SIL International history

He quickly grasped the importance of the linguistic sciences for both the translation and humanitarian aims of SIL. In 1937, Pike wrote his family that “Townsend has his plan of action here in Mexico upon the basis of scientific research.

Pike returned to the Linguistic Institute in 1938.

By 1940, thirty-six language workers with the Summer Institute of Linguistics are studying eighteen Mexican languages.

SIL grew apace and by 1941 numbered nearly a hundred members serving in Mexico.

When the opportunity to partner with the University of Oklahoma at Norman in 1942 arose, the two men rightly saw it as a way to upgrade SIL’s academic credentials.

Nida was SIL’s second PhD, graduating from the University of Michigan in 1943.

In 1945, SIL founder Townsend and the Peruvian Minister of Education sign an agreement inviting SIL to begin working with ethnolinguistic communities in Peru.

Robbins joined SIL International in 1950 then went to Mexico with his wife Ethel where they served among the Quiotepec Chinantec in the state of Oaxaca.

A formal agreement between the Philippine Department of Education and SIL was signed on February 28, 1953.

His long and distinguished career with SIL International began in administration with the SIL training school near London in 1954.

Bendor-Samuel received a Ph.D. in Linguistics from London University in 1958.

In December 1961, a cooperative agreement with the University of Ghana marks the beginning of SIL's language development in Ghana, the first SIL program in Africa.

However, in 1962, Doctor Bendor-Samuel launched his instrumental work in West Africa, paving the way for SIL to begin language development and Bible translation work there.

Top: Land purchased for the future ILC shown in a 1971 aerial photo.

Cameron Townsend wrote his observations of multilingual education in the region in his 1972 book, They Found a Common Language: Community Through Bilingual Education.

The Linguistics program of NSF chose this project as their project of the year and included it in NSF’s annual report to the United States Congress in 1977.

Gary Simons (PhD, Cornell University, 1979) is SIL’s Chief Research Officer and director of the Pike Center for Integrative Scholarship.

The Watters carried out linguistic research and Doctor Watters received his PhD in Linguistics from UCLA in 1981.

Elson's Linguistic Creed, composed in 1987:

Bottom: By 1995 the ILC includes four office buildings around a landscaped quadrangle, an RV park and meeting room for seasonal volunteers, a dormitory for students and visitors, a dining hall, a swimming pool and extensive hiking trails showcasing the unique escarpment landscape.

Pike modeled this throughout his career, self-identifying both as a missionary and a scholar until his death on December 31, 2000—all the while demonstrating that evangelicals could effectively serve God with both the heart and the mind.

In 2005 SIL linguist Doctor Ken Olson successfully proposed a new symbol for the International Phonetic Alphabet to represent the labiodental flap, a previously undocumented speech sound found in central and southeastern Africa.

The National Congress of Peru honors SIL Peru by passing a congressional motion: "To salute and congratulate the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) on the 21st of September 2006, the day of the Sixtieth Anniversary of its creation."

In 2010, Doctor Gary Simons is appointed SIL's first Chief Research Officer.

In 2011, SIL at the University of North Dakota (UND) celebrates its 60th year of linguistics courses, a relationship which began with UND’s invitation.

2012 marks the fiftieth anniversary of SIL’s service in language development in Africa.

In 2013 SIL introduced major redesigns of both SIL.org and Ethnologue.com.