In the end of June, it became known that the Kazan Federal University, in partnership with the Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, won the right to host the International Congress of Linguists (ICL) – the main world scientific linguistic forum. The Congress is organized once every five years by the Permanent International Committee of Linguist, the oldest and broadest international scientific community in this area.
The Permanent International Committee of Linguists (Comité International Permanent des Linguistes) (hereinafter: PICL) was founded in 1928 during the first International Congress of Linguists (ICL) in the Hague. There linguistics was firstly introduced to the world as an independent science. Since then, PICL has been the world’s leading professional linguistic community. The purpose of this Committee is to disseminate knowledge about linguistics around the world, promote its development and stimulate cooperation between linguists from different countries.
At the 8th session of the UNESCO Executive Committee in 1948, the PICL was given Consultative Status. Since 1949, it has been an affiliate member of the UNESCO International Council for Philosophy and Humanities (CIPSH) and unites professional communities and scientific organizations of linguists from 34 leading countries of the world, including the Russian Federation. Russia in this organization is represented by the Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Every year, PICL prepares and publishes a linguistic bibliography, the purpose of which is to give a complete and reliable overview of all linguistic publications, regardless the place of their appearance or the language they are written on. In cooperation with UNESCO, PICL sponsors special linguistic projects, such as projects in the area of endangered languages and others.
So far, the Permanent International Committee of Linguists has held two dozen International Congress of Linguists in the world’s largest scientific centers: The Hague (1928), Geneva (1931), Rome (1933), Copenhagen (1936), Brussels (1939), Paris (1948), London (1952), Oslo (1957), Cambridge, Massachusetts (1962), Bucharest (1967), Bologna (1972), Vienna (1977), Tokyo (1982), Berlin (1987), Quebec (1992), Paris (1997) ), Prague (2003), Seoul (2008), Geneva (2013), Cape Town (2018). The topics discussed at congresses reflect the rapid growth of linguistics as a science and its diverse links with psychology, sociology, anthropology, philosophy and many other sciences.
If the early congresses were attended by scientists from a limited number of mainly European countries, and the total number of participants rarely exceeded two or three hundred, then in the last few decades, International Linguistic Congresses, held every five years, have attracted great interest of the scientific community, gathering more than a thousand linguists from all continents and gained fame as the world’s major linguistic forums. Thus, each congress is a truly significant scientific event that significantly enhances the reputation of the country and the institutions that organize it.
In March 2020, an application for holding the next 21st International Congress of Linguists (ICL 21) in 2023 was supported by the Executive Committee of PICL. An application was prepared by the Institute of Philology and Intercultural Communication of the Kazan Federal University in close cooperation with the Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (assistance was provided by the Investment Development Agency of the Republic Tatarstan). As a result, the rector of the Kazan Federal University, Professor I.R. Gafurov was sent an official letter from the leadership of this organization. Thus, for the first time in history, the International Congress of Linguists will be held in Russia, in the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan, on the basis of KFU.
The leaders of the PICL Executive Committee noted that the choice of the Kazan Federal University as the main organizer of the 21st International Congress of Linguists (ICL 21) is based on a well-prepared application that surpasses the rest in terms of level. Moreover, the decisive factor was the high scientific reputation of the Kazan University, one of the largest Russians and world universities. On its premises at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries the Kazan Linguistic School was founded, shaped modern linguistics to a considerable extent. At the suggestion of the PICL management, one of the sections of the 21st International Congress of Linguists ICL 21 which will be held from June 25 to July 2, 2023, will be devoted to the activities of this scientific school. The President of the Republic of Tatarstan R.N. Minnikhanov will act as the honorary president of the Congress. Rector of the Kazan Federal University I.R. Gafurov and Director of the Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences A.A. Kibrik will head the Congress, and associate general secretary of PICL, professor Camiel Hamans (Netherlands) will act as general secretary of the congress.
The Scientific Committee of the Congress, headed by the PICL President, Professor David Bradley (Australia), includes along with other leading linguistic scientists from different countries, Professor R.R Zamaletdinov, Director of the Institute of Philology and Intercultural Communication of KFU, head of the research laboratory “Quantitative Linguistics” and chief research associate of the Research Laboratory “Intelligent Technologies of Text Management” of KFU, Professor V.D. Soloviev and Head of the Department of Applied and Experimental Linguistics KFU, Head of the Laboratory “Clinical Linguistics” E.A. Gorobets. The announcement of the upcoming Congress, as well as its press release in 3 languages, including Russian and Tatar, for the first time in the history of the congresses, are posted on the website of the Permanent International Committee of Linguists, as well as links to the website of the Kazan Federal University .
There are 3 more years left until the beginning of the 21st International Congress of Linguists ICL 21, but preparations for its holding have already begun. Kazan Federal University, together with the Institute of Linguistics and the Institute of Linguistic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, will hold the Kazan International Linguistic Summit “Challenges and Trends in World Linguistics” in November 16-20, 2020. The Summit, which this year will be held online, will be attended by well-known Russian and foreign scientists, editors of leading Russian and foreign linguistic journals indexed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, etc.
