The magical world of languages

Tucked away behind the Saint Sulpice church is a little magical world of linguistic treasures. If you love languages and are intrigued by their versatility like I am, it is a gem you must explore. This unconventional and educational exposé of languages is totally under the radar of Parisian map of museums. But boy, it is so worth spreading the word.

The interactive exhibit is the brainchild of a very passionate and studious New Zealander who many years ago wrote directly to Avram Noam Chomsky, the father of modern linguistics, asking him of the existence of a Language Museum. It seems there was one in the US but apparently not eager on collaboration. This was not to stop Mark Oremland, creator and designer of Mundolingua.

Mundolingua is home of well-thought themed spaces housing touch screens, maps, panels, scrolls, self-made quizzes and an extraordinary visual explanation of language grammar comparison. The Micro cinema allows you to view cult films and they even have their own tower of Babel.

You can give yourself up to the fascinating world of languages in this original - why yes, quirky -three floored museum covering 170m2 of modular spaces where multimedia technologies coexists with recycled natural materials and collectables from across the globe.

Mark even commissioned a life-size replica of the Rosetta Stone to the British Museum. This first recovered Ancient Egyptian bilingual text in modern time provided the key to the modern understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphs... now if that does get your imagination going?!?

Without any state support or subsidy, Mark has embarked on this crazy adventure in the hope of making it an inescapable place for all language lovers, polyglots, adults and children alike. It has definitely made it into the top ten best places to visit in my Paris book.

Mundolingua, a little gem hidden between St. Sulpice and the Jardin de Luxembourg 

Welcome! Bienvenu! Willkommen! Benvenuto! etc, etc, etc ...

Sounds and phonetic alphabets 

One of the many modular spaces: this one is about WORDS

How to tell an American accent with 25 simple questions

Or how about a little French dictée?

Which language does your family belong to?

We can also do linguistic accents... a Swiss example

My personal favourite: a home-made visual grammar explanation comparing five different languages 

A little snapshot of the communication tower of Babel

You are always welcome at the Micro Cinema 

You can have fun with languages in the basement

Now the question is: in which language do I want to play?

Yes, this would be a lie detector!

Expat boy would probably even read THIS book!

Who remembers floppy disks?

An original Braille writer

 The Braille corner

Have you ever seen a real Enigma machine?