Original adopted by the members of the Permanent International Committee of Linguists (CIPL) at a meeting in 1977. Most recent revision August 14, 1987 (adopted at a meeting of the General Assembly in Berlin).

Article 1.

CIPL is a non-governmental international organization founded to assist in the development of linguistic science. All countries as well as international organizations of linguists whose main aim is to promote linguistic science and to further cooperation between linguists, may become member. CIPL consists of a General Assembly and an Executive Committee. The Executive Committee is entrusted with the organization of international linguistic congresses in collaboration with representatives of the country in question. The Executive Committee fixes the date and determines the general orientation of the congress. In consultation with the linguists of the country concerned, the Executive Committee selects from among them the President of the Congress. The Executive Committee also has responsibility for any researches or publications undertaken by CIPL.

Article 2.

The General Assembly is composed of one representative for each country, as selected by national committees or institutions of linguistic research and for each international organization.

In case of disagreement concerning the proper representative, the Executive Committee will decide by a simple majority vote which representative is to be recognized.

Article 3.

Each representative in the General Assembly has one vote. Should he be prevented from attending, he can designate another scholar from his own country or international organization as his substitute, who shall have full voting rights.

Article 4.

CIPL is an affiliated member of the International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies (CIPSH).

Article 5.

A country or international organization which is not a member of CIPL may join by applying to the Executive Committee, which will decide by a simple majority whether to accede to the request. In case of rejection the country or international organization may appeal to the General Assembly, which will decide by simple majority of the members present.

Article 6.

The ordinary meetings of the General Assembly will take place at the international linguistic congresses. Extraordinary meetings can be convened between congresses by the Executive Committee.

Article 7.

The Executive Committee of CIPL shall consist of (1) the President, the Secretary-General, and two Vice Presidents, who shall be elected by the General Assembly at an ordinary meeting, shall serve until the next ordinary meeting, and may be re-elected; (2) the President of the preceeding Congress, who shall serve until the conclusion of the following Congress, (3) seven other persons who shall be elected by the General Assembly at an ordinary meeting, shall serve until the next ordinary meeting, and may be re-elected, and (4) those persons who were permanent members of CIPL prior to its reorganization at the 1967 Congress.

The Executive Committee conducts and co-ordinates the activities of CIPL. It prepares the agenda for the General Assembly and communicates it to the members three months in advance. It is authorized to make urgent decisions between meetings of the General Assembly, which then must be communicated to the General Assembly.

The Secretary-General, in consultation with the other members of the Executive Committee, directs the current activities of CIPL and maintains contact with the international organizations, with which CIPL co-operates.

The Executive Committee is responsible for the management of the funds of CIPL. It submits the annual accounts to the Assembly and prepares estimates for the budget.

Article 8.

Each member remits an annual contribution to CIPL, the amount to be fixed by the General Assembly on suggestion of the Executive Committee. Expenses for the activities of CIPL will be covered by the normal budgetary income, by special contributions, by subventions and by legacies.

Article 9.

Any member which has not paid its contribution for three consecutive years will lose its voting rights. Any country which is in default for five consecutive years is deemed to have resigned.

Any member of CIPL and any member of the Executive Committee that has been seriously at fault in disregarding the principles of international co-operation as envisaged in article 1 of these statutes, may be excluded from CIPL. To make such an exclusion effective necessitates a two-thirds majority either of the General Assembly or of the Executive Committee respectively.

Article 10.

CIPL is legally incorporated in The Netherlands.

Article 11.

The present statutes may only be modified by the General Assembly by a two-thirds majority of the members present.

Article 12.

Any question concerning the functioning of CIPL which is not covered by the present statutes may be decided by supplementary regulations adopted by the Executive Committee.

Article 13.

Other international organizations which concern themselves with the development of research in neighbouring disciplines of importance to CIPL can be affiliated to CIPL, which will represent them at CIPSH. The relations between such organizations and CIPL will be determined by separate regulations agreed upon by the Executive Committee and the organizations concerned.

Article 14.

The dissolution of CIPL can be decided upon only by the General Assembly by a two-thirds majority. In case of dissolution the assets of CIPL will be transferred to UNESCO, on which will devolve the obligation of using them for the advancement of linguistic studies.