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SIL International

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	Topics SIL International Topic Home SIL International is a worldwide U.S.-based non-profit evangelicalEvangelicalism The word evangelicalism usually refers to a tendency in diverse branches of conservative Christianity.... ChristianChristianity Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on Jesus of Nazareth, and on his life and teachings as presented in the New... organization whose main purpose is to study, develop and document lesser-known languageLanguage A language is a system of s, such as voice sounds, gestures or written symbols that encode or decode information.... s in order to expand linguisticLinguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language.... knowledge, promote literacyLiteracy The traditional definition of literacy is the ability to use language–to read, write, listen, and speak.... and aid minority languageFacts About Minority language A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a country.... development. SIL International is the sister organization of Wycliffe Bible TranslatorsWycliffe Bible Translators Wycliffe Bible Translators is an international, interdenominational or parachurch Evangelical Christian organization with In... , an agency dedicated to translating the BibleBible The Bible , is the name used by Jews and Christians for their differing canons of sacred texts.... into minority languages. The organization provides a database of its research into the world's languages through its EthnologueEthnologue *Ethnologue: Languages of the World* is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service ... , a database of the world's languages. It has more than 6,000 members from over 50 countries. History SIL International, originally the Summer Institute of Linguistics, started as a small summer training session in the U.S. stateU.S. state A state of the United States is any one of the fifty subnational entities referred to as a state which, along with the Dist... of ArkansasArkansas Overview Arkansas is a Southern state in the United States. ... in 1934 to train missionaries of what later became Wycliffe Bible TranslatorsWycliffe Bible Translators Wycliffe Bible Translators is an international, interdenominational or parachurch Evangelical Christian organization with In... in basic linguisticLinguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language.... , anthropological and translationTranslation Translation is an activity comprising the interpretation of the meaning of a text in one language — the source text'... principles. The founder was William Cameron TownsendWilliam Cameron Townsend William Cameron Townsend is a prominent Christian Missionary whose ministry began in the early twentieth century.... , a former Disciples of Christ missionary to GuatemalaGuatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala , is a country in Central America, in the south part of North America,... . Its headquarters are located in the southern section of Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas Dallas is the third-largest city in the state of Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States.... . From the 1950s to 1987, SIL training was hosted by the University of OklahomaUniversity of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma, often called OU or Oklahoma, is a coeducational public research university located ... in NormanNorman, Oklahoma Norman is the largest city in Cleveland County in the U.S.... . 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. SIL training is now offered in many locations around the world. One of the students at the first summer institute in its second year 1935 was Kenneth L. PikeKenneth L. Pike Kenneth L. Pike was an American linguist and anthropologist.... , who was to become the foremost figure in the history of SIL. He served as SIL's President from 1942–1979 and then as President Emeritus until his death in 2000. He worked at the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor is a coeducational public research university in the U.S.... for many years. SIL's current president is Dr. John Watters, who took the office in 2008, after serving as Executive Director 2000-2007. Worldwide offices Besides the headquarters in Dallas, SIL has offices in a number of countries: Africa CameroonCameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a unitary republic of central Africa.... : YaoundeYaoundé Yaound, yah oon DAY, estimated population 1,430,000, is the capital city of Cameroon and second largest city in the coun... (central office), BamendaBamenda Overview Bamenda also popularly known to its inhabitants as Abakwa, is a city in northwestern Cameroon and capital of the North West ... (regional office), MarouaMaroua Maroua is the capital of the Far North Province of Cameroon, on the Ferngo and Kaliao Rivers.... (regional bureau for the north of the country) Americas BrazilBrazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest and most populous country in South America, and ... : CuiabáCuiabá Summary colspan="2" bgcolor="#FFDEAD" \| Cuiab\|----- bgcolor="#FFFFFF"... ColombiaColombia The Republic of Colombia , is the northwesternmost country of South America.... (1962-2002) MexicoMexico The United Mexican States, generally known as Mexico is a country located in North America, bordered at the north by t... : TlalpanTlalpan Tlalpan is the largest of the 16 delegaciones into which Mexico's Federal District is divided.... (Distrito Federal) PeruFacts About Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America, bordering Ecuador and Colombia to the no... : LimaLima Lima is the capital and largest city in Peru, as well as the capital of Lima Province.... SurinameSuriname Suriname, officially the Republiek Suriname, is a country in northern South America.... (1968-2001) Asia ChinaChina Summary China is a cultural region and ancient civilization in East Asia.... : cooperation with a number of research organizations and government agencies. PhilippinesPhilippines The Philippines , officially the Republic of the Philippines , is an island nation located in the Malay archipelago in... : ManilaManila The City of Manila, or simply Manila, is the capital of the Philippines.... Oceania Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea Papua New Guinea or PNG, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupyin... : UkarumpaUkarumpa Ukarumpa is the main center for SIL Papua New Guinea located in the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea approxima... 