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Article published In: Historiographia Linguistica
Vol. 23:1/2 (1996) ► pp.1–46

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John Bulwer’s (1606–1656) place in the history of the Deaf

 | Solidarity Foundation, New York
Published online: 1 January 1996
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https://doi.org/10.1075/hl.23.1-2.02wol
Summary
It would be unfair to characterize John Bulwer (1606–1656) as a dilettante, although he did not achieve all his goals with the deaf. He tried unsuccessfully to find the Spaniard (described by Kenelm Digby in a report of 1644) who taught speech to deaf pupils. As a Royalist during the reign of Parliament, he also was unable to find support for a ‘Dumbe Mans Academie’. While his theory of speech education was wrong in one important respect, he later read Juan Pablo Bonet (1574–1633) and, if (as it seems) his daughter was deaf, he must have tried that method – years before William Holder (1616–1698) or John Wallis (1616–1703). Their very limited success would do little more than prove it possible; Bulwer might have done at least as much.
Résumé
John Bulwer (1606–1656) n’a pas accompli tous ses objectifs face aux sourds, mais on ne saurait dire de lui qu’il n’était qu’un amateur. Il chercha en vain l’Espagnol (celui décrit par Kenelm Digby dans un rapport en 1644) qui enseignait le langage parlé au sords. Royaliste à l’époque où régnait le Parlement, il lui fut également impossible de récolter assez d’appuis pour une ‘Académie des Sourds’. Sa théorie portant sur l’enseignment du langage suffrait d’un défaut majeur. Il lira plus tard Juan Pablo Bonet (1574–1633), et si, comme on pense, sa fille était sourde, il a certainement tenté cette méthode – longtemps avant William Holder (1616–1698) ou John Wallis (1616–1703). Ces derniers n’ont guère fait plus que montrer que’elle était possible; Bulwer aurait pu en faire au moins autant.
Zusammenfassung
Es wäre unfair, John Bulwer (1606–1656) als Dilettanten zu bezeichnen, auch wenn er nicht alle seine Ziele hinsichtlich der Gehörlosen erreicht hat. Er versuchte vergebens, jenen (von Kenelm Digby 1644 näher charakterisierten) Spanier ausfindig zu machen, der tauben Schülern das Sprechen beigebracht hatte. Als Royalist in parlamentarischer Zeit konnte er auch keine Unterstützung für eine ‘Gehörlosenakademie’ erwerben. Seine Theorie der Spracherziehung war jedenfalls in einem wichtigen Punkte falsch; später las er dann allerdings Juan Pablo Bonet (1574–1633) und, wenn es zutrifft, daß seine Tochter tatsächlich taub war, dann hat er auch sicherlich dessen Theorie ausprobiert, viele Jahre vor William Holder (1616–1698) oder John Wallis (1616–1703), welche mit ihrem höchst begrenzten Erfolg allenfalls deren Realisierbarkeit nachgewiesen hatten. Bulwer hat mindestens genau soviel erreicht.
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