Maximilian Berlitz

Maximilian (Maximilien) Delphinius Berlitz (April 14, 1852 in Mühringen, Germany – April 6, 1921 in New York City) was a linguist and the founder of the Berlitz Language Schools, the first of which he established in 1878 in Providence, Rhode Island.

Born David Berlitzheimer of Jewish parents in Mühringen, Württemberg, Germany, he and his sister were soon orphaned, and he grew up in a family of educators in the Black Forest. He later moved to France and then to Providence, Rhode Island, United States in 1872. His first employment was as a teacher of French and German at Warner Polytechnic College, which he took over in 1878 when the owner of the school, Mr. Warner, disappeared with all the prepaid tuition money. When Berlitz became ill, and was unable to teach a French class, he quickly hired Nicholas Joly to replace him and take over the class. Since he had always corresponded with Joly in French, he did not realize that Joly did not speak any English until after he had hired him. Joly taught the class entirely in French (with no translation) by using gestures, pointing to objects and using tone of voice and facial expressions to convey meaning. Berlitz returned to the class six weeks later to find that his students, who had spoken little to no French before Joly began teaching, were conversing semi-fluently in French. Their pronunciation and grammar were also very good. Berlitz used this experience to develop the Berlitz Method, in which only the target language is spoken from the first day of class. Students rely on the same techniques Joly used, rather than translation, to gather meaning and learn grammar and vocabulary.

After success, Berlitz opened a second language school in Boston in 1880, followed by others in New York and Washington, D. C. He went on to establish schools all over the U.S. and abroad. Between 1880 and 1900 he also put his ideas down in writing, developing them into a systematic method, which he then presented in 1900 the World's Fair in Paris. After the turn of the century, he began travelling extensively, making headlines by teaching German Kaiser Wilhelm to speak English which is rather curious given the fact that the Kaiser's mother was English and the daughter of Queen Victoria, and by receiving medals of honor from the King of Spain, the government of France, and many international expositions. He remained active until his death in New York City.

Mr. Berlitz's method of language learning can be seen in many forms today. Many books that were originally published in the early to mid 1900's are still in print. There are also many schools that are still dedicated to continuing Mr. Berlitz's concepts regarding language learning.

The linguist and author Charles Berlitz, his grandson, was for a time CEO of Berlitz International.

See also

• Berlitz International