student, Berthier was a tutor and professor at the institute from 1824 to 1829 . He died in Paris in 1886.

Act

In 1830, Berthier met - together with his also deaf colleague Alphonse Lenoir and his students - the French King Louis-Philippe . Subsequently, in a letter to the king, they described the deplorable situation of the institute and in particular demanded the return of Bébian , who had been released in 1821. Despite further efforts, his role model and mentor was no longer hired. In 1832, articulation was introduced for the higher grades , along with a kind of job rotation , whereby the deaf and deaf professors were severely disadvantaged. In addition to Bébian , Berthier also venerated the Abbé de l'Épée as a pioneer of deaf education and organized an annual banquet for the deaf in his honor. In 1838, the Société Centrale des Sourds-Muets de Paris was founded as the world's first deaf association and Berthier tried to find the remains of Abbé de l'Épée and to bury them in the church of Saint-Roch . In 1848 the deaf took part in the June uprisings to defend the republic . The following year Berthier became a member of the Legion of Honor . In 1865 - after more than 40 years at the institute and 30 years as dean - he retired from teaching and wrote works for the deaf, about their rights, their history, as well as about his role models Abbé Sicard and Abbé de l'Épée , and especially one Explanation of civil law . He becomes president of the Deaf Association.

In his writings he defended sign language and the rights of the deaf, for which he fought tirelessly. He called for the right of the deaf to be able to use their sign language anytime and anywhere, be it in schools or in court. He was the actual founder of the deaf culture .

Fonts

Awards

As a deaf person, he was dean of the Paris Institute for the Deaf and Mute for over thirty years, and was a member of the Société des gens de lettres and became President of the Société universelle des sourds-muets .

Victor Hugo wrote to Ferdinand Berthier on November 25, 1845: “  Qu'importe la surdité de l'oreille quand l'esprit entend? La seule surdité, la vrai surdité, la surdité incurrable, c'est celle de l'intelligence.  »(German:" What does the deafness of the ear count when the spirit hears? The true deafness, the incurable deafness is the deafness of the spirit. ") Furthermore, Berthier was also referred to by his students as Napoleon the deaf and mute . In 1849 Napoleon III awarded him . the award of Knight of the Legion of Honor .

In his hometown Louhans there is a bust of Ferdinand Berthier and Sagy has named a street after him.

Museums

The deaf museum in the Hôtel-Dieu in Louhans was created over twelve years by Armand and Yvette Pelletier and opened on March 9, 2013. Last but not least, the city of Louhans pays tribute to the merits of its son Ferdinand Berthier .

Web links

Commons : Ferdinand Berthier  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Page of the Institut national de jeunes sours de Paris
  2. ↑ a b Biography on Histoire des sourds (French), accessed September 28, 2014
  3. ↑ On the anniversary of the Société Centrale des Sourds-Muets de Paris (French), accessed September 28, 2014
  4. ^ Website on the history, language and signs of the deaf (French), accessed September 28, 2014
  5. ^ Opening of the Deaf Museum in Louhans on Noetomalie
personal data
SURNAME Berthier, Ferdinand
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Berthier, Jean-Ferdinand (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French deaf educator
DATE OF BIRTH September 28, 1803
PLACE OF BIRTH Louhans
DATE OF DEATH July 12, 1886
Place of death Paris