Many times, we have precious little evidence of the foundation or creation of a language. We can look from an anthropological perspective or etymological perspective to make reasonable guesses with evidence, but not often do we have definitive beginnings of the formation (and possible purpose thereof) of a language. However, this […]
Language of the Month: Palenquero Read More »
2019/09/17 At this point in time, nearly every student in the US has returned to school across all 50 states. While teachers are preparing lessons, students are reuniting with friends, and parents are looking at schedules for the coming year, many states have been preparing and implementing an exciting new opportunity for language classrooms, the
The Seal of Biliteracy Read More »
As the UNESCO Year of Indigenous Languages continues, we at the Museum want to highlight work being done to make the year a success and preserve and study lesser-known indigenous languages further. I had the opportunity to interview Keith Cunningham at Georgetown University, who is currently working on a doctoral dissertation in linguistics, who is
Interview with Keith Cunningham, PhD Candidate at Georgetown University Read More »
Since starting the Language of the Month featured, we have travelled as far as the Museum’s backyard with Piscataway, to the far reaches of Asia with Cantonese. We have also seen languages both surviving (Cantonese) and almost completely forgotten (Piscataway). However, there exist several languages in the middle of these two, which are
Language of the Month: Tjupan Read More »
The National Museum of Language conducted a Pop- Up Japanese Day for its Outreach for July 2019. Children (8-11) learned Japanese Greetings and phrases through songs, chants, and practice; wrote in Kanji numbers 1-11; practiced Martial Arts positions; tried on Kimonos, Yukatas and, had a Fashion show wearing the Japanese clothing.Children enjoyed the day.
Japanese Summer Camp Pop-Up Event Read More »
On August 24th, 2019 we featured our latest speaker in our Speaker Series, Lynne Murphy, discussing “The Prodigal Tongue: The Love-Hate Relationship Between British and American English.” I had the opportunity to ask Lynne a few questions about her background and British and American English. Here’s what she had to say… Tell me about your
Interview with Lynne Murphy, Author of “The Prodigal Tongue” Read More »
As we continue Language of the Month, we go around the world to the Southeast of China, to the language of Hong Kong and Macau, Cantonese. Many companies are looking for “Chinese” speakers to join their companies, and many schools are even introducing “Chinese” classes into their curriculums, but did you know that
Language of the Month: Cantonese Read More »
As we continue language of the month, it can be important to remember that language is a vital component of not only our everyday communication, but also for intelligence and defense. As today, June 14th is Flag Day, let’s take a moment to learn about Navajo, a language that in many ways contributed, even if
Language of the Month: Navajo Read More »
Welcome to our newest feature at the Museum, the Language of the Month! A question that we frequently hear is “How does one dedicate a museum to an abstract idea?” While that may be an interesting philosophical question, it’s more than possible! Data collection, restoration projects, ephemera (dictionaries, Bibles, etc.) are all tools
Language of the Month: Piscataway Read More »
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF LANGUAGE PROUDLY PRESENTS The Prodigal Tongue: The love-hate relationship between American and British English SATURDAY 24 AUGUST 2019, 2-4 PM COLLEGE PARK COUNCIL CHAMBERS 4500 KNOX ROAD, COLLEGE PARK, MD, 20740 Lynne Murphy is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Sussex. Born and raised in New York State, she has lived
