1. Name

The name of this organisation will be "International Quantitative Linguistics Association", abbreviated "IQLA". IQLA can change its name by majority agreement of the membership.

2. Purpose

The purpose of IQLA is to promote the development of theoretical and applied Quantitative Linguistics and to stimulate worldwide communication among scientists working in this and related fields. In order to realise these objectives,IQLA publishes a newsletter, holds international conferences, establishes chapters, and sponsors other activities consistent with its objectives as directed by the Council.

3. Membership

The membership of IQLA consists of individual and corporate members. All members join the Association by application in a form prescribed by the Council. The Council may also invite and appoint Honorary Members, who shall be entitled to attend Council meetings.

4. Organization

IQLA is governed by a Council of elected members. The elected members of the Council are the President, the Vice-President, the Treasurer, the Secretary-General, and four Council-Members-at-Large. The principal editor of the Newsletter and the Chairman of the Executive Committee shall be invited to all Council meetings and shall be included in all Council correspondence. All members of the Council must be members of the Association.

The Council appoints such Committees as it finds necessary to carry out the business of the Society or to further its objectives. Those Committees shall preferably be chaired by Council-Members. There shall be at least three such committees:

1. Meeting committee
2. Membership and Chapters Committee
3. Constitution Committee

Groups of individual members might form Chapters of the Association. These Chapters can be formed on a territorial basis, on the basis of common academic interests, or of a combination of the two. They may either adopt the Associations' Constitution and By-Laws or design their own. In the latter case the Constitution has to be approved by the Council before the Chapter is officially established.

5. Elections

The President invites nominations for the election of all Council-Members. He gives at least two mouths' notice, through the Newsletter, of the closing date for the receipt of nominations. Candidates must be members of the Association. They may be proposed either by Council members or by any six members of the Association. No nomination that is in accordance with the Constitution may be refused, provided that the candidate agrees to stand. The form of the ballot is decided by the Council. Officers are elected for one term, which is the period between the end of the business meeting held during the International Conference mentioned in §6 and the end of the business meeting at the following International Conference. Re-election is possible for all officers.

6. International Conferences

International Conferences are held by the Association at intervals of between 24 and 48 months. The President nominates, and the Council elects, the Chairman of the Association and the Chairman of the Program Committee of the new International Conference.

Fees for the International Conferences are fixed by the local organizing committee in consultation with the President. Any surplus of Conference funds shall become part of the funds of the Association, subject to local laws.

7. Fees and Finances

The membership fee is proposed by the Council and decided by the Business Meeting. It may differ for individual members and for corporate members, for different types of individual and corporate members, and for different countries. Chapter fees are decided by the individual Chapters. A member who has not paid his or her dues before the end of the current year will be deemed to have left the Association.

8. Newsletter

The Newsletter is distributed free of charge to all members of the Association, to the last known address. The Editor is appointed by the Council, and is responsible for implementing the directives of the Council.

9. Other Activities

The Association may hold conferences and seminars addotional to to the International Conferences. The organization of such meetings is subject to the directives of the Council.

10. Amendment of Constitution

If proposed by al least 10% of the membership of the Association, or by vote of the Council, this Constitution may be amended by the majority of 2/3 of the votes, either at a business meeting of the Council or by a written ballot. Proposals must reach the President at least two months before the voting takes place.

11. By-Laws

In order to carry out the obligations as set forth in this Constitution and to conduct the business of the Association, the Council shall adopt by-laws. These may be adopted, annulled, or amended by an affirmative vote of at least 2/3 of the Council members. The Council shall have the authority to interpret the by-laws.

1. Duties of Officers

   1. The President chairs the Council meetings and the General Business meeting to be held at all International Conferences. S/he nominates candidates election to the Council and submits a report on the activities of the Association when he relinquishes his office. This report shall be published in the Newsletter. S/he represents the Association and performs other such duties as usually pertain to this office.
   2. The Vice-President shall support the President in all duties. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President. The Vice-President shall chair at least one of the committees of the Association.
   3. The Secretary-General is the primary IQLA officer. The Secretary-General will keep the minutes of all meetings, conduct the correspondence of the Association, and be responsible for executing the executive directives of the Council and for advising the Council. In order to perform his/her duties,s/he may establish an Executive Board and appoint members of the Board with the concurrence of the President.
   4. The Treasurer is responsible for the administration of the funds of the Association, as directed by the Council. The Treasurer shall make a financial report to the Association at the International Conference and present a budget proposal for the coming term to the Council, which the Council approves by simple majority. The Treasurer is empowered in the name of the Association to accept and hold funds and property, to employ staff, and to make contracts, subject to the following restrictions:
      • All major financial transactions shall be undertaken jointly by the Secretary and the Treasurer. The Council shall decide the nature and scope of such transactions as may be carried out by either of them separately.
      • The Treasurer shall cause proper books of accounts to be kept with respect to all money transactions and liabilities of the Association. The accounts shall be audited annually by two auditors appointed by the Council.
      • If conditions are attached to funds granted or donated to the Association, the Treasurer must before accepting obtain the approval of the President.

2. Voting and Conduct of Business

   Motions will be carried by a simple majority of eligible voters in attendance if not stated otherwise in the Constitution. If a simple majority of all members belonging to the Council deems the issue of sufficient importance to warrant a full vote, the issue shall be presented to all eligible voters and a mail-vote shall be conducted. Eligible voters for the Council meetings are all elected members of the Council and the representatives of the Chapters and, for the General Business meeting, all registered members of the Association. Chapters may adopt their own rules for voting and conduct of business.

3. Elections

   The Founding Assembly of the Association elects a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary-General, a Treasurer, and four Council-Members at large to conduct the business of the Association until the first election of the officers by the members of the Association.

4. Establishing Chapters

   In order to facilitate the work of IQLA, Chapters may be established within the Association. A Chapter should normally not extend over a territory larger than a country or a well-defined geographical area in order to facilitate meetings of its members. In one country or one area there might, however, be several Chapters, distinct either by territory covered or topic of specialization. Applications for the establishment of Chapters signed by at least 10 members of the Association should be sent to the President. The Council decides about newly established Chapters. The application should include a draft of the constitution and/or by-laws of the prospective Chapter as well as information about the founding members and the territorial or topic boundaries of the proposed Chapter. Chapters may levy additional fees which shall be directly collected by the officers of the Chapters. These fees must not be imposed before the Chapter has been approved and thereby chartered by the IQLA Council. Members of the Chapters have to be members of the Association.