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{{short description|Non-profit organization to study, develop and document languages}}
{{Redirect|Summer Institute of Linguistics|the Linguistic Society of America's summer Linguistics Institute|Linguistic Society of America}}
{{redirect|Summer Institute of Linguistics|the Linguistic Society of America's Summer Linguistics Institute|Linguistic Society of America}}


{{Infobox organization
{{POV-check|date=December 2007}}
| name = SIL Global
'''SIL International''' (formerly the '''Summer Institute of Linguistics''') is a ], worldwide, Christian non-profit organization, whose main purpose is to study, develop and document ]s, especially those that are lesser-known, in order to expand ] knowledge, promote ], translate the Christian ] into local languages, and aid ] development. SIL provides a database, ], of its research into the world's languages. SIL has more than 6,000 members from over 50 countries.
| logo = SIL International logo (2014).svg
| formation = {{Start date and age|1934||}}
| extinction =
| type = Scientific institute
| status =
| purpose = Research in ], promotion of literacy, ], ]
| headquarters = ], ], ]
| key_people = {{ubl|] <small>(founder)</small>|Michel Kenmogne <small>(Executive Director)</small>|Karel van der Mast <small>(Board Chair)</small>}}
| website = {{URL|https://www.sil.org/}}
| remarks =
| former name = Summer Institute of Linguistics
}}


'''SIL Global''' (formerly known as the '''Summer Institute of Linguistics International''') is an ] nonprofit organization whose main purpose is to study, develop and document ]s, especially those that are lesser-known, in order to expand ] knowledge, promote ], translate the Christian ] into local languages, and aid ] development.
SIL International is the "primary partner organization" of ],<ref></ref> a ] organization dedicated to translating the ] into minority languages.


Based on its language documentation work, SIL publishes a database, '']'', of its research into the world's languages, and develops and publishes software programs for language documentation, such as FieldWorks Language Explorer (FLEx)<ref>{{Cite web |title=FieldWorks Language Explorer |url=https://software.sil.org/fieldworks/ |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=SIL Software|date=9 December 2014 }}</ref> and Lexique Pro.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lexique Pro |url=https://software.sil.org/lexiquepro/ |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=SIL Software|date=2 October 2014 }}</ref>
==History==
SIL International started as a small summer training session in ] in 1934 to train ] of what later became ] in basic ], ] and ] principles. The founder was ] (1896–1982), a former ] missionary to ]. Its headquarters are located in the southern section of ].


Its main offices in the United States are located at the International Linguistics Center in ].
From the 1950s to 1987, SIL training was hosted by the ] in ]. The agreement between the university and SIL was terminated in 1987 after a controversy about SIL being involved in missionary activities and its relationship with Latin American governments{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}}. SIL training is now offered in many locations around the world.


== History ==
One of the students at the first summer institute in its second year 1935 was ] (1912–2000), who was to become the foremost figure in the history of SIL. He served as SIL's president from 1942 to 1979, then as president emeritus until his death in 2000. He worked at the ] for many years. SIL's current president is Dr. John Watters, who took the office in 2008, after serving as executive director from 2000 to 2007.
], a Presbyterian minister, founded the organization in 1934, after undertaking a ] with the ] among the ] in Guatemala in the early 1930s.<ref name="George Thomas Kurian 2016, p. 255">{{Cite book |first1=George Thomas |last1=Kurian |author-link=George Thomas Kurian |first2=Mark A. |last2=Lamport |author-link2=Mark A. Lamport |title=Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States, Volume 5 |publisher=] |location=US |year=2016 |page=255}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |first=Michael C. |last=Howard |title=Transnationalism and Society: An Introduction |publisher=McFarland |location=US |year=2014 |page=196 |isbn=9780786486250}}</ref> In 1933, he turned to Mexico with the purpose of translating the Bible into indigenous languages there, as he had done for Kaqchikel. Townsend established a working relationship with the Mexican ] under the government of President ] (in office 1934–1940) and founded SIL to educate linguist-] to work in Mexico. Because the Mexican government did not allow missionary work through its educational system, Townsend founded ] in 1942 as a separate organization from SIL. Wycliffe Bible Translators focused on Bible translation and missionary activities, whereas SIL focused on linguistic documentation and literacy education.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hartch |first=Todd |title=Missionaries of the State: The Summer Institute of Linguistics, State Formation, and Indigenous Mexico, 1935–1985 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |year=2006 |isbn=9780817315153 |location=Tuscaloosa, ]}}</ref>


Having initiated collaboration with the Mexican education authorities, Townsend started the institute as a small summer training-session in ], in 1934 to train missionaries in basic ], ], and translation principles. Through the following decades the SIL linguists worked at providing literacy education to indigenous people of Mexico, while simultaneously working with the Wycliffe Bible Translators on Bible translation. One of the students at the first summer institute in its second year, 1935, ] (1912–2000), would become the foremost figure in the history of SIL.<ref name="George Thomas Kurian 2016, p. 255"/> He served as SIL's president from 1942 to 1979, then as president emeritus until his death in 2000.
In 1979, SIL's agreement with the ] government was officially terminated after critiques from anthropologists regarding the combination of education and missionary activities in indigenous communities, though SIL continued to be active in that country. {{Sfn | Clarke | 2001 | p = 182}} The same happened in 1980 in ],{{Sfn | Yashar | 2005 | p = 118}} although a token presence remained. In the early 1990s, the organisation of indigenous people of Ecuador ] demanded the expulsion of SIL from the country.{{Sfn | Yashar | 2005 | p = 146}} According to Cleary and Steigenga, SIL was expelled from ], ], ] and ], and restricted in ] and ].{{Sfn | Cleary | Steigenga | 2004 | p = 36}} SIL currently operates in many of those countries.<ref name = "Worldwide" />


The Mexican branch, {{lang|es-MX|]}}, was established in 1948.
==Affiliated bodies and other offices==
Besides the headquarters in Dallas, SIL has offices and locally incorporated affiliated organizations in several countries:<ref name = "Worldwide">{{Citation | url = http://www.sil.org/worldwide.html | publisher = SIL International | title = Worldwide}}.</ref>


In 2016, Michel Kenmogne from Cameroon became president.
===Africa===
*]: ] (central office), ] (regional office), ] (regional bureau for the north of the country)
*]: ]
* Senegal: Dakar (central office), Ziguinchor (regional office), Thies (regional office)
*]: ]


{{As of | 2023 | alt = In 2023}} SIL said it had 1,350 language projects in 98 countries and 4,200 staff from 84 countries.<ref>SIL, , sil.org, USA, retrieved February 4, 2023.</ref>
===Americas===
*]: ]
*] (1962–2002)
*]: ], based in ] (Distrito Federal)
*]: ], based in ]
*] (1968–2001)<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.sil.org/americas/suriname/ | title = Americas | contribution = Suriname | publisher = SIL}}.</ref>


