Théodore-Pierre Bertin 2715056 203442787 2008-04-05T03:20:04Z 81.64.80.82 change of birth and death dates, spelling of the mother's name '''Théodore-Pierre Bertin''' ([[2 November]] [[1751]] at [[Provins]] ([[Seine-et-Marne]])-[[25 January]] [[1819]] in [[Paris]]), is the author of fifty-odd works on various subjects, but is primarily remembered as the person responsible for adapting [[Samuel Taylor (stenographer)|Samuel Taylor]]'s [[shorthand]] to the [[French language]] and introducing modern shorthand to [[France]]. Born to Louis Bertin, a parliamentary lawyer, and Louise Mitantier, Bertin taught [[English language|English]] before travelling to [[London]] to work as a translator. He studied Taylor shorthand during his time in Britain and, on returning to [[Paris]] in [[1791]], translated into [[French language|French]] Talyor's book ''An essay intended to establish a standard for an universal system of Stenography, or Short-hand writing'', publishing it in [[1792]] under the title ''Système universel et complet de Stenographie ou Manière abrégée d'écrire applicable à tous les idiomes'' (''A complete and universal system of stenography or an abbreviated manner of writing applicable to all languages''). In [[1795]], the [[National Convention|French National Convention]] gave him an annual grant to continue this work. His book went into a second edition in [[1795]], a third in [[1796]] and a fourth in [[1803]]. He continuted to work for the government during the [[French Directory|Directory]], but the [[French Consulate|Consulate]] and [[First French Empire|First Empire]] did not employ his services. Under the [[Bourbon Dynasty, Restored|Restauration]], he established a stenographic service for the [[French Parliament]] and took a government post in the administration of business licenses (''Régie des Droits Réunis''). In [[1817]], he had become stenographer for the conservative journal ''[[Le Moniteur Universel]]''. ==Bertin's shorthand== Despite its roots, Bertin's system was not especially fast, but it did have the advantage of being highly readable. Each sound had a very distinctive symbol, largely carried over from Taylor's system, and added a few more symbols for final vowels. Also, like Talyor, Bertin eliminated all vowels that were neither at the beginning nor end of a word. This caused some ambiguity, but it did enable stenographers to write at the pace of speech. Composed of 16 basic letters, plus initials and finals, Bertin's scheme was the first that could be written without ever lifting the pen. It also employed abbreviations and initials to save time with common words. His method was ultimately substantially improved by [[Hippolyte Prévost]] and later by [[Albert Delaunay]]. {{France-writer-stub}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Bertin, Théodore-Pierre}} [[Category:French didactic writers]] [[Category:1751 births]] [[Category:1819 deaths]] [[Category:People from Seine-et-Marne]] [[fr:Théodore-Pierre Bertin]]