A New Museum in Washington for Language Lovers
2021-06-02
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1When visitors enter Planet Word, a new museum in Washington, D.C., they will see Speaking Willow, a tall art piece representing a tree.
2As they pass under the artwork, they can hear recordings of speech in hundreds of languages coming from the tree.
3Most words sound foreign to the listeners.
4The different voices also speak at the same time.
5The resulting noise is similar to that made in a crowded theater before a show begins.
6Rafael Lozano-Hemmer completed the piece last year.
7On his website, the artist says that Speaking Willow "reminds us that language is what defines our specific communities and connects our many cultures."
8Lozano-Hemmer made the piece specially for the museum.
9It is the first of many immersive experiences for visitors at Planet Word, a museum all about words and language.
10The exhibits playfully explore the large and complex subject of language.
11Ann Friedman is Planet Word's founder and director.
12"How do you make an abstract concept like words and language come to life without objects that you can touch and see and feel?....You have to have immersive, participatory experiences that you will remember forever because they are unique, exciting and social."
13In one room, a video plays, showing babies saying their first words.
14Another room, called "Where Do Words Come From," teaches the history of some common English words.
15The space includes a 22-foot-tall "Wall of Words," where visitors speak into devices and learn about the roots of the English language.
16Narrator 1: You're standing in front of about one thousand words.
17And that's not even one percent of the entire English language.
18Narrator 2: Where did they come from?
19That exhibit took two years to build, Friedman said, noting the time used for creation of software and sound design.
20The exhibit's creators began the project with 28 English words they wanted to explain.
21They narrowed that list down to the most fun and interesting words.
22"Arachnid" was one of the words that made it into the exhibit. It is the scientific word for spiders, among other creatures.
23Another room invites listeners to speak and learn about different languages.
24Native speakers of 28 languages and two sign languages teach people sayings in those languages.
25They also explain how language shapes their understanding of the world and how words cannot be separated from culture.
26For example, a Japanese language presenter discussed how politeness is very important to Japanese culture.
27The language has several words to choose from in addressing another person.
28The words speak to the nature of the relationship between the speaker and listener.
29The Quechua people are natives of Peru.
30They understand the idea of time in a singular way.
31The Quechua speaker explained that since the future cannot be seen, it is "behind" us.
32The past, however, is ahead of us, where we can see it.
33Other rooms explore the different ways language is used -from humor and songwriting, to public speaking and advertising.
34Visitors can sing karaoke while learning about song writing, record a famous speech, play a joke-telling game, and teach a computer how to make cartoons.
35Almost every exhibit is interactive and most ask visitors to speak aloud.
36Caitlin Miller is Planet Word's Education Director.
37"You get better at reading by reading," Miller said.
38"You become a more confident speaker by speaking and listening."
39One exhibit room is all about books.
40It is designed to look like an old, rich library.
41Books line the shelves.
42When a book is placed on the table, a recorded reading begins and pictures appear.
43Book narration: But Shady Creek isn't exactly a progressive paradise...
44Planet Word is housed in Washington's historic Franklin School.
45The D.C. government gave limited control of the property to Friedman in 2017.
46She has spent $35 million on the building and the museum.
47Friedman is a former reading and writing teacher.
48She wanted to create a museum to build interest and curiosity in writing and language.
49The museum is designed mainly for teenagers, but most adults can also learn from and enjoy a visit to Planet Word.
50Friedman hopes people will leave the museum with a better understanding of the words they use every day and the world of languages around them.
51"And in a globalizing world, we think that's a pretty important characteristic."
52I'm Jill Robbins.
1When visitors enter Planet Word, a new museum in Washington, D.C., they will see Speaking Willow, a tall art piece representing a tree. 2As they pass under the artwork, they can hear recordings of speech in hundreds of languages coming from the tree. Most words sound foreign to the listeners. The different voices also speak at the same time. The resulting noise is similar to that made in a crowded theater before a show begins. 3Rafael Lozano-Hemmer completed the piece last year. On his website, the artist says that Speaking Willow "reminds us that language is what defines our specific communities and connects our many cultures." 4Lozano-Hemmer made the piece specially for the museum. 5It is the first of many immersive experiences for visitors at Planet Word, a museum all about words and language. 6The exhibits playfully explore the large and complex subject of language. Ann Friedman is Planet Word's founder and director. 7"How do you make an abstract concept like words and language come to life without objects that you can touch and see and feel?....You have to have immersive, participatory experiences that you will remember forever because they are unique, exciting and social." 8In one room, a video plays, showing babies saying their first words. Another room, called "Where Do Words Come From," teaches the history of some common English words. The space includes a 22-foot-tall "Wall of Words," where visitors speak into devices and learn about the roots of the English language. 9Narrator 1: You're standing in front of about one thousand words. And that's not even one percent of the entire English language. 10Narrator 2: Where did they come from? 11That exhibit took two years to build, Friedman said, noting the time used for creation of software and sound design. 12The exhibit's creators began the project with 28 English words they wanted to explain. They narrowed that list down to the most fun and interesting words. "Arachnid" was one of the words that made it into the exhibit. It is the scientific word for spiders, among other creatures. 13Another room invites listeners to speak and learn about different languages. Native speakers of 28 languages and two sign languages teach people sayings in those languages. They also explain how language shapes their understanding of the world and how words cannot be separated from culture. 14For example, a Japanese language presenter discussed how politeness is very important to Japanese culture. The language has several words to choose from in addressing another person. The words speak to the nature of the relationship between the speaker and listener. 15The Quechua people are natives of Peru. They understand the idea of time in a singular way. The Quechua speaker explained that since the future cannot be seen, it is "behind" us. The past, however, is ahead of us, where we can see it. 16Other rooms explore the different ways language is used -from humor and songwriting, to public speaking and advertising. Visitors can sing karaoke while learning about song writing, record a famous speech, play a joke-telling game, and teach a computer how to make cartoons. Almost every exhibit is interactive and most ask visitors to speak aloud. 17Caitlin Miller is Planet Word's Education Director. 18"You get better at reading by reading," Miller said. "You become a more confident speaker by speaking and listening." 19One exhibit room is all about books. It is designed to look like an old, rich library. Books line the shelves. When a book is placed on the table, a recorded reading begins and pictures appear. 20Book narration: But Shady Creek isn't exactly a progressive paradise... 21Planet Word is housed in Washington's historic Franklin School. The D.C. government gave limited control of the property to Friedman in 2017. She has spent $35 million on the building and the museum. 22Friedman is a former reading and writing teacher. She wanted to create a museum to build interest and curiosity in writing and language. The museum is designed mainly for teenagers, but most adults can also learn from and enjoy a visit to Planet Word. 23Friedman hopes people will leave the museum with a better understanding of the words they use every day and the world of languages around them. 24"And in a globalizing world, we think that's a pretty important characteristic." 25I'm Jill Robbins. 26Dan Novak reported this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 27________________________________________________________ 28Words in This Story 29immersion - n. complete involvement in some activity or interest 30abstract - adj. relating to or involving general ideas or qualities rather than specific people, objects, or actions 31participate - v. to be involved with others in doing something : to take part in an activity or event with others 32unique -adj. used to say that something or someone is unlike anything or anyone else 33exciting - adj. causing feelings of interest and enthusiasm : causing excitement 34polite - adj. having or showing good manners or respect for other people 35karaoke - n. a form of entertainment in which a device plays the music of popular songs and people sing the words to the songs they choose 36cartoon - n. a drawing in a newspaper or magazine intended as a humorous comment on something 37confident - adj. having a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something : having confidence 38characteristic - adj. having a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something : having confidence