===Asia=== == Contributions ==
SIL's principal contribution to linguistics has been the data that have been gathered and analyzed from over 1,000 minority and endangered languages,<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.sil.org/SOCIOLX/NDG-LG-GRPS.HTML | title = Endangered Language Groups | publisher = SIL }}.</ref> many of which had not been previously studied academically. SIL endeavors to share both the data and the results of analysis in order to contribute to the overall knowledge of language. This has resulted in publications on languages such as ] and ], which have challenged the universality of some linguistic theories. SIL's work has resulted in over 20,000 technical publications, all of which are listed in the SIL Bibliography.<ref>{{Citation | contribution-url = https://www.sil.org/resources/language-culture-archives | title = Language and Culture Archives | contribution = Bibliography | publisher = SIL }}.</ref> Most of these are a reflection of linguistic fieldwork.<ref>{{Citation | contribution-url = http://www.sil.org/linguistics/fieldwork.html | title = Linguistics | contribution = Fieldwork | publisher = SIL }}.</ref>
*]: cooperation with a number of research organizations and government agencies.<ref>{{citation | url = http://www.eastasiagroup.net/partnerships | publisher = SIL East Asia Group | title = Chinese partnerships}}.</ref>
*]: ]
*]: The partner organisation of SIL in India was the Indian Institute of Cross Cultural Communication — IICCC, Nashik. The Institute trains Christians in the areas of linguistics and anthropological research besides translation.


SIL's focus has not been on the development of new linguistic theories, but ], though no longer promoted by SIL, was developed by ], who also coined the words ], more widely used today in anthropology.<ref>Headland et al. 1990.</ref>
===Oceania===
*]: ]


Another focus of SIL is literacy work, particularly in indigenous languages. SIL assists local, regional, and national agencies that are developing formal and informal education in vernacular languages. These cooperative efforts enable new advances in the complex field of educational development in multilingual and multicultural societies.<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.sil.org/sil/ | title = About | publisher = SIL International | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051124141723/http://www.sil.org/sil/ | archive-date = 2005-11-24 }}.</ref>
==Contributions==
SIL's principal contribution to linguistics has been the data that has been gathered and analysed from over 1,000 minority and endangered languages,<ref></ref> many of which had not been previously studied academically. SIL endeavors to share both the data and the results of analysis in order to contribute to the overall knowledge of language. This has resulted in publications on languages such as ] and ] which have challenged the universality of some linguistic theories. SIL's work has resulted in over 20,000 technical publications, all of which are listed in the SIL Bibliography.<ref></ref> Most of these are a reflection of linguistic fieldwork.<ref></ref>


SIL provides instructors and instructional materials for linguistics programs at several major institutions of higher learning around the world. In the ], these include ], ], ], and ]. Other universities with SIL programs include ] in ], ] in ], and ] in Lima, Peru.
SIL's focus has not been on the development of new linguistic theories, but ], though no longer promoted by SIL, was developed by Kenneth Pike, who also coined the words ], more widely used today in anthropology.


The organization has recently established a new Language and Culture Documentation Services Unit that aims to preserve and revitalize languages threatened by extinction. The creation of this department reflects a growing interest in documenting endangered languages and incorporates a multidisciplinary approach of anthropology and linguistics.<ref name="Language and Culture Documentation">{{Citation | url = https://www.sil.org/language-culture-documentation | title = Language and Culture Documentation | date = 30 July 2012 | publisher = SIL }}.</ref>
Another focus of SIL is literacy work, particularly in indigenous languages. SIL assists local, regional and national agencies that are developing formal and informal education in vernacular languages. These cooperative efforts enable new advances in the complex field of educational development in multilingual and multicultural societies.<ref></ref>


== Affiliations ==
SIL provides instructors and instructional materials for linguistics programs at several major institutions of higher learning around the world. In the ], these include ], ], ], ], the ] and ]. Other universities with SIL programmes include ] in ], ] in ], and Universidad Ricardo Palma in Lima, Peru.
SIL has Consultative Status with ] as an NGO, and has Special Consultative Status with the ] (ECOSOC) as an advocate for ethnolinguistic communities.<ref>SIL, , sil.org, USA, retrieved August 24, 2021</ref>


The organization is a member of the ] and ], and is a founding member of Maaya, the World Network for Linguistic Diversity.<ref>SIL, , sil.org, USA, retrieved August 24, 2021</ref>
SIL also presents the fruits of some its research through the International Museum of Cultures.<ref></ref> Located in ], it was developed by linguists and anthropologists associated with SIL International for the purpose of celebrating peoples of diverse cultures in an effort to promote greater appreciation and understanding of cultural differences.


== Methodological contributions == == Methodological contributions ==

=== Ethnologue and ISO 639-3 codes === === Ethnologue and ISO 639-3 codes ===
{{main|Ethnologue}} {{main|Ethnologue}}

The Ethnologue, a guide to the world's languages, is published by SIL. The 16th edition of the Ethnologue was published in 2009 and uses the ] standard, which assigns 3-letter codes to languages; these were derived in part from the 3-letter codes that were used in the Ethnologue's 15th edition. SIL is the ] for the ISO 639-3 standard.
''Ethnologue: A Guide to the World's Languages'' has been published by SIL since 1951.<ref>Keith Brown, Sarah Ogilvie, ''Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World'', Elsevier, Netherlands, 2010, p. 385</ref><ref>Stepp, John Richard, Hector Castaneda, and Sarah Cervone. "Mountains and biocultural diversity." Mountain Research and Development 25, no. 3 (2005): 223-227. "For the distribution of languages we used the Ethnologue database produced by the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). Ethnologue is widely regarded as the most comprehensive data source of current languages spoken worldwide."</ref>

From the 13th edition (1997) onwards, the entire contents of the published book were also shared online. From the 17th edition onwards (2013) the publication shifted to a web-centric paradigm, meaning that the website is now the primary means by which the database is accessed. Among other advantages, this greatly facilitates user contributions. A new edition is now published every February. The 27th edition was released in February 2024 and lists 7,164 languages.

Starting with the 16th edition (2009), ''Ethnologue'' uses the ] standard, which assigns 3-letter codes to languages; these were derived in part from the 3-letter codes that were used in the ''Ethnologue''<nowiki />'s 15th edition. SIL is the ] for the ISO 639-3 standard.

With the publication of the 17th edition (2016), Ethnologue launched a subscription service, but claiming that the paywall would only affect 5% of users.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ethnologue launches subscription service |url=https://allthingslinguistic.com/post/138507160184/ethnologue-launches-subscription-service |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=All Things Linguistic}}</ref> Users who contribute over 100 accepted changes are rewarded with lifetime free access.

