The new Executive Board is responding to many years of discussion about the RC-25 By-Laws. We have formed a small ad-hoc committee, chaired by Bates Hoffer (Trinity) and with Max Travers (Buckinghampshire) and Dede Boden (Lancaster). Please let us know know what sorts of changed you think are appropriate.

BY-LAWS

The Research Committee on Sociolinguistics was first formed tentatively as an ad hoc Committee on Sociolinguistics in September 1966 at Evian, France, on the day following the sixth quadrennial meeting of the International Sociological Association. Two years later the Executive Committee of the Association recognized this group as a Research Committee of the ISA. During the course of its first quadrennial sessions at Varna, Bulgaria, from September 14 to 19, 1970, members of the RCS discussed and approved an extensive and detailed set of organizational reforms which are formally summarized in the guidelines for the future operation of the Research Committee.

ARTICLE 1: NATURE OF THE COMMITTEE

The Research Committee on Sociolinguistics (RCS-ISA) is an organization for purely scientific purposes established by the Executive Committee of the International Sociological Association. The Executive Committee of the ISA will review and annul or renew the Research Committee's mandate at the end of each four-year period.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSES OF THE COMMITTEE

A.The object of the RCS is to advance sociological knowledge concerning language, face-to-face interaction and language-related phenomena. To this end the Committee shall undertake measures:

1. to secure and to develop personal contacts between sociologists, sociolinguists, linguists and all others concerned professionally with language in society

2. to encourage the international dissemination and exchange of information on significant developments in the sociology of language and sociolinguistics

3. to facilitate and promote international research in the sociology of language and sociolinguistics. RCS shallpublish as a copyrighted organ of RCS-ISA a 'Sociolinguistics Newsletter' to further these measures.

B.The intent of these guidelines is to establish a form of international social organization capable of achieving the Committee's scientific goals by means of:

1. a clear division of labour which delineates a network of responsibilities, powers and reporting procedures necessary for mounting and maintaining a diverse program of scientific activities on an international scale through a membership and executive drawn from widely differing academic traditions and greatly separated geopolitical areas of the world

2. creation of an open international organization which encourages access by all interested scholars to the full range of the Committee's activities.

3. clear provision of guarantees for democratic procedures by means of which the Committee's international membership is at all times assured a meaningful role in the control of the Committee's organization and activities.

C.All future amendments to these guidelines shall be guided by the spirit of these purposes.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

A.The Committee shall recognize three categories of membership.

1. Individual membership

a. Application is open to all scholars active in teaching research, or related services, who have an interest in language, face-to-face interaction and language-related phenomena. The criteria for membership shall be determined by the Board on the recommendation of the Membership chairperson. Membership in the RCS requires members to maintain membership also in the ISA.
b. Individual members in good standing shall receive the RCS Newsletter, have full voting, nominating and appeal privileges and be eligible for nomination and election to the RCS Board and the ISA Research Council.
c. Individual members shall pay dues annually to the RCS Secretary-Treasurer. '
d. To establish a definite electorate for any balloting the Secretary-Treasurer in cooperation with the Membership Chairperson shall prepare before October 1 or the preceding year a membership list. Members in poor standing can reassume their voting rights at any time by a late payment of outstanding dues.

2. Sustaining Group Membership

a. This category of membership in the RCS is created to assist individual scholars living in countries affected by currency control regulations which make payment of individual membership dues difficult.
b. The annual fee for a national or regional sustaining group shall be arranged by the Board upon a recommendation of the Membership Chairperson.
c. All issues of the RCS Newsletter, reports, etc, shall be mailed directly to the individuals covered by the sustaining group's dues.
d. All persons covered by sustaining group dues shall hold individual membership in the RCS and shall have all the privileges thereof.

3 Affiliate Group Membership

a. The RCS invites national and regional groups, committees, research institutions, institutes, university departments and associations with strong interests in the study of language and language-related phenomena to seek affiliate group membership in the Committee.

b. The dues for affiliate groups may be arranged with the Board upon recommendation of the Secretary-Treasurer. They may vary according to the assessed size and economic strength of each organization.

B.All applications for membership shall be reviewed by the RCS Membership Chairperson. He/she shall accept or reject any application for membership. Any questioned decision on membership shall be reviewed by the RCS Board.

C.The schedule of annual dues to be charged at each level of membership shall be established by the RCS Board for each four-year period.

D.All dues shall be payable to the RCS Secretary-Treasurer.

E.Individual membership presupposes membership in the ISA. Sustaining and affiliate group members of the RCS shall be encouraged to also seek separate membership in the ISA.

ARTICLE IV: GOVERNING BODIES

A.Governance of the Committee shall basically derive from its voting membership.

B.The RCS Board shall be empowered to carry out policies established by the individual membership and to act on matters of urgency. All Board actions shall be subject to membership appeal procedures.

ARTICLE V: MEMBER'S RIGHTS IN COMMITTEE GOVERNANCE

A.There shall be two types of membership balloting:

1. regular balloting at publicly announced and convened general meetings of the membership (usually possible only at the quadrennial sessions). Absentee ballots shall not be permitted at such meetings. The Board shall establish the proportion of the bona fide membership which shall constitute a quorum no later than at the end of the second inter-quadrennial year.

2. Mail balloting. Such ballots shall normally be sent to the membership by the Secretary-Treasurer. Results shall be valid if one-third of the eligible votes are returned within sixty days after the mailing dote and the results shall be published in the subsequent number of the Newsletter.

To be