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, 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 PirahãPirahã language The Pirah language is a language spoken by the Pirah — an indigenous people of Amazonas, Brazil, who live along the Ma... 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 tagmemicsTagmemics Tagmemics is a linguistic theory developed by Kenneth L.... , though no longer promoted by SIL, was developed by Kenneth Pike, who also coined the words etic and emic, 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 USA these include Biola UniversityBiola University Summary Biola University is a private Christian university, located in Southern California.... , Moody Bible InstituteFacts About Moody Bible Institute Moody Bible Institute was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886.... , Houghton CollegeHoughton College name =Houghton College\|native_name =... , University of North DakotaUniversity of North Dakota The University of North Dakota is a comprehensive, public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA.... , Bryan CollegeFacts About Bryan College Bryan College is a private co-educational Christian college located in Dayton, Tennessee.... , University of Texas at ArlingtonUniversity of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington , usually referred to as UT Arlington or UTA, has a student population of r... , the Graduate Institute of Applied LinguisticsGraduate Institute of Applied Linguistics The Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics is a graduate school located in the southwest corner of Dallas, Texas.... and Dallas Theological SeminaryDallas Theological Seminary Dallas Theological Seminary is a conservative evangelical graduate-level theological seminary located in Dallas, Texas.... . Other universities with SIL programmes include Trinity Western UniversityTrinity Western University Trinity Western University is a private Christian liberal arts university located in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.... in CanadaCanada Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, occupying most of northern North America.... and Charles Darwin UniversityCharles Darwin University otto="Change your World"\|established=2004\|... in AustraliaAustralia Summary Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland o... . SIL also presents the fruits of some its research through the International Museum of Culture. Located in Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas Dallas is the third-largest city in the state of Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States.... , 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. International recognition SIL holds formal consultative status with UNESCOUNESCO UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945.... and United NationsUnited Nations name = United NationsNations Unies... , and has been publicly recognized by UNESCO for their work in many parts of Asia. SIL also holds non-governmental organizationNon-governmental organization The term non-governmental organization is used in a variety of ways all over the world and, depending on the context in whi... 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 AwardRamon Magsaysay Award The Ramon Magsaysay Award was established in April 1957 by the trustees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund based in New York C... 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. Other notable examples include a UNESCO award and the 1979 International Reading Association Literacy Award for literacy work in Papua New Guinea. Ethnologue and the SIL code The EthnologueEthnologue *Ethnologue: Languages of the World* is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service ... , the most comprehensive guide to the world's languages, is published by SIL. It assigns three-letter codes to languages, which are widely used by other linguists. The 15th edition of the Ethnologue was published in 2005 and generally uses the ISO 639-3ISO 639-3 ISO 639-3 is in process of development as an international standard for language codes.... standard. SIL is the registrar for the ISO 639-3 standard. Controversy and SIL's Response Missionary activities Conspiracy In the book, "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" by John Perkins, (Page 141-143) he states that the Ecuadoran President accused SIL of working with US based oil companies in order to presuade the local tribes to deed over the rights to their lands to the oil companies for oil exploration. (No further data to support this claim). See SIL Response to Perkins. SIL has been accused of being involved in moving indigenous populations in South AmericaSouth America South America is a continent situated in the western hemisphere and, mostly, the southern hemisphere, bordered on the west b... from their native lands to make way for exploitation schemes of North AmericaNorth America Overview North America is a continent in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost fully in the western hemisphere.... n and