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Bylaws of the Society for Linguistic Anthropology, a Section of the American Anthropological Association. (Adopted November 1984; amended by referendum October 2009; amended by referendum 2025.)

REVISED FEBRUARY 2026

 

ARTICLE I. Name

  1. The Society shall be known as the Society for Linguistic Anthropology (SLA), a Section of the American Anthropological Association, hereinafter referred to as the Society.

ARTICLE II. Purposes

  1. The purpose of the Society shall be to advance the study of language in its social and cultural context and to encourage communication of the results of such study.

ARTICLE III. Powers

  1. The Society shall be autonomous in all matters within its field that are not reserved by the Bylaws of the American Anthropological Association, inimical to the American Anthropological Association’s interests, or prohibited by law.
  2. The Society shall have an elected President and Secretary-Treasurer and other elected or appointed officers as set forth in these Bylaws.
  3. The Society is empowered to determine membership dues.
  4. The Society shall determine voting requirements on all Society matters.
  5. The Society may engage in publishing and program activities, appoint editors, committees and other agents, and set publication program policies appropriate to its purposes.
  6. The Society shall adopt and maintain Bylaws or Rules of Procedure consistent with American Anthropological Association Bylaws. The Society shall file with the American Anthropological Association Secretary a copy of its current Bylaws, Rules of Procedure, and Table of Organization.

ARTICLE IV. Membership

  1. Membership in the Society shall be open to any member in good standing of the American Anthropological Association who supports the above purposes subject to the payment of dues stipulated by the Executive Board of the Society.
  2. A Member in good standing shall be eligible to hold elective or appointive office, participate in the scientific program, receive publications and have one vote in nominating and electing officers and the transaction of other business of the Society.
  3. For just cause, a Member may be deprived of membership by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board of the Society, subject to appeal to the Members at the Annual Meeting.
  4. The Executive Board of the Society shall have the authority to establish special categories of membership.

ARTICLE V. Dues

  1. The Executive Board of the Society shall set the annual dues of Members and may establish rates for special categories.
  2. Any Member in arrears in the payment of dues shall lose all membership privileges.

ARTICLE VI. Officers

  1. The officers shall be a President, President-elect, Secretary-Treasurer, and Secretary-Treasurer-elect.
  2. The President shall be the presiding officer of the Society and, should the Society be entitled to such representation, its first representative on the Board of Directors of the American Anthropological Association and its representative on the Executive Board of the American Anthropological Association.
  3. The President-elect shall assume the duties of the President in the event of absence, death, resignation, or incapacity of the President, and shall succeed to the office of President at the expiration of the term as President-elect.
  4. The Secretary-Treasurer-elect shall assume the duties of the Secretary-Treasurer in the event of absence, death, resignation, or incapacity of the Secretary-Treasurer, and shall succeed to the office of Secretary-Treasurer at the expiration of the term as Secretary-Treasurer-elect.
  5. The Secretary-Treasurer shall have charge of the records of the Society and shall submit a draft budget adhering to AAA’s deadlines, with the approval of the Executive Board having been secured in advance for the approval of the AAA Executive Board.
  6. The terms of office of President and President-elect shall be two years, and of Secretary-Treasurer shall be three years, commencing at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association. The first year of the Secretary-Treasurer’s terms shall be served as Secretary-Treasurer-elect; the second and third years of their term shall be served as Secretary-Treasurer. Elections shall be held accordingly such that the first and last years of the terms of consecutive Secretary-Treasurers shall overlap.

ARTICLE VII. Executive Board

  1. There shall be an Executive Board consisting of the officers and three members elected at-large from the membership of the Society.
  2. Subject to directives and limitations imposed by the Members of the Society, the Executive Board shall have the authority to execute on behalf of the Society all powers and functions defined in these Bylaws.
  3. The Executive Board shall meet regularly throughout the year and at the time of the Annual Meeting, and may meet additionally on the call of the President or a majority vote of the Executive Board.
  4. The Executive Board shall make all non-elective appointments and may make interim appointments to fill vacancies in any elective office until the next regularly scheduled election.
  5. The terms of office for members-at-large shall be three years and staggered such that one member-at-large is elected per year, with terms commencing at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association.

ARTICLE VIII. Extended Board

  1. There shall be an Extended Board consisting of the officers and the three members elected at-large from the membership of the Society, and various appointed positions as determined by the Executive Board. Non-Executive Board members of the Extended Board will be appointed via a nominations process that culminates in Executive Board appointment. The Extended Board shall perform such tasks as the Executive Committee or an officer shall delegate to it but does not exercise governing powers.
  2. The Extended Board shall meet at least twice per year (once at the time of the Annual Meeting).

ARTICLE IX. Annual Report

  1. At the time of each Annual Meeting, the Executive Board of the Society shall report its activities to the Members and to the Board of Directors of the American Anthropological Association. The report shall include the reports of the Secretary-Treasurer, editors of publications, committees, and other agents representing the Society.

ARTICLE X. Meetings

  1. The Society shall hold an Annual Business Meeting at the time of the Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association.
  2. The Executive Board of the Society shall appoint a Program Chair who shall organize the scientific program of the Society.
  3. Special meetings may be called by the Executive Board of the Society or upon written request of five (5) percent of the Members.

ARTICLE XI. Quorum

  1. Five (5) percent of the Members in good standing shall constitute a quorum at the Annual Business Meeting.
  2. A majority of the members of the Executive Board of the Society shall constitute a quorum for transacting business.
  3. The business of the Society shall be transacted by majority vote unless otherwise provided in these Bylaws.

