Research on the World's Language Research Institutes:
Intermediate Progress Report for 8/98-11/98
The National Language Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
About This Research
The purpose of this research is to investigate the functions of language research institutes throughout the world. Since existing information on language research is limited, this research aims to make a thorough database. Information about the institutes are collected through literature, and the internet, and by requesting embassies and foundation offices. Data include address and access numbers of each insititute, as well as purpose of establishment, form of establishment, their budget resources, publication, etc. Although we are conducting further investigations ourselves, we are asking for more specific information. Following are the initial inquiry sent to embassies, list of institutes, and partial sample analysis.
An Inquiry for Information about Language Research Institutes
The National Language Research Institute of Japan, attached to The Agency for Cultural Affairs, conducts scientific research on the Japanese language and language usage. We also conduct research projects in order to build a foundation to rationalise the national language. We are made up of 67 researchers; in sections such as Language Systems, Language Behavior, Language Change, Language Education, and Information & Data; Japanese Language Education Center; and Dictionary Compilation.
Following on recent political reforms in Japan, we are currently conducting research on language institutes throughout the world. We would appreciate it if you would offer information about language research institutes in your country. It would also help if you could recommend a person who has information on these institutes.
The research items are as follows:
1. Name of the institute
2. Location (Address)
3. Phone numbers and web addresses(Phone number, Fax number, E-mail address, Homepage address)
4. Purpose of establishment
5. Year founded
6. Form of establishment
7. Source and amount of budget
8. Publications
9. Organization a) Number of researchers and members b) Number of books and periodicals c)Name of chair or director d) Name of secretary
10. Major research projects (field and purpose).
The literature we have access to are:
Coulmas, F. (Ed.). (1989). Language Adaptation. Cambrigde, New York; Cambridge University Press.
Europa Publications Limited. (First edition 1949, 48th edition 1998). The World of Learning. England; The Gresham Press.
Kamei, T. et al. (Eds.). (1996). Gengo-gaku Daijiten (Encyclopedia of Linguistics). Tokyo; Sanseido
The National Language Research Institute. (Ed.). (1996). Language Institutes Around the World. Tokyo; The National Language Research Institute
Since the information we have is restricted and insufficient, your help is needed to collect further details. We will report our research results at a later date.
If you have any questions, please contact the
¡ÈResearch on the World's Language Research Institutes¡É at the following address.Mail address:
The National Language Research Institute
Project on Language Research Institute of the World
3-9-14 Nishigaoka, Kita-ku, Tokyo 115-8620, Japan
E-mail address: surv@kokken.go.jp
Fax number: 81-3-5993-7640
Mutsuro Kai
Director of the National Language Research Institute
List of Institutes
Following are the Institutes we currently have:
<United States of America>
The Ohio State University National Foreign Language Resource Center
The National Association for Bilingual Education
Center for Applied Linguistics
ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics
Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs
Center on English Learning and Achievment (CELA)
The National Foreign Language Center (NFLC)
<United Kingdom>
Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research (CILT)
Modern Humanities Research Association
Academy Gymreig/Welsh Academy
Institute of Linguists
Institute of Translation and Interpreting
Dictionary Research Centre at The University of Exeter
<Israel>
Academy of the Hebrew Language
Language Policy Research Center
<Italy>
Accademia della Crusca
Circolo Filologico Milanese
Societa Filologica Roman
Societa Filologica Friulana
<Iran>
Farhangestan
<India>
Abul Kalam Azad Oriental Research Institute
Academy of Sanskrit Research
Anjuman-i-Islam Urdu Research Institute
Bhandardar Oriental Research Institute
Cama, K. R., Oriental Institute and Library
Deccan College Postgraduate and Researh Institute
Ganhanatha Jha Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha (Central Sanskrit Researh Institute)
International Academy of Indian Culture
Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute
Mumbai Marathi Granth Sangrahalaya
Nava Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda institute of Buddhist Studies and Pali)
Oriental Institute of Indian Language