EuropeEurope Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth.... an oil corporations. The most well known example is the case of the HuaoraniHuaorani The Huaorani, also known as Waorani, Waodani, or Auca, are an indigenous tribe of the Ecuadorian Oriente.... people in EcuadorEcuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador is a country in northwestern South America, bounded by Colombia on the no... , which resulted in many deaths and the moving of the people into reservationsIndian reservation In the United States, an Indian reservation is land which is managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Depa... controlled by the missionaries. In 1975, thirty anthropologists signed "The Denouncement of Pátzcuaro", alleging that SIL was a "tool of imperialism", linked to the CIA and "divisions within the communities that constitutes a hindrance to their organization and the defence of their communal rights". In 1979, SIL's agreement with the MexicanMexico The United Mexican States, generally known as Mexico is a country located in North America, bordered at the north by t... government was officially terminated, but it continued to be active in that country. The same happened in 1980 in EcuadorEcuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador is a country in northwestern South America, bounded by Colombia on the no... , although a token presence remained. Remnants of SIL presence were protested in every subsequent Native South American uprising. In the early 1990s, the newly-formed organisation of indigenous people of Ecuador CONAIECONAIE The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or more commonly, CONAIE, is Ecuador's largest indigenous org... once more demanded the expulsion of SIL from the country. At a conference of the Inter-American IndianAmerican Indian American Indian can refer to:Native Americans in the United States;... Institute in Mérida, YucatánMérida, Yucatán Mrida* is the capital city of the Mexican state of Yucatn.... , in November 1980, delegates denounced the Summer Institute of Linguistics for using a scientific name to conceal its religious agenda and capitalistCapitalism Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are owned mostly privately, and capital is invested in t... worldview that was alien to indigenous traditions. Opponents have alleged that SIL was financed initially by expatriateExpatriate An expatriate is someone temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of their upbringing or... coffee processors in Guatemala, and later by the Rockefellers, Standard OilStandard Oil Standard Oil was a large, integrated, oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing organization.... , the timber company Weyerhauser, and USAID. By the 1980s, [SIL] was expelled from BrazilBrazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest and most populous country in South America, and ... , EcuadorFacts About Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador is a country in northwestern South America, bounded by Colombia on the no... , MexicoMexico Summary The United Mexican States, generally known as Mexico is a country located in North America, bordered at the north by t... , and PanamaPanama The Republic of Panama , commonly known as Panama, is the southernmost country of Central America.... , and restricted in ColombiaColombia The Republic of Colombia , is the northwesternmost country of South America.... and PeruPeru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America, bordering Ecuador and Colombia to the no... . Today, according to SIL's annual reportAnnual report An annual report is a document which a company presents at its Annual General Meeting for approval by its shareholders.... , it is funded by donations from individuals, churches, and other organizations, channeled to SIL by the Wycliffe Bible Translators External links SIL website Freely available complex scripts technology, UnicodeUnicode Unicode is an industry standard designed to allow text and symbols from all of the writing systems of the world to be consis... fonts and documentation from SIL's Non-Roman Script Initiative SIL launches free open-source software at World Summit on the Information SocietyWorld Summit on the Information Society The World Summit on the Information Society was a series of United Nations-sponsored conferences about information and commu... . Software to bridge the digital divide for ethnic minority languages (SIL International Media Release) SIL Response to Errors in "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" Criticism of SIL activities Carmelo Ruiz: Book review of Thy Will Be Done, The Conquest of the Amazon by Gerard Colby and Charlotte Dennett (Harper Collins 1995, ISBN 0-06-016764-5). Background of the work of SIL in the Amazon region. Cedric Muhammad: (BlackElectorate, May 13, 2001) Nikolas Kozloff: Robertson Only the Latest Controversy In a Long and Bizarre History (Council On Hemispheric Affairs, September 19, 2005) Paul Heggarty: Other sites JAARSJungle Aviation and Radio Service The Jungle Aviation and Radio Service or JAARS is the technical arm of the Wycliffe Bible Translators, and is headquar... : JAARS has its headquarters in Waxhaw, North CarolinaNorth Carolina North Carolina is a state in the Southeastern United States.... . Its purpose is to provide technical support services to Wycliffe Bible TranslatorsWycliffe Bible Translators Wycliffe Bible Translators is an international, interdenominational or parachurch Evangelical Christian organization with In... and to SIL International. Kittipong Thavevong: (The Nation, Bangkok, via the German presence at the World Summit on the Information SocietyWorld Summit on the Information Society The World Summit on the Information Society was a series of United Nations-sponsored conferences about information and commu... )