Announcement: International Language Museum in Denmark

[Harold Schiffman]

International Language Museum in Denmark


In August 2006 the initiative was taken to build a language museum, or
rather a modern interactive language exploration activity center, in
Denmark's second largest city, Aarhus.

The Institute for Anthropology, Archaeology and Linguistics (AAL) of
Aarhus University kindly provides office facilities for the Language
Museum during its start-up phase.  The vision is to erect a modern
museum presenting all sides of the phenomenon of language in a variety
of ways that are appealing, engrossing and educational to the general
public, child and adult. State-of-the-art advanced interactive set-ups
are envisaged with multiple hands-on exhibitions. Top-notch technology
will involve visitors with each other, providing an unusual meeting
place with people speaking other languages.

Denmark's International Language Museum does not only deal with the
Danish language. The museum will furnish a portal for the phenomenon
of language in its many diverse forms and functions. It will provide
insights into the diversity of the world's more than 6000 languages,
and a voyage of discovery into the realm of the ultimate essence of
humanity. There are, it seems, a handful of museums devoted to
individual languages
around the world and another handful are planned. But apparently there
is not a single general language museum anywhere, though also a couple
besides Denmark's Language Museum seem to be in the planning.

We invite everybody involved in or entertaining similar projects to
contact us, we are looking forward to cooperate about this new trend
in 'popular linguistics'.

http://www.languagemuseum.dk
sprogmuseethum.au.dk
http://www.aal.au.dk/en

Peter Bakker, Dept of Linguistics, AAL, Aarhus University
Ole Stig Andersen, Information [Copenhagen newspaper]
Benedikte Skaarup Madsen, The Language Museum

http://linguistlist.org/issues/18/18-1750.html

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