Oriental Research Institute
Sri Venkateswara University Oriental Researach Institute
Vishveshvaranand Vedic Research Institute
Vishveshvaranand Vishva Bandhu Institute of Sanskrit and Indological Studies
Department of Official Language
The Commision of Scientific and Technical Terminology
The National Council for Promotion of Urdu Languge
The National Council for Promotion of Sindi Language
The Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL)
Central Institute of English & Foreign Languages
Maharishi Sandipani Rashtrya Veda Vidya Pratishthan
Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan
Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, Agra
<Indonesia>
Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa (National Centre for Language Development)
<Ukraine>
Potebnya, A. A., Institute of Linguistics
Shevchenko, T. G., Institute of Literature
Lviv's Branch of Taras Shevchenko Insitutue of Literature
Institute of the Ukrainian Language
Ukrainian Lingua Information Fund
<Egypt>
Academic Arabic Society
Academy of Arabic Language
<Australia>
The National Language & Literacy Institute of Australia
Australian National Dictionary Centre
<Canada>
International Center for Research on Language Planning (CRLP)
Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
Modern Language Centre
Canadian Languages Network (CLN/RCL)
Agence francophone pour l'enseignement superieur et la recherche (AUPELF- UREF)
The Second Language Education Center
<Republic of Korea>
The National Language Research Institute
<Democratic People
Institute of Ethnic Classics
Institute of Juche Literature
Institute of Linguistics
<Saudi Arabia>
King Abdul Aziz Research Centre
<Sweden>
Svenska Akademien (Swedish Academy)
<Spain>
Euskaltzaindia/Real Academia de la Lengua Vasca (Academy of the Basque Language)
Insituto Aula de 'Mediterraneo'
Real Academia Sevillana de Buenas Letras (Seville Royal Academy of Belles Letters)
Reial Academia de Bones Lletres (Royal Academy of Belles Lettres)
Real Academia Espanola
Instituto Cervantes
<China>
Applied Linguistics Institute
Chinese Literature Institute
Foreign Literature Institute
Institute of Linguistics
Journalism Insitute
Literature of Minority Nationalities
Committee of Language Standardization and Character Simplification
<Denmark>
Danske Sprog-og Litteraturselskab (Society for Danish Language and Literature)
Filologisk-Historiske Samfund (Philological-Historical Society)
Research Institute for Danish Dialects
Institute for Nordic Philology
Institute for Lordic Language and Literature
Research Institute for Language and Culture in Jutland
Dansk Sprognavn
<Germany>
Arbeitsstelle fur osterreichische Literatur und Kultur Robert-Musil-Forschung
Institut fur Deutsche Sprache
Dudenredaktion Sprachberatugsstelle
<Turkey>
Turk Dil Kurumu (Turkish Language Institute)
<Pakistan>
Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu Pakistan
Baluchi Academy
Idarah-i-Yadgar-i-Ghalib
Institute of Islamic Culture
Iqbal Academy
National Language Authority
Pakistan Academy of Letters
Panjabi Adabi Academy
Pashto Academy
Shah Waliullah Academy
Sindhi Adabi Board
Urdu Academy
Urdu Dictionary Board
Urdu Science Board
<Hungary>
Magyar Tudomanyos Akademia Irodalomtudomanyi Intezete (Institute of Literary Studies of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences)
<Bangladesh>
Bangla Academy
<Philippines>
Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (Commision on the Filipino Language)
The Insititute of National Language
Sntro ng Wikang Filipino (Filipino Language Center)
<Brazil>
Academia Brasileira de Letras (Brasilian Academy of Letters)
Academia Cearense de Letras (Ceara Academy of Letters)
Academia de Letras da Bahia (Bahia Academy of Letters)
Academia Paraibana de Letras (Paraiba Academy of Letters)
Academia Paulista de Letras (Sao Paulo Academy of Letters)
Academia Pernambucana de Letras (Pernambuco Academy of Letters)
Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais
<France>
Institut de recherche et d'histoire des textes (IRHT)
Institut national de le langue francaise (INALF)
Institut de recherche en pedagogie de l'economie et en adiovisuel pour la communication dans les sciences sociales (IRPEACS)
Institut des textes et manuscrits modernes (ITEM)
Litterature oral, dialectologie et ethnologie du domaine arabo-berbere
Center de Recherche Pour un Tresor de la Langue Francaise
Center de Etude du Francais Moderne et Contemporain
<Viet Nam>
Institute of Linguistics
Institute of Literary Studies
Institute of Research on Chinese and Demotic Characters
<Poland>
Instytut Badan Literackich PAN (Institute of Literary Research)
Instytut Jezyka Polskiego PAN (Polish Language Institute)
<Portugal>
Instituto de Lexicologia e Lexicografia da Lingua Portuguesa,,
Instituto Portugues da Sociedade Cientifica de Goerres (Portuguese Institute of
the Goerres Research Society)
