From Babble to Babel: Children’s Language Around the World

Event details
When

Tuesday, February 24, 2026 from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Where
Hybrid:
Join the event in Zoom
Hatcher Gallery Event Space
Hatcher Library North, First Floor, Room 100
View building informationView floor plan
Event typeReception/Open House

Join us to hear native speakers share their selections of playful language from around the globe in celebration of International Mother Language Day! We're offering international treats and the option to participate in the event. Join us in the Hatcher Gallery or via Zoom.

Nursery rhymes, tongue twisters, and gibberish; Mother Goose and Dr. Seuss. Children’s language can be silly, but it’s not just fun and games. Complex verbal exercises purposely play up a given language’s nuances of sound, syntax, and semantics, and so become a wonderful way to hear the voices of the world. The same lingual hijinks are equally important as conveyors of culture.

An image of the Tower of Babel from William Wiesner's eponymous picture book in U-M Library's Lee Walp Family Collection.

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Library contact

Brendan James Nieubuurt · bnieubuu@umich.edu

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