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Out of this Word: Planet Word Museum
By Amanda Muscente
Words are the most fundamental part of human interaction. They allow us to speak, to write, to listen. But where do our words come from - not just in English but in all languages? That’s what the Planet Word Museum located on 13th Street Washington, D.C. aims to teach each of its visitors. With three floors of interactive exhibitions, visitors will be sure to come away from the building feeling more connected to language.
The first exhibition offers a wall of 1,000 English words. The presentation begins and the words individually begin to light up. The speaker teaches us where many of the English words come from, allowing the audience to use interactive mics in order to answer questions or suggest another word to learn about. “Change is what keeps language alive,” he tells us, before inviting us to make some change of our own while exploring the rest of the museum.
The next room offers a large light up globe surrounded by about a dozen screens. Each screen shows a different face and when you walk towards one you are prompted to tap and learn a lil bit from a new language and continue swiping through to see more. I went through only a few of the available mini lessons and got to hear about Amharic, German, Piscataway, Icelandic, Irish Gaelic, Miriwoong, and American Sign Language. Some of these were familiar to me, others completely foreign. Learning languages from Europe then Asia and then the Americas quite literally takes you around the globe.
I walked throughout the other rooms, never missing a moment to stop and use one of their interactive screens. One room analyzed the figurative language in popular songs and even had microphones set up for karaoke (Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” was an option so I had to sing it). In another area of the museum, an AI showed me different captions for cartoons and I decided on whether it was actually funny or not. Even the bathrooms were full of words, including little puns over each toilet.
The highlight of the museum for me was definitely the library. Its mirrored ceilings gave the impression that the stacks of books could go on infinitely. In the center of the room was a long reading table with various books available to choose from. I picked up The Diary of Anne Frank, opened it, and placed it on the table. Sensors detected the book I chose and immediately a projection show lit up on the pages, describing the book and its importance. I went on for a bit, choosing books and placing them on there, excited to see what images would appear for each story.
The final room focused on what words mean to each individual person. A recording booth allowed you to film your own story and another wall was covered in colored paper that visitors filled out, giving a word that they felt described them, or made them feel powerful or loved, for example. Screens played the recordings of various people offering their experience with powerful words. One girl spoke about being both Jewish and Latina, another man spoke about the bullying he faced as a child. The speakers echo out into the gift shop and faintly follow you all the way to the exit.
The stories and lessons learned in Planet Word have a way of following you far past the doors of the entrance. The museum really challenges you to think about words and what people in the past have done with them and what you can do with them now. Whether it's in literature, music, or our daily speech Planet Word teaches you that words do matter and leaves you with the inspiration to make a change.
February 2023
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