Last Updated: 30 Sep, 2023 | Views: 528
Age: 82
Profession: Writer
Other Profession(s): Educator
Famous For: Hosting The Famous Silent Banquets In Paris In 1834
About (Profile/Biography):
Ferdinand Berthier was born on September 30, 1803, and died on July 12, 1886. He is regarded as one of the first champions of French deaf identity and culture during the nineteenth century. His work advanced education and perception of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community throughout Europe and America, and he remains a leading advocate for the rights of deaf people.
Ferdinand Berthier Early Life & Education:
• Berthier attended the Paris Deaf School under the direction of Abbé Roch-Ambroise Sicard as a young student in 1811. Originally from a rural region in France, he learned vocational skills and literacy to prepare him for work as a tradesman.
• Ferdinand Berthier was influenced by Roch-Ambroise Auguste Bébian, a hearing man who learned French Sign Language. He published the first systematic study and defense of the language. The two deaf students at Berthier's school who later became teachers were Jean Massieu and Laurent Clerc. He was one of the more senior professors in the school by age 27.
Ferdinand Berthier Career:
• The first organization to represent the interests of deaf people was founded the following year after Berthier petitioned the French government for permission to establish the Société Centrale des Sourds-muets. It was a delicate balancing act by Berthier to preserve the deaf identity and sign language under repressive social and political conditions.
• Ferdinand Berthier also wrote biographies of prominent figures who advocated signing over oralism to educate deaf French students during his lifetime. Ferdinand Berthier praised Bébian's linguistic clarity and rationality in teaching and his educational philosophy. As a writer on deaf history and deaf culture, Berthier noted deaf artists and sign-language poets of the time.
• Ferdinand Berthier held the first silent banquet in 1834. The banquet was originally attended only by deaf Frenchmen, but hearing people, women, reporters, and government officials began to attend in subsequent years.
Faqs On Ferdinand Berthier:
Q1: What did Ferdinand Berthier do?
A1: Berthier has been a lifelong proponent of deaf culture and sign language. He became famous for hosting the silent banquets in 1834 in Paris. Also, he wrote biographies of deaf French students who advocated sign over oralism.
Q2: What awards did Ferdinand Berthier receive during his career?
A2: His career culminated in being named Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur in 1849.
Q3: Was Ferdinand Berthier deaf?
A3: He often cited sign-language poets as authors. Berthier was the first deaf person to receive France's highest honor, the Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur.
Q4: Who were the two men who influenced Berthier?
A4: Bébian published the first systematic study and defense of French Sign Language under the guidance of Roch-Ambroise Auguste Bébian. He was also influenced by two deaf students at the school who became teachers: Jean Massieu and Laurent Clerc.