A comprehensive review of the 16th, 17th and 18th editions acknowledged that " is at present still better than any other nonderivative work of the same scope" except that " fails to disclose the sources for the information presented.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Hammarström | first1 = Harald | year = 2015 | title = Ethnologue 16/17/18th editions: A comprehensive review | journal = Language | volume = 91 | issue = 3 | pages = 723–737 | doi = 10.1353/lan.2015.0038 | hdl = 11858/00-001M-0000-0014-C719-6 | s2cid = 119977100 | hdl-access = free }}</ref>


=== Software === === Software ===
SIL has developed widely used software for linguistic research.<ref>{{cite web |title = Software |url = http://www.sil.org/resources/software |website=SIL International |date = 22 April 2016 }}</ref>
SIL has long been a pioneer in the field of software for linguistic research. Several pieces of software are available.<ref>http://www.sil.org/resources/software</ref> ShoeBox has been replaced by the newer ] (Field Linguist’s Toolbox).<ref>http://www-01.sil.org/computing/toolbox/information.htm</ref> ] is a tool for translating text from one language into a related language without performing linguistic analysis.<ref>http://www-01.sil.org/computing/catalog/show_software.asp?id=105</ref> In the field of ], ] (Microsoft Windows and Linux<ref>http://linux.lsdev.sil.org/index.php/FieldWorks_Testing_Instructions</ref>) for linguists and ] (also Windows and Linux<ref>http://wesay.palaso.org/2012/11/16/wesay-on-linux/</ref>) for non-professionals help to methodologically build lexicons from field missions works.
* Adapt It is a tool for translating text from one language into a related language after performing limited linguistic analysis.<ref>{{cite web |title = Adapt It|url=https://adapt-it.org|publisher=SIL International }}</ref>
* In the field of ], ShoeBox, the newer ToolBox (Field Linguist's Toolbox),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://software.sil.org/toolbox/|title=Field Linguist's Toolbox|website=SIL Language Technology|date=10 May 2017|publisher=SIL International|access-date=2019-04-09}}</ref> and Lexique Pro<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lexique Pro |url=https://software.sil.org/lexiquepro/ |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=SIL Software|date=2 October 2014 }}</ref><ref>Guérin, Valérie, and Sébastien Lacrampe. "Lexique Pro." Technology Review 1, no. 2 (2007): 2.</ref> have largely been replaced by FieldWorks Language Explorer (FLEx Windows and Linux)<ref>{{Cite web |title=FieldWorks Language Explorer |url=https://software.sil.org/fieldworks/ |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=SIL Software|date=9 December 2014 }}</ref><ref>Baines, David. "FieldWorks Language Explorer (FLEx)." eLEX2009: 27.</ref><ref>Butler, L., & HEATHER, V. V. (2007). Fieldworks Language Explorer (FLEx). Language documentation & conservation, 1(1).</ref><ref>Ulinski, M., Balakrishnan, A., Bauer, D., Coyne, B., Hirschberg, J., & Rambow, O. (2014, June). Documenting endangered languages with the wordseye linguistics tool. In Proceedings of the 2014 Workshop on the Use of Computational Methods in the Study of Endangered Languages (pp. 6-14). "One of the most widely-used toolkits in the latter
category is SIL FieldWorks (SIL FieldWorks, 2014), or specifically, FieldWorks Language Explorer (FLEx). FLEx includes tools for eliciting and recording lexical information, dictionary development, interlinearization of texts, analysis
of discourse features, and morphological analysis. An important part of FLEx is its "linguistfriendly" morphological parser (Black and Simons, 2006), which uses an underlying model of morphology familiar to linguists, is fully integrated into lexicon development and interlinear text analysis, and produces a human-readable grammar sketch as well as a machine-interpretable parser. The morphological parser is constructed "stealthily" in the background, and can help a linguist by predicting glosses for interlinear texts."</ref> for linguists and WeSay (also Windows and Linux)<ref>{{cite web |title=WeSay |url=https://software.sil.org/wesay/ |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=SIL Software|date=2 October 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=tarmstrong |title=WeSay on Linux |url = http://wesay.palaso.org/2012/11/16/wesay-on-linux/ |website=WeSay.Palaso.org |publisher=SIL International |date=16 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130702141020/http://wesay.palaso.org/2012/11/16/wesay-on-linux/ |archive-date=2 July 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=WeSay|date=2 October 2014|url=https://software.sil.org/wesay|publisher=SIL International}}</ref> for non-professionals. SIL also provides a "Webonary" website for publishing dictionaries.<ref>{{cite web |title=Webonary |url=https://www.webonary.org |website=SIL International |language=en |date=10 June 2013}}</ref>
* ] is a smart-font technology and rendering system.<ref>{{cite web |title=Graphite |url = https://graphite.sil.org | publisher = SIL | date=2 June 2015 }}</ref><ref>Black, H. Andrew, and Gary F. Simons. "The SIL Field-Works Language Explorer approach to morphological parsing." Computational Linguistics for Lessstudied Languages: Texas Linguistics Society 10 (2006).</ref><ref>Bird, S., & Simons, G. (2003). Seven dimensions of portability for language documentation and description. Language, 557-582.</ref>
* Keyman is a keyboard software solution for typing over 2000 of the world's languages and can be used to make custom keyboards.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://keyman.com/ |title=Home |website=keyman.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://keyman.com/developer/|title = Keyman Developer &#124; Build custom keyboard layouts for desktop, web, phone and tablets}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vimeo.com/537853456|title=Keyman 14 Promo|date=16 April 2021}}</ref>

=== Fonts ===
SIL has developed several widely used font sets that it makes available as ] under the ] (OFL).<ref>Cahill, Michael, and Elke Karan. "Factors in designing effective orthographies for unwritten languages." SIL International (2008).</ref> The names of SIL fonts reflect the Biblical mission of the organization "''charis''" (Greek for "grace"), "''doulos''" (Greek for "servant") and "''gentium''" (Latin for "of the nations"). These fonts have become standard resources for linguists working on the documentation of the world's languages.{{sfn|Dobrin|Good|2009}} Most of them are designed only for specific writing systems, such as ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ], or some more technical notation, such as ] or ]. Fonts that support Latin include:
* ]: "a typeface family designed to enable the diverse ethnic groups around the world who use the Latin, Cyrillic and Greek scripts to produce readable, high-quality publications. It supports a wide range of Latin- and Cyrillic-based alphabets."<ref>{{cite web |url = http://software.sil.org/gentium/ |title= Gentium |website=SIL: Software & Fonts |date= 2 October 2014 |publisher=SIL International |access-date=20 August 2016 }}</ref>
* ]: "a Unicode serif font similar in design to ]. It contains a comprehensive inventory of glyphs needed for almost any Roman- or Cyrillic-based writing system, whether used for phonetic or orthographic needs. In addition, there is provision for other characters and symbols useful to linguists. It contains near-complete coverage of all the characters defined in Unicode 7.0 for Latin and Cyrillic."<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.sil.org/resources/software_fonts/doulos-sil |title=Doulos SIL |website=SIL: Software & Fonts |date=2 October 2014 |publisher=SIL International |access-date=20 August 2016 }}</ref><ref>Cahill, M. (2011, January). Non-linguistic factors in orthographies. In Symposium on Developing Orthographies for Unwritten Languages‐Annual Meeting, Linguistic Society of America.</ref><ref>Priest, L. A. (2004, September). Transitioning a Vastly Multilingual Corporation to Unicode. In 26th Internationalization and Unicode Conference, San Jose, CA.</ref>
*]: "a Unicode-based font family that supports the wide range of languages that use the Latin and Cyrillic scripts. It is specially designed to make long texts pleasant and easy to read, even in less than ideal reproduction and display environments."<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.sil.org/resources/software_fonts/charis-sil |title=Charis SIL |website=SIL: Software & Fonts|date=2 October 2014 |publisher=SIL International |access-date=20 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/wells/ipa-unicode.htm |title=IPA transcription in Unicode |last=Wells |first=John |author-link=John C. Wells |publisher=University College London |date=2012-06-04 |access-date=2015-07-12 }}</ref><ref>Wells, John. "An update on phonetic symbols in Unicode." In International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, Saarbrüken. Retrieved January, vol. 1, p. 2011. 2007.</ref>
* ]: "a sans serif Unicode font designed especially for literacy use and the needs of beginning readers. The focus is on clear letterforms that will not be easily confused with one another. It supports near-complete coverage for Latin and Cyrillic."<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://www.sil.org/resources/software_fonts/andika |title=Andika |website=SIL: Software & Fonts |date=2 October 2014 |publisher=SIL International |access-date=2016-10-29 }}</ref>