Insituto Camoes
<Malaysia>
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (National Language and Literary Agency)
Tamil Language Society
The Language Institute
<Mexico>
Academia Mexicana de la Lengua (Mexican Academy of Letters)
El Colegio de Mexico
Centro de Investigaciones Filologicas
<Romania>
Insitutul de Filologie Romana 'Al, Philippide' (Al, Philippide Institute of romanian Philology)
Insitutul de Fonetica si Dialectologie
¡ÆAl. Rosetti¡Æ (Al. Rosetti Insitutute of Phonetics and Dialectology)Institutul de Lingvistica (Insitutute of Linguistics)
<Russia>
Gorkii, A. M., Institute of World Literature
Institute of Linguistic Research
Insitutute of Linguistic Studies
Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House)
Russian Institute for Cultural Research,,
Vinogradov Institute of the Russian Language
Saint-Petersburg Department of Foreign Languages
Department Literature and Language (LDD)
<Europe>
The European Center for Modern Languages
Language Engineering
Sample Analysis
(Partial, Includes data collected by 98.10)
Number of institutes (See Figure 1)
Among the 32 countries that we currently have data on, the countries that have the largest number of institutes are: India(25), Pakistan(15), Russia (8), U.S.A. (7), Denmark (7), China (7), England (6), Ukraine (5), Brazil (5), and France(5). The number of institutes tends to be large in countries where multiple languages are used.
Purpose of establishment
In order to analyze the distribution of establishment purposes, the establishment purposes were categorized into five major purposes: political, research, educational, organizational, and service. Each category consists of the following sub-purposes:
Political purposes: Administration, administrative guidance, administrative reform, assessment, political advisory, guidance to government-funded agencies, decision making for research priorities, qualification examinations, prizes, promotion of literature, translation of certain languages for their protection, establishing translation agencies, research grants, scholarships
Research purposes: dictionaries, encyclopedias, vocabulary indexes, supplementary grants for universities
Educational purposes: teacher training, developing learning materials, developing instructional programs, secondary education, post-graduate programs, language courses, calligraphy classes
Organizational purposes: international conferences, seminars, symposiums, workshops
Service purposes: information collection, lending informative materials, answering telephone questions, organizing information
Since most institutes were established for multiple purposes, subcategories were counted as manys times as they were listed.
Number of institutes in each of the major purposes. (See Figure 2) Among the above five purposes, the purpose that had the largest number of institutes was research purposes (51.8%), followed by political (42.3%), service (17.5%), educational (14.6%), and organizational purposes (8.8%). However, the purpose of establishment for 24.2% of the entire number of institutes is unknown because of lack of information.
Number of countries per each major purpose. (See Figure 3) As far as research purposes are concerned, the country that had the largest number of institutes was India (19 institutes), followed by Ukraine (11), Pakistan (11), the United Kingdom (3), and Israel (3). Regarding political purposes, the country or region that had the largest number of institutes was India (16), followed by Pakistan (15), U.S.A. (4), Indonesia (2), Bangladesh (2), Malaysia (2), and Europe (2). As for service purposes, the country that had the largest number of institutes was Ukraine (5), followed by the United Kingdom (4), U.S.A. (2), India (1), and Pakistan (1). Regarding educational purposes, the country or region that had the largest number of institutes was India (10), followed by United Kingdom, Ukraine, Germany, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Europe, each having one institute. As for organizational purposes, the country or region that had the largest number of institutes was India (4), followed by Pakistan (2), and Europe (2).
Some countries had distinctive tendencies. More than half of the institutes in the U.S.A. were developed for political purposes (4/7). In the United Kingdom, the major purposes were service (4/6) and research (3/6). In India, the top three purposes were research (19/25), political (16/25), and educational (10/25). In Ukraine, the majority were established for research purposes (11/5) and service purposes (5/5). However, in Pakistan, the major purposes were political (15/15) and research (11/15).
Figure 1 Distribution of Institutes Throughout the World
Figure 2 Number of Institutes per Major Purpose
(Institutes are counted multiple times)
Figure 3 Relationship Between Number of Institutes and Major Purposes
for Each Country