VOA慢速英语2021--A New Museum in Washington for Language Lovers

When visitors enter Planet Word, a new museum in Washington, D.C., they will see Speaking Willow¹, a tall art piece representing a tree.

As they pass under the artwork, they can hear recordings² 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.

Rafael 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."

Lozano-Hemmer made the piece specially³ for the museum.

It is the first of many immersive experiences for visitors at Planet Word, a museum all about words and language.

The exhibits playfully explore the large and complex subject of language. Ann Friedman is Planet Word's founder⁴ and director.

"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."

In 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.

Narrator 1: You're standing⁵ in front of about one thousand words. And that's not even one percent of the entire English language.

Narrator 2: Where did they come from?

That exhibit took two years to build, Friedman said, noting the time used for creation of software and sound design.

The 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. "Arachnid⁶" was one of the words that made it into the exhibit. It is the scientific word for spiders, among other creatures.

Another 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.

For example, a Japanese language presenter⁷ 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.

The 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.

Other rooms explore the different ways language is used —from humor and songwriting, to public speaking and advertising⁸. 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 interactive⁹ and most ask visitors to speak aloud.

Caitlin Miller¹⁰ is Planet Word's Education Director.

"You get better at reading by reading," Miller said. "You become a more confident speaker by speaking and listening."

One 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.

Book narration¹¹: But Shady Creek¹² isn't exactly a progressive paradise...

Planet 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.

Friedman 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.

Friedman hopes people will leave the museum with a better understanding of the words they use every day and the world of languages around them.

"And in a globalizing world, we think that's a pretty important characteristic."

Words in This Story

immersion¹³ — n. complete involvement in some activity or interest

abstract — adj. relating to or involving general ideas or qualities rather than specific people, objects, or actions

participate — v. to be involved with others in doing something : to take part in an activity or event with others

unique —adj. used to say that something or someone is unlike anything or anyone else

exciting — adj. causing feelings of interest and enthusiasm : causing excitement

polite — adj. having or showing good manners or respect for other people

karaoke — 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

cartoon — n. a drawing in a newspaper or magazine intended as a humorous comment on something

confident — adj. having a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something : having confidence

characteristic — adj. having a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something : having confidence

1 willow   

n.柳树

参考例句：

• The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。
• The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。

2 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

3 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

4 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 arachnid   

n.蛛形纲动物

参考例句：

• I want that wall-crawling arachnid prosecuted!我要起诉那个在墙上爬的八脚怪物！
• The tiny arachnid,found in Australia,shows off a rainbow of colours to impress nearby females.这只在澳大利亚的小蜘蛛，向附近的雌性炫耀其华丽的色彩。

7 presenter   

n.（电视、广播的）主持人，赠与者

参考例句：

• Most people think being a television presenter is exciting.很多人认为当电视节目主持人是一件刺激的事情。
• The programme dispensed with its most popular presenter.这个节目最受欢迎的主持人被换掉了。

8 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

9 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

10 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

11 narration   

n.讲述，叙述；故事；记叙体

参考例句：

• The richness of his novel comes from his narration of it.他小说的丰富多采得益于他的叙述。
• Narration should become a basic approach to preschool education.叙事应是幼儿教育的基本途径。

12 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

13 immersion   

n.沉浸；专心

参考例句：

• The dirt on the bottom of the bath didn't encourage total immersion.浴缸底有污垢，不宜全身浸泡于其中。
• The wood had become swollen from prolonged immersion.因长时间浸泡，木头发胀了。