== Recognitions == == Recognitions ==
The 1947 Summer Meeting of the ] passed a resolution that the work of SIL "should be strongly commended by our Society and welcomed as one of the most promising developments in applied linguistics in this country."<ref>{{Citation | page = 4 | title = Proceedings | publisher = The Linguistic Society of America | year = 1947 | journal = Language | volume = 24 | number = 3 | jstor = 522186}}.</ref>
SIL holds formal consultative status with ] and ], and has been publicly recognized by UNESCO for their work in many parts of Asia.<ref></ref> SIL also holds ] status in many countries.


SIL holds formal consultative status with ] and the ], and has been publicly recognized by UNESCO for their work in many parts of Asia.<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.unescobkk.org/index.php?id=2900 | title = Appeal: SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics) International | publisher = Unesco BKK }}.</ref> SIL also holds ] status in many countries.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}
SIL's work has received appreciation and recognition in a number of international settings. In 1973, SIL was awarded the ] for International Understanding. This foundation honors outstanding individuals and organizations working in Asia who manifest greatness of spirit in service to the peoples of Asia.<ref></ref> Other notable examples include a UNESCO award and the 1979 International Reading Association Literacy Award for the literacy work in Papua New Guinea.<ref></ref>


SIL's work has received appreciation and recognition in a number of international settings. In 1973, SIL was awarded the ] for International Understanding. This foundation honors outstanding individuals and organizations working in Asia who manifest greatness of spirit in service to the peoples of Asia.<ref>{{Citation | contribution-url = http://www.rmaf.org.ph/Awardees/Response/ResponseSIL.htm | year = 1973 | title = Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for International Understanding | contribution = Summer Institute of Linguistics | access-date = 2006-02-10 | archive-date = 2011-05-10 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110510054655/http://www.rmaf.org.ph/Awardees/Response/ResponseSIL.htm | url-status = dead }}.</ref> UNESCO Literacy Prizes have been awarded to SIL's work in a number of countries: Australia (1969), Cameroon (1986), Papua New Guinea (1979), Philippines (1991).<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.unesco.org/education/prizewinners_1967_2001.pdf | publisher = UNESCO | title = Literacy Prize winners 1967–2001 | date = 11 April 2013 }}.</ref>
==Criticisms==
SIL's website states that it "limits its focus of service to language development work does not engage in proselytism, establish churches or publish Scriptures."<ref>{{Citation | publisher = Summer Institute of Linguistics | title = What is SIL International? | url = http://www.sil.org/sil/ | accessdate = 2012-02-20}}.</ref> Nonetheless, the institute works closely with its sister organization the ], also founded by William Cameron Townsend, and many of the linguists sent to the field by SIL have been missionaries funded by American congregants. In the early years of the organizations functioning most SIL linguists had little or no academic training in linguistics{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}}, although today many have advanced degrees{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}}.


==Criticism==
The organization's double focus on language description and Bible translation, and the missionary activities carried out by many of its field workers, have been criticized by linguists and anthropologists who argue that SIL is in essence a missionary organization, and that by aiming to change indigenous cultures they exacerbate the problems that cause language endangerment and death.<ref>Epps, Patience. 2005. "Language endangerment in Amazonia: The role of missionaries." ''Bedrohte Vielfalt: Aspects of Language Death'', edited by Jan Wolgemuth and Tyko Dirksmeyer, Berliner Beiträge zur Linguistik, Berlin: Weissensee.</ref><ref>Hvalkof and Aaby 1981</ref><ref>Stoll 1983</ref><ref>Errington 2008</ref>
In 1979, SIL's agreement was officially terminated by the Mexican government after critiques from anthropologists regarding the combination of education and missionary activities in indigenous communities, though SIL continued to be active in that country.{{Sfn | Clarke | 2001 | p = 182 }} At a conference of the Inter-American Indian Institute in ], in November 1980, delegates denounced the Summer Institute of Linguistics, charging that it was using a scientific name to conceal its ] agenda and an alleged ] view that was alien to indigenous traditions.{{Sfn | Bonner | 1999 | p = 20 }} This led to the agreement with the ]an government being terminated in 1980,{{Sfn | Yashar | 2005 | p = 118 }} although a token presence remained. In the early 1990s, the ] (CONAIE) demanded the expulsion of SIL from the country.{{Sfn | Yashar | 2005 | p = 146 }} SIL was also expelled from ], ], and ], and restricted in ] and ].{{Sfn | Cleary | Steigenga | 2004 | p = 36}}


The organization's focus on language description, language development and Bible translation, and the missionary activities carried out by many of its field workers have been criticized by linguists and anthropologists who argue that SIL aims to change indigenous cultures, which exacerbates the problems that cause ] and ].<ref>{{Citation | last = Epps | first = Patience | year = 2005 | contribution = Language endangerment in Amazonia: The role of missionaries | title = Bedrohte Vielfalt: Aspects of Language Death | editor1-first = Jan | editor1-last = Wolgemuth | editor2-first = Tyko | editor2-last = Dirksmeyer | publisher = Berliner Beiträge zur Linguistik | location = Berlin: Weissensee }}.</ref>{{sfn|Hvalkof|Aaby|1981}}{{Sfn|Errington|2008|pp=153-162}} Linguists have argued that the missionary focus of SIL makes relations with academic linguists and their reliance on SIL software and knowledge infrastructure problematic in that respective goals, while often overlapping, also sometimes diverge considerably.{{sfn|Dobrin|2009}}{{sfn|Dobrin|Good|2009}}
SIL has also been criticized by indigenous groups in South America. At a conference of the Inter-American Indian Institute in ], in November 1980, delegates denounced the Summer Institute of Linguistics, charging that it was using a scientific name to conceal its Protestant agenda and an alleged ] view that was alien to indigenous traditions.{{Sfn | Bonner | 1999 | p = 20}}


