JAARS Museum of the Alphabet Contributes to the National Museum of Language Opening in Maryland
For more information, contact:
Arthur Lightbody
JAARS Media Relations Officer
1-704-843-6048
arthur_lightbody@sil.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WAXHAW, N.C. — May 2, 2008 — The National Museum of Language will open its doors tomorrow in College Park, Maryland and visitors will see displays from Waxhaw, N.C.’s Museum of the Alphabet.
Dr. Amelia Murdoch, president of the National Museum of Language (NML), says, "The Board of Directors of the National Museum of Language deeply appreciates the assistance of the Museum of the Alphabet in developing the opening exhibit of the NML entitled ‘Writing Language: Passing It On.’ We highly value the cooperation of the Museum of the Alphabet as we pursue our common goal of better informing the general public of the importance of language.”
The National Museum of Language (NML), a small museum that explores the transformative powers of language, opens to the public after more than ten years in the making. A trail-blazer in the field—there are no more than three museums in the world with a similar focus—the NML will examine the history, impact and art of language.
The opening exhibit "Writing Language: Passing It On" displays how language developed over time and uses the Museum of the Alphabet displays. Attention is given to alphabetic and pictographic writing systems.
The alphabetic exhibit was constructed by Museum of the Alphabet Director La Donna Mann and her staff in collaboration with Dr. Janet Chernela of the University of Maryland, and is based on displays at the Waxhaw museum. It traces the beginnings of the most widely used alphabet, the Roman, from Sumerian clay tablets, as well as depicting the Greek, Arabic and Hebrew alphabets.
The new museum’s pictographic exhibit features the Chinese and Japanese scripts. For more information on the National Museum of Language, go to www.languagemuseum.org.
The Museum of the Alphabet, which opened in 1990, is located on the JAARS Center in Waxhaw N.C. The Museum of the Alphabet contains a colorful and impressive array of displays and artifacts depicting the history and development of inscribed languages. More than 5,000 people visit the museum each year.
The Museum of the Alphabet was proposed by William Cameron Townsend, the founder of JAARS and SIL International, as an educational tool for the public and was 13 years in the making.
Of the world’s 6,912 languages, more than 2,000 still do not have a written form. The ongoing task of modern alphabet-makers is to carry on the heritage of the past, giving the gift of written language to those still waiting.
JAARS provides technical support services and resources to help in language-based development programs worldwide. These language programs involve writing local languages to be used as vehicles for literacy, education, and Scripture translation.
JAARS is committed to partnering with Wycliffe Bible Translators in "Vision 2025"—that a Scripture translation program will have begun in every language by the year 2025. To find out more about JAARS go to www.jaars.org.
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