George Dalgarno facts for kids
George Dalgarno (born around 1616, died 1687) was a smart person from Scotland. He was very interested in how people use language. George was born in Aberdeen, but he later became a schoolteacher in Oxford. There, he worked with another smart person named John Wilkins. However, they stopped working together in 1659.
About George Dalgarno
George Dalgarno started studying at Marischal College, Aberdeen, in 1631. In the 1650s, he worked as a schoolteacher in Oxford. In 1657, a man named Samuel Hartlib encouraged Dalgarno to improve his shorthand system. Shorthand is a fast way to write using symbols. Hartlib wanted Dalgarno to create a bigger, more universal system. Dalgarno published his ideas on this topic later that year. This work helped him connect with members of the Oxford Philosophical Club. This club was an early group that later helped start the famous Royal Society.
Dalgarno's Important Books
Dalgarno wrote a book called Didascalocophus or the Deaf and Dumb man's tutor (published in 1680). In this book, he suggested a completely new way for deaf mute people to communicate using language.
Dalgarno was also keen on creating what he called a 'philosophical language'. Today, we often call this a universal language. This is a language designed to be understood by everyone. A modern translation of his book Ars signorum (which means Art of Signs, published in 1661) came out in 2001. This new edition also included his own life story and other writings he had left behind.