SIL does not consider efforts to change cultural patterns a form of culture destruction and points out that all their work is based on the voluntary participation of indigenous peoples. In the SIL view, ] is not a valid concept and it would lead to pessimism to characterize culture change resulting from the inevitable progress of civilization as ethnocide.{{sfn |Olson|2009}}{{sfn |Dobrin| 2009}} SIL considers itself as actively protecting endangered languages by promoting them within the speech community and providing mother-tongue literacy training.<ref>{{Citation | last = Cahill | first = Michael | year = 2004 | title = From endangered to less endangered: Case studies from Brazil and Papua New Guinea | publisher = SIL | series = Electronic Working Papers | id = 2004-004 | url = http://www.sil.org/silewp/2004/silewp2004-004.htm | access-date = August 5, 2013}}.</ref>{{sfn|Dobrin| 2009}} Additionally, their expanded interest in preserving threatened languages has resulted in the creation of a Language and Culture Documentation Services Unit.<ref name="Language and Culture Documentation"/>
==See also==

* ]
== Regional offices ==
Besides the headquarters in Dallas, SIL has offices and locally incorporated affiliated organizations in the following countries:<ref name = "Worldwide">{{Citation | url = http://www.sil.org/worldwide.html | publisher = SIL International | title = Worldwide }}.</ref>

===Africa===
*]: ] (central office), ] (regional office), ] (regional bureau for the north of the country)
*]: ]
*]: ]
*]: ] (central office), ] (regional office), ] (regional office)
*]: ]
*]: ] (Africa Regional Office)
*]: ]

===Americas===
*]: ]
*] (1962–2002)
*]: ], based in the ] borough of ]
*]: ], based in ]
*] (1968–2001)<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.sil.org/americas/suriname/ | title = Americas | contribution = Suriname | publisher = SIL }}.</ref>

===Asia===
*]: ]

=== Oceania ===
* ]: ] (] suburbs)
* ]: ]

== See also ==
* ]
* ] * ]
* ] font
* {{Citation | url = http://fieldworks.sil.org/flex/| contribution = FLEx | title = FieldWorks Language Explorer | publisher = SIL}}.


==Notes== == References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|2}}
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Citation | last = Bonner | first = Arthur | title = We Will Not Be Stopped: Evangelical Persecution, Catholicism, and Zapatismo in Chiapas, Mexico | publisher = Universal Publishers | year = 1999 | isbn = 1-58112-864-9 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Q0YOht6yUc0C}}.
* {{Citation | editor1-last = Brend | editor1-first = Ruth Margaret | editor2-last = Pike | editor2-first = Kenneth Lee | title = The Summer Institute of Linguistics: Its Works and Contributions | publisher = Walter de Gruyter | year = 1977 | isbn = 90-279-3355-3 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=eHmVDwAAQBAJ}}.
* {{Citation | last = Clarke | first = Colin | title = Class, Ethnicity, and Community in Southern Mexico: Oaxaca's Peasantries | publisher = ] | year = 2001 | isbn = 0-19-823387-6 | url = http://www.oup.co.uk/pdf/0-19-823387-6.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061012190742/http://www.oup.co.uk/pdf/0-19-823387-6.pdf | archive-date = 2006-10-12 }}.
* {{Citation | last1 = Cleary | first1 = Edward L | first2 = Timothy J | last2 = Steigenga | title = Resurgent Voice in Latin America: Indigenous Peoples, Political Mobilization, and Religious Change | publisher = Rutgers University Press | year = 2004 | isbn = 0-8135-3461-5 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=YCdDIy-BwlkC}}.
* {{Citation | last = Cobbs | first = Elizabeth A. | title = Thy Will Be Done: The Conquest of the Amazon: Nelson Rockefeller and Evangelism in the Age of Oil – book reviews | journal = ] |date = November 1, 1995 }}.<!-- broken link -->
* {{Citation | title = Thy Will Be Done: The Conquest of the Amazon: Nelson Rockefeller and Evangelism in the Age of Oil | last1 = Colby | first1 = Gerard | first2 = Charlotte | last2 = Dennett | publisher = Harper Collins | year = 1995 | isbn = 0-06-016764-5 | postscript = . | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/thywillbedonecon00colb }} <!-- also on google books: https://books.google.fr/books?id=t9U3DwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover --> This book contains allegations of Rockefeller's use of American missionaries, and in particular, the Summer Institute of Linguistics, who cooperated in conducting surveys, transporting ] agents and indirectly assisting in the genocide of tribes in the Amazon basin.
* {{Citation | title = SIL International and the disciplinary culture of linguistics: Introduction | last = Dobrin | first = Lise M. | journal = Language | volume = 85 | number = 3 | year = 2009 | pages = 618–619 | doi = 10.1353/lan.0.0132 | s2cid = 144965158 | url = https://www.academia.edu/6030694}}.
* {{cite journal |last1=Dobrin |first1=L. M. |last2=Good |first2=J.|year=2009 |title = Practical language development: Whose mission?|journal=Language |volume=85 |issue=3 |pages=619–629 |doi = 10.1353/lan.0.0152 |citeseerx = 10.1.1.827.9545|s2cid=144749106 }}.
* {{Citation | last = Erard | first = Michael | title = How Linguists and Missionaries Share a Bible of 6,912 Languages | newspaper = The ] | date = July 19, 2005 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/19/science/how-linguists-and-missionaries-share-a-bible-of-6912-languages.html}}.
* {{Citation | year = 2008 | title = Linguistics in a Colonial World: A Story of Language, Meaning, and Power | first = Joseph | last = Errington | isbn = 978-1-4051-0569-9 | publisher = Wiley-Blackwell }}
* {{Citation | last = Gow | first = Peter | title = An Amazonian Myth and Its History | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2001 | isbn = 9780199241965 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=gkWPCcgRXKcC}}.
* {{cite book | last = Hartch | first = Todd | year = 2006 | title = Missionaries of the State: The Summer Institute of Linguistics, State Formation, and Indigenous Mexico, 1935–1985 | location = Tuscaloosa, AL | publisher = University of Alabama Press | isbn = 9780817315153 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=GZNaAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{Citation | chapter = The Story of the Wycliffe Translators: Pacifying the Last Frontiers | last = Hart | first = Laurie K. | title = NACLA's Latin America & Empire Report | volume = VII | number = 10 | year = 1973 | postscript = . }} This article describes SIL's collaboration with US oil corporations and military governments in South America in the 1950s and 1960s.
* {{Citation | title = Emics and etics: The insider/outsider debate | editor1-last = Headland | editor1-first = Thomas | editor2-first = Kenneth | editor2-last = Pike | editor3-first = Marvin | editor3-last = Harris |publisher = Sage Publications | location = Thousand Oaks, CA | year = 1990 | postscript = . }}
* {{Citation | title = Is God an American? An Anthropological Perspective on the Missionary Work of the Summer Institute of Linguistics | editor1-last = Hvalkof | editor1-first = Søren | editor2-first = Peter | editor2-last = Aaby | publisher = A Survival International Document, International Workgroup for Indigenous Affairs | location = Copenhagen/London | year = 1981 | isbn = 87-980717-2-6 | postscript = . }}
* {{Citation | last = Lewis | first = Norman | title = The Missionaries: God Against the Indians | publisher = Open Road Media |year = 2013 | isbn = 9781480433335}}.
* {{Citation | last = Castro Mantilla | first = Maria Dolores | title = El Trabajo del ILV en Bolivia, 1954–1980, Informe Final | year = 1996 | publisher = Undersecretary of Ethnic Affairs, National Secretary of Gender and Generational Ethnic Affairs, Ministry of Human Development | location = LaPaz | trans-title = The Work of SIL in Bolivia, 1954–1980, Final Report}}. This report in Spanish contains a detailed chart of SIL activities in Latin American countries.
* {{Citation | title = SIL International: An emic view | last = Olson | first = Kenneth S. | journal = Language | volume = 85 | number = 3 | year = 2009 | pages = 646–658 | doi = 10.1353/lan.0.0156 | s2cid = 144082312 | postscript = . }}
* {{Citation | last = Orlandi | first = Eni Pucinelli | language = de | title = Sprache, Glaube, Macht: "Ethik und Sprachenpolitik | trans-title = Language, Faith, Power: Ethics and Language Policy | journal = Lili - Zeitschrift für Literaturwissenschaft und Linguistik | publisher = J.B. Metzler Verlag | volume = 116 | issue = 4 | pages = 116–141 | date = December 1999 | doi = 10.1007/BF03379140 | s2cid = 140368171 }}. The author presents a discourse analysis of the practices of SIL.
* {{Citation | last = Perkins | first = John | title = Confessions of an Economic Hit Man | title-link = Confessions of an Economic Hit Man | publisher = Plume Publishers | year = 2006 | isbn = 0-452-28708-1}}. Contains references to alleged SIL missionary activities and displacement of indigenous peoples in South America.
* {{Citation | last1 = Pettifer | first1 = Richard | first2 = Julian | last2 = Bradley | title = Missionaries | publisher = ] Publications | year = 1991 | isbn = 0-563-20702-7 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/missionaries00pett }}.
* {{Citation | title = Fishers of Men or Founders of Empire? The Wycliffe Bible Translators in Latin America. A US Evangelical Mission in the Third World | last = Stoll | first = David | location = London | publisher = Zed Press | year = 1982 |isbn = 0-86232-111-5 |postscript = .}} Criticism of alleged SIL missionary activities.
* {{Citation | last = Willibrand | first = W. A. | title = Oklahoma Indians and the Summer Institute of Linguistics | year = 1953}}.
* {{Citation | last = Yashar | first = Deborah J | title = Contesting Citizenship In Latin America. The Rise of Indigenous Movements and the Postliberal Challenge | publisher = ] | year = 2005 | isbn = 0-521-82746-9}}.
{{Refend}}


