Berlitz is one of the most famous names in language learning. This article introduces readers to Max Berlitz. Future articles will introduce readers to other founders of language learning systems.

Maximilian Delphinius Berlitz, from Württemberg, Germany was born in 1852 and died in 1921. He opened his first language school in Providence Rhode Island in 1878. He started his teaching career as a French and German teacher at the Warner Polytechnic College.

“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 translations) 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.” – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_Berlitz

And as they say, the rest is history.

What is your favorite language learning method?