WELCOME TO THE DIFFUSEUM

Languages, whether spoken or written, standardized or not, classified as dialects or vernaculars, expressions of marginalized groups or institutional languages, all live within territories, in a tapestry that is extremely difficult to describe and for which it is arduous to reconstruct a narrative and preserve memory. Cities and territories offer a chorus of plural and multilingual voices, inviting us to uncover the archaeology of languages stratified over time. Such stratification does not form a unilinear linguistic history, but rather a unique cultural landscape from which no new linguistic systems emerge – and for which institutional and regulatory interventions, as well as centuries-old writing traditions, are necessary. A chorus of voices that underlies the life of those territories and constitutes a significant part of the linguistic culture of any region. The Diffuseum preserves what is traceable of the voices scattered throughout the territory of Europe and the Mediterranean, by grouping all objects of our collections, placing them on a map, and allowing for their interrogation through a powerful search engine. It will allow visitors to search times, places, languages, categories and even abstract concepts, to start exploring the world of languages and to build itineraries based on their personal interests and curiosity. The Diffuseum is currently in development.

LET'S PLAY!

And for the grand finale, play with our app *The Music of My Languages*: you can compose a melody inspired by the languages that resonate within you or have fun with the slide of language families.

The museum is one of the activities of the Marco Polo House of Languages.