== External links ==
==References==
* {{Official website|https://www.sil.org/}}
* {{Citation | last = Bonner | first = Arthur | title = We Will Not Be Stopped: Evangelical Persecution, Catholicism, and Zapatismo in Chiapas, Mexico | publisher = Universal Publishers | year = 1999 | ISBN = 1-58112-864-9}}.
*Brend, Ruth Margaret, and Kenneth Lee Pike (eds.): ''The Summer Institute of Linguistics: Its Works and Contributions'' (Walter De Gruyter 1977), ISBN 90-279-3355-3.
* {{Citation | last = Clarke | first = Colin | title = Class, Ethnicity, and Community in Southern Mexico: Oaxaca's Peasentries | publisher = ] | year = 2001 | ISBN = 0-19-823387-6 | url = http://www.oup.co.uk/pdf/0-19-823387-6.pdf | format = ]}}.
* {{Citation | last1 = Cleary | first1 = Edward L | first2 = Timothy J | last2 = Steigenga | title = Resurgent Voice in Latin America: Indigenous Peoples, Political Mobilization, and Religious Change | publisher = Rutgers University Press | year = 2004 | ISBN = 0-8135-3461-5}}.
*Cobbs, Elizabeth A. "Thy Will Be Done: The Conquest of the Amazon: Nelson Rockefeller and Evangelism in the Age of Oil – book reviews" (''Christian Century'', November 1, 1995)
*Colby, Gerard, and Charlotte Dennett: ''Thy Will Be Done: The Conquest of the Amazon: Nelson Rockefeller and Evangelism in the Age of Oil'' (Harper Collins 1995), ISBN 0-06-016764-5. This book contains allegations of Rockefeller's use of American missionaries, and in particular, the Summer Institute of Linguistics, who cooperated in conducting surveys, transporting ] agents and indirectly assisting in the genocide of tribes in the Amazon basin.
*Erard, Michael: ''How Linguists and Missionaries Share a Bible of 6,912 Languages''. In: ], July 19, 2005.
*Gow, Peter: ''An Amazonian Myth and Its History'' (Oxford University Press 2001), ISBN 0-19-924195-3 / ISBN 0-19-924196-1.
*Hart, Laurie K.: "The Story of the Wycliffe Translators: Pacifying the Last Frontiers". In: ''NACLA's Latin America & Empire Report'', vol. VII, no. 10 (1973). This article describes SIL's collaboration with US oil corporations and military governments in South America in the 1950s and 1960s.
*Hvalkof, Søren, and Peter Aaby (eds.): ''Is God an American? An Anthropological Perspective on the Missionary Work of the Summer Institute of Linguistics'' (A Survival International Document, International Workgroup for Indigenous Affairs, Copenhagen/London 1981), ISBN 87-980717-2-6.
*Lewis, Norman: ''The Missionaries'' (London, Secker and Warburg 1988; McGraw-Hill Companies 1989), ISBN 0-07-037613-1.
* Mantilla, Castro, and Maria Dolores: ''El Trabajo del ILV en Bolivia'', 1954–1980, Informe Final (''The Work of SIL in Bolivia, 1954–1980, Final Report''; La Paz, Ministerio de Desarollo Humano 1996). This report in Spanish contains a detailed chart of SIL activities in Latin American countries.
*Orlandi, Eni Pucinelli: Sprache, Glaube, Macht: "Ethik und Sprachenpolitik / Language, Faith, Power: Ethics and Language Policy", in: Brigitte Schlieben-Lange (ed.): ''Zeitschrift für Literaturwissenschaft und Linguistik 116, Katechese, Sprache, Schrift'' (University of Siegen / J.B. Metzler 1999) The author presents a discourse analysis of the practices of SIL.
*Perkins, John: ''Confessions of an Economic Hit Man'' (Plume Publishers 2006), ISBN 0-452-28708-1. Contains references to alleged SIL missionary activities and displacement of indigenous peoples in South America.
*Pettifer, Richard, and Julian Bradley: ''Missionaries'' (] Publications 1991), ISBN 0-563-20702-7.
*Stoll, David: ''Fishers of Men or Founders of Empire? The Wycliffe Bible Translators in Latin America. A US Evangelical Mission in the Third World'' (London, Zed Press 1983), ISBN 0-86232-111-5. Criticism of alleged SIL missionary activities.
*Willibrand, W. A: ''Oklahoma Indians and the Summer Institute of Linguistics'' (1953).
* {{Citation | last = Yashar | first = Deborah J | title = Contesting Citizenship In Latin America. The Rise of Indigenous Movements and the Postliberal Challenge | publisher = ] | year = 2005 | ISBN = 0-521-82746-9}}.