ARTICLE XII. Nominations and Elections

  1. Candidates for any elective office may be nominated by the Executive Board of the Society in consultation with a Nominations Committee, or by Members. All candidates shall be Members in good standing of the Society.
  2. A Nominations Committee of three (3) Members shall be appointed annually by the Executive Board of the Society.
  3. The Nominations Committee shall identify at least one person for Secretary-Treasurer and at least two (2) persons for each other vacant office, and present these candidates to the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall approve slates of candidates for all elections. The Nominations Committee shall submit information about all nominees for elected office to the American Anthropological Association, in accordance with the Association’s guidelines and deadlines, for inclusion in the Association’s official balloting materials for section elections.
  4. Five (5) percent of the Members in good standing may nominate an additional candidate for any office, provided that all requisite nomination materials are submitted to the Nominations Committee in accordance with the American Anthropological Association’s guidelines and deadlines.
  5. The Nominations Committee shall inform the prospective nominee of the probable extent of the burden of office. A nomination becomes effective only upon filing with the Nominations Committee a statement of willingness and ability to devote such time to the affairs of the Society as necessary to the effective execution of office.

ARTICLE XIII. Balloting

  1. A Member in good standing shall be entitled to cast one ballot in any election or referendum.
  2. Ballots shall be secret and shall be distributed, collected, and counted by the methods deemed most suitable by the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall have the authority to examine the eligibility of any voter.
  3. The candidate receiving the most votes for a contested office shall be elected.
  4. In any election or referendum administered by the American Anthropological Association, the Association’s established rules and procedures shall prevail, including in the case of a tie.
  5. Voting shall be conducted by electronic ballot administered by the American Anthropological Association.

ARTICLE XIV. Referenda, Initiatives, and Resolutions

Broad, society-wide actions outside the normal cycle of SLA activity can be undertaken in three ways: Referenda are proposals to change the Bylaws or structure of the organization; Initiatives involve time-limited projects, non-executive positions, and other activities; Resolutions are statements or official communications regarding the position of the society and its members.

Section 1. Referenda. A referendum may be conducted upon initiation of the Executive Board of the Society, or upon receipt by the Secretary-Treasurer of a petition signed by no fewer than 25 members in good standing (whose membership is certified as valid by the Society at the time of the petition). A referendum may be conducted by mail ballot, electronic mail ballot, or any other means of electronic transmission of ballots approved by the Executive Board. Petitions for referenda must be received at least two weeks before an SLA Business Meeting. A majority of votes received shall constitute a favorable vote.

1.1. Whenever possible, a referendum shall be held in conjunction with balloting conducted by the Society. Ballot materials shall indicate a date by which they must be received by the Secretary-Treasurer or by the Society in order to be counted as votes. This date shall be not less than thirty days after they were distributed to members.

1.2. The Association shall certify the vote to the Board who shall announce the result on the SLA website, newsletter, or equivalent publication as soon as possible. The provisions of the referendum, if passed, shall be effective as of the date of certification unless otherwise specified in the referendum text.

 

Section 2. Initiatives. An initiative petition is a petition signed by no fewer than 25 members in good standing (whose membership is certified as valid by the Society at the time of the petition). The Secretary-Treasurer shall present such a petition to the Board within thirty days of its receipt. Petitions for initiatives must be received at least two weeks before an SLA Business Meeting. An electronic message (such as email) may constitute a signature. The Executive Board may elect to put the proposed initiative to a referendum (see sections 1.1 and 1.2).

Section 3. Resolutions. A resolution may be proposed for consideration by the Executive Board of the Society, or upon receipt by the Secretary-Treasurer of a petition signed by no fewer than 25 members in good standing (whose membership is certified as valid by the Society at the time of the petition). Resolutions proposed by members for consideration at any Executive Board meeting must be submitted to the Secretary-Treasurer or the President at least fifteen days before that meeting in order to be placed on the agenda. The Executive Board will a) consult the AAA general principles on statements, and b) put the resolution to a referendum (see sections 1.1 and 1.2).

 

ARTICLE XV. Finances

  1. The fiscal year of the Society shall be that of the American Anthropological Association.
  2. The Society shall submit an annual operating budget to the American Anthropological Association Board of Directors, which, when approved, shall govern Society activities.
  3. The income from annual dues and from investments and other sources shall constitute a working fund, available for operating, publication, and current expenses consistent with the purposes of the Society.
  4. No financial obligation in excess of funds available in the treasury shall be assumed by the Executive Board of the Society or any officer on behalf of the Society except that for the purpose of this section, estimated receipts from annual dues and other accounts receivable for the current year may be considered as available funds.
  5. The Society may establish special funds to be administered by the American Anthropological Association for purposes the Society may designate.

ARTICLE XVI. Amendment

  1. These Bylaws may be amended by the Members by mail ballot, electronic mail ballot, or any other means of electronic transmission of ballots approved by the Executive Board, provided that a proposed amendment is approved by two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast.
  2. Amendments may be proposed by the Executive Board of the Society or by five (5) percent of the Members in good standing. The Executive Board shall have the proposed amendment circulated to the Members and it shall allow thirty (30) days for the return of ballots.
  3. The amendments and provisions of these Bylaws shall be effective immediately upon adoption and shall supersede and nullify all previous amendments and provisions.