Es gibt bekanntlich rund 7.000 Sprachen auf der Welt. Aber es existieren nur rund 80 Sprachmuseen, wenn man 15 rein digitale Sammlungen mitzählt. Das hat Ottar Grepstad herausgefunden, der sich zehn Jahre lang auf die Suche begeben und seine Rechercheergebnisse zuletzt 2018 auf 138 Seiten veröffentlicht hat.
Leider suchen auch die meisten derjenigen, die sich beruflich mit Sprache beschäftigen, in ihrem Leben kein einziges Sprachmuseum auf, weil sie diese nicht kennen. Fast jeder besucht irgendwann einmal Wien. Aber nur wenige wissen, dass es dort ein Esperanto-Museum mit einer Sammlung für Plansprachen gibt.
Dieser weit verbreiteten Unkenntnis wirkt die Arbeit von Grepstad entgegen, die frei als PDF erhältlich ist. Jetzt kann jeder einfach nachschlagen, welche Museen für die menschliche Sprache innerhalb der eigenen Reichweite liegen.
In seinem Vorwort schreibt Grepstad:
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Two out of three of all the languages in the world are used in Africa or Asia. In this book, however, two out of three language museums are situated in Europe. That indicates differences in the institutional development of societies, but also some of the difficulties connected to such documentation.
In some way or another, language has been in the world as long as there have been human beings. Museums dealing with language are among the newer institutions in the world of museums. The way of thinking about language has changed throughout the world the last decades, and almost half of all language musums listed below, was opened after year 2000. But language in a broader sense, meaning writing and written culture, has been an important subject for many museums for more than a hundred years. The oldest language museum dates from 1898, and the oldest museum on written culture from 1884.
In this context, a language museum is a museum devoted to information, education, documentation and/or research about language of some kind or another. Language is a cultural, social or political issue as well as a linguistic one, and in this broader sense, language museums also include institutions that deal with written or spoken culture as their core theme.
The hunt for language museums started in 2008. A preliminary catalogue was published in 2009, Museums of language and written culture in the world. By then, 22 museums were identified, and 12 institutions were under construction, out of which only three existed in 2017.
The work was to be continued, and in February 2015, 58 language museums were presented in A world of languages and written culture. Several hundred websites had been visited to find museums and collect relevant information. Some museums also contributed with information about other museums. All the diplomatic stations in Norway were asked for help, and they broadened the picture even more. A number of national ICOM committees were asked for help to get hold of possible lacks. Renewed systematic search in various Internet browsers brought some more institutions into light, and latest news about institutions under construction confirmed the picture.
Many museums of archaeology or history contain sections or even whole departments of exhibitions about language and written culture, for instance the British Museum in London, National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, and the many Smithsonian museums in the USA. Language and written culture is, however, not a main focus of their field of work. The boundary between a museum of writing and a museum of literature is anything but sharp. Literary museums seldom discuss language matters, but neverthelss, a few museums of culture that emphasizes language have been included as a reminder of the fact that any language is a cultural issue, and an essential one.
Some museums of written culture deal with the history of books as a history of technology and thus place themselves in the group of museums of communication. Musée de l’imprimerie de Lyon in France and all other museums of printing, paper mills and so on are also on the fringes of written culture. Museum für Kommunikation in Bern, Switzerland, is more concerned about the history of written culture. Centres of literacy easily become a part of the education system and usually present no documentation of the language situation in the world or in a country.
Many museums deal with individuals or are connected to the history or collection of persons. There is nothing strange about that: language is made by people, by persons. Every single language is the outcome of the work of people – many or few, but for a long time. So after all, the museums of language are another chapter in the history of mankind.
This second edition includes 80 museums of language and written culture in 31 countries. There might be more, and in some cases, updated information has been hard to find.
The museums have been divided into five groups:
- 6 museums of language and languages of the world
- 33 museums of a single language or group of languages
- 15 museums of writing and written culture
- 11 museums in memory of persons
- 15 digital museums
By 2017, there were ideas, plans and initiatives for at least 18 more language museums, some of them even under construction, but six museums had been closed.
The book presents 39 websites about language systems, language in use and language rights. Documentation is also included about 35 monuments, 23 festivals and 69 days and weeks for memory or celebration of languages.
The first edition was the background for inviting museums to establish an International network of language museums. By January 2018, 14 museums had joined the network after an inaugural meeting in Milan in July 2016. The platform is included at page 100.
Most of the texts, as most of the photos, have been edited from the websites of the museums, sometimes supplied with articles and presentations from news media. Some museums have also contributed with texts written for this edition.
Corrections, updates and supplements are welcome to admin@aasentunet.no.
Norway, 8 March 2018
Ottar Grepstad
General Director
Centre for Norwegian Language and Literature
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Weiterführende Links
- Ottar Grepstad (2018): Language museums of the world (PDF, 138 Seiten)
- Sprachmuseen (UEPO-Liste mit zurzeit zehn Einrichtungen)
Richard Schneider