Priest; inventor of the auxiliary language Volapük. Born on July 18, 1831 in Oberland, Switzerland; died on August 16, 1912 in Constance, Germany. Educated at the University of Freiburg. Ordained in 1856, and appointed to a parish in Constance. In 1879 he introduced Volapük, an international language based on the Romance and Germanic languages. The Philological Society of London urged its use, and Father Schleyer taught it in Paris from 1886 to 1881. It aroused considerable interest for ten years with numerous books and periodicals in and about the language, but passed out of general use aout 1890. Material about the language, including lessons and literature, can be easily found online.