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==External links==
rmv 168836067 - es, 2 entries
* {{cite web|title=SIL International: Partners in Language Development|url=http://www.sil.org|year=2009|accessdate=26 April 2009}}
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Latest revision as of 20:29, 17 September 2024

Non-profit organization to study, develop and document languages "Summer Institute of Linguistics" redirects here. For the Linguistic Society of America's Summer Linguistics Institute, see Linguistic Society of America.
SIL Global
Formation1934; 90 years ago (1934)
TypeScientific institute
PurposeResearch in linguistics, promotion of literacy, language preservation, Bible translation
HeadquartersDallas, Texas, United States
Key people
Websitewww.sil.org
Formerly calledSummer Institute of Linguistics

SIL Global (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics International) is an evangelical Christian nonprofit organization whose main purpose is to study, develop and document languages, especially those that are lesser-known, in order to expand linguistic knowledge, promote literacy, translate the Christian Bible into local languages, and aid minority language development.

Based on its language documentation work, SIL publishes a database, Ethnologue, of its research into the world's languages, and develops and publishes software programs for language documentation, such as FieldWorks Language Explorer (FLEx) and Lexique Pro.

Its main offices in the United States are located at the International Linguistics Center in Dallas, Texas.

History

William Cameron Townsend, a Presbyterian minister, founded the organization in 1934, after undertaking a Christian mission with the Disciples of Christ among the Kaqchikel Maya people in Guatemala in the early 1930s. In 1933, he turned to Mexico with the purpose of translating the Bible into indigenous languages there, as he had done for Kaqchikel. Townsend established a working relationship with the Mexican Secretariat of Public Education under the government of President Lázaro Cárdenas (in office 1934–1940) and founded SIL to educate linguist-missionaries to work in Mexico. Because the Mexican government did not allow missionary work through its educational system, Townsend founded Wycliffe Bible Translators in 1942 as a separate organization from SIL. Wycliffe Bible Translators focused on Bible translation and missionary activities, whereas SIL focused on linguistic documentation and literacy education.

Having initiated collaboration with the Mexican education authorities, Townsend started the institute as a small summer training-session in Sulphur Springs, Arkansas, in 1934 to train missionaries in basic linguistic, anthropological, and translation principles. Through the following decades the SIL linguists worked at providing literacy education to indigenous people of Mexico, while simultaneously working with the Wycliffe Bible Translators on Bible translation. One of the students at the first summer institute in its second year, 1935, Kenneth Lee Pike (1912–2000), would become the foremost figure in the history of SIL. He served as SIL's president from 1942 to 1979, then as president emeritus until his death in 2000.

The Mexican branch, Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, was established in 1948.

In 2016, Michel Kenmogne from Cameroon became president.

In 2023 SIL said it had 1,350 language projects in 98 countries and 4,200 staff from 84 countries.

Contributions

SIL's principal contribution to linguistics has been the data that have been gathered and analyzed from over 1,000 minority and endangered languages, many of which had not been previously studied academically. SIL endeavors to share both the data and the results of analysis in order to contribute to the overall knowledge of language. This has resulted in publications on languages such as Hixkaryana and Pirahã, which have challenged the universality of some linguistic theories. SIL's work has resulted in over 20,000 technical publications, all of which are listed in the SIL Bibliography. Most of these are a reflection of linguistic fieldwork.

SIL's focus has not been on the development of new linguistic theories, but tagmemics, though no longer promoted by SIL, was developed by Kenneth Pike, who also coined the words emic and etic, more widely used today in anthropology.

Another focus of SIL is literacy work, particularly in indigenous languages. SIL assists local, regional, and national agencies that are developing formal and informal education in vernacular languages. These cooperative efforts enable new advances in the complex field of educational development in multilingual and multicultural societies.

SIL provides instructors and instructional materials for linguistics programs at several major institutions of higher learning around the world. In the United States, these include Dallas International University, Biola University, Moody Bible Institute, and Dallas Theological Seminary. Other universities with SIL programs include Trinity Western University in Canada, Charles Darwin University in Australia, and Universidad Ricardo Palma in Lima, Peru.

The organization has recently established a new Language and Culture Documentation Services Unit that aims to preserve and revitalize languages threatened by extinction. The creation of this department reflects a growing interest in documenting endangered languages and incorporates a multidisciplinary approach of anthropology and linguistics.

Affiliations

SIL has Consultative Status with UNESCO as an NGO, and has Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as an advocate for ethnolinguistic communities.

The organization is a member of the Forum of Bible Agencies International and Micah Network, and is a founding member of Maaya, the World Network for Linguistic Diversity.

Methodological contributions

Ethnologue and ISO 639-3 codes

Main article: Ethnologue

Ethnologue: A Guide to the World's Languages has been published by SIL since 1951.

From the 13th edition (1997) onwards, the entire contents of the published book were also shared online. From the 17th edition onwards (2013) the publication shifted to a web-centric paradigm, meaning that the website is now the primary means by which the database is accessed. Among other advantages, this greatly facilitates user contributions. A new edition is now published every February. The 27th edition was released in February 2024 and lists 7,164 languages.

Starting with the 16th edition (2009), Ethnologue uses the ISO 639-3 standard, which assigns 3-letter codes to languages; these were derived in part from the 3-letter codes that were used in the Ethnologue's 15th edition. SIL is the registration authority for the ISO 639-3 standard.

With the publication of the 17th edition (2016), Ethnologue launched a subscription service, but claiming that the paywall would only affect 5% of users. Users who contribute over 100 accepted changes are rewarded with lifetime free access.

A comprehensive review of the 16th, 17th and 18th editions acknowledged that " is at present still better than any other nonderivative work of the same scope" except that " fails to disclose the sources for the information presented.

Software

SIL has developed widely used software for linguistic research.

  • Adapt It is a tool for translating text from one language into a related language after performing limited linguistic analysis.
  • In the field of lexicon collection, ShoeBox, the newer ToolBox (Field Linguist's Toolbox), and Lexique Pro have largely been replaced by FieldWorks Language Explorer (FLEx Windows and Linux) for linguists and WeSay (also Windows and Linux) for non-professionals. SIL also provides a "Webonary" website for publishing dictionaries.
  • Graphite is a smart-font technology and rendering system.
  • Keyman is a keyboard software solution for typing over 2000 of the world's languages and can be used to make custom keyboards.

Fonts

SIL has developed several widely used font sets that it makes available as free software under the SIL Open Font License (OFL). The names of SIL fonts reflect the Biblical mission of the organization "charis" (Greek for "grace"), "doulos" (Greek for "servant") and "gentium" (Latin for "of the nations"). These fonts have become standard resources for linguists working on the documentation of the world's languages. Most of them are designed only for specific writing systems, such as Ethiopic, Devanagari, New Tai Lue, Hebrew, Arabic, Khmer, Yi, Myanmar, Coptic, and Tai Viet, or some more technical notation, such as cipher musical notation or IPA. Fonts that support Latin include:

  • Gentium: "a typeface family designed to enable the diverse ethnic groups around the world who use the Latin, Cyrillic and Greek scripts to produce readable, high-quality publications. It supports a wide range of Latin- and Cyrillic-based alphabets."
  • Doulos SIL: "a Unicode serif font similar in design to Times/Times New Roman. It contains a comprehensive inventory of glyphs needed for almost any Roman- or Cyrillic-based writing system, whether used for phonetic or orthographic needs. In addition, there is provision for other characters and symbols useful to linguists. It contains near-complete coverage of all the characters defined in Unicode 7.0 for Latin and Cyrillic."
  • Charis SIL: "a Unicode-based font family that supports the wide range of languages that use the Latin and Cyrillic scripts. It is specially designed to make long texts pleasant and easy to read, even in less than ideal reproduction and display environments."
  • Andika: "a sans serif Unicode font designed especially for literacy use and the needs of beginning readers. The focus is on clear letterforms that will not be easily confused with one another. It supports near-complete coverage for Latin and Cyrillic."

Recognitions

The 1947 Summer Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America passed a resolution that the work of SIL "should be strongly commended by our Society and welcomed as one of the most promising developments in applied linguistics in this country."

SIL holds formal consultative status with UNESCO and the United Nations, and has been publicly recognized by UNESCO for their work in many parts of Asia. SIL also holds non-governmental organization status in many countries.

SIL's work has received appreciation and recognition in a number of international settings. In 1973, SIL was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding. This foundation honors outstanding individuals and organizations working in Asia who manifest greatness of spirit in service to the peoples of Asia. UNESCO Literacy Prizes have been awarded to SIL's work in a number of countries: Australia (1969), Cameroon (1986), Papua New Guinea (1979), Philippines (1991).

Criticism

In 1979, SIL's agreement was officially terminated by the Mexican government after critiques from anthropologists regarding the combination of education and missionary activities in indigenous communities, though SIL continued to be active in that country. At a conference of the Inter-American Indian Institute in Mérida, Yucatán, in November 1980, delegates denounced the Summer Institute of Linguistics, charging that it was using a scientific name to conceal its Protestant agenda and an alleged capitalist view that was alien to indigenous traditions. This led to the agreement with the Ecuadoran government being terminated in 1980, although a token presence remained. In the early 1990s, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) demanded the expulsion of SIL from the country. SIL was also expelled from Brazil, Mexico, and Panama, and restricted in Colombia and Peru.

The organization's focus on language description, language development and Bible translation, and the missionary activities carried out by many of its field workers have been criticized by linguists and anthropologists who argue that SIL aims to change indigenous cultures, which exacerbates the problems that cause language endangerment and language death. Linguists have argued that the missionary focus of SIL makes relations with academic linguists and their reliance on SIL software and knowledge infrastructure problematic in that respective goals, while often overlapping, also sometimes diverge considerably.

SIL does not consider efforts to change cultural patterns a form of culture destruction and points out that all their work is based on the voluntary participation of indigenous peoples. In the SIL view, ethnocide is not a valid concept and it would lead to pessimism to characterize culture change resulting from the inevitable progress of civilization as ethnocide. SIL considers itself as actively protecting endangered languages by promoting them within the speech community and providing mother-tongue literacy training. Additionally, their expanded interest in preserving threatened languages has resulted in the creation of a Language and Culture Documentation Services Unit.

Regional offices

Besides the headquarters in Dallas, SIL has offices and locally incorporated affiliated organizations in the following countries:

Africa

Americas

Asia

Oceania

See also

References

Citations

  1. "FieldWorks Language Explorer". SIL Software. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  2. "Lexique Pro". SIL Software. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  3. ^ Kurian, George Thomas; Lamport, Mark A. (2016). Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States, Volume 5. US: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 255.
  4. Howard, Michael C. (2014). Transnationalism and Society: An Introduction. US: McFarland. p. 196. ISBN 9780786486250.
  5. Hartch, Todd (2006). Missionaries of the State: The Summer Institute of Linguistics, State Formation, and Indigenous Mexico, 1935–1985. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press. ISBN 9780817315153.
  6. SIL, About SIL, sil.org, USA, retrieved February 4, 2023.
  7. Endangered Language Groups, SIL.
  8. "Bibliography", Language and Culture Archives, SIL.
  9. "Fieldwork", Linguistics, SIL.
  10. Headland et al. 1990.
  11. About, SIL International, archived from the original on 2005-11-24.
  12. ^ Language and Culture Documentation, SIL, 30 July 2012.
  13. SIL, International Relations, sil.org, USA, retrieved August 24, 2021
  14. SIL, Partnerships, sil.org, USA, retrieved August 24, 2021
  15. Keith Brown, Sarah Ogilvie, Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World, Elsevier, Netherlands, 2010, p. 385
  16. Stepp, John Richard, Hector Castaneda, and Sarah Cervone. "Mountains and biocultural diversity." Mountain Research and Development 25, no. 3 (2005): 223-227. "For the distribution of languages we used the Ethnologue database produced by the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). Ethnologue is widely regarded as the most comprehensive data source of current languages spoken worldwide."
  17. "Ethnologue launches subscription service". All Things Linguistic. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  18. Hammarström, Harald (2015). "Ethnologue 16/17/18th editions: A comprehensive review". Language. 91 (3): 723–737. doi:10.1353/lan.2015.0038. hdl:11858/00-001M-0000-0014-C719-6. S2CID 119977100.
  19. "Software". SIL International. 22 April 2016.
  20. "Adapt It". SIL International.
  21. "Field Linguist's Toolbox". SIL Language Technology. SIL International. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  22. "Lexique Pro". SIL Software. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  23. Guérin, Valérie, and Sébastien Lacrampe. "Lexique Pro." Technology Review 1, no. 2 (2007): 2.
  24. "FieldWorks Language Explorer". SIL Software. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  25. Baines, David. "FieldWorks Language Explorer (FLEx)." eLEX2009: 27.
  26. Butler, L., & HEATHER, V. V. (2007). Fieldworks Language Explorer (FLEx). Language documentation & conservation, 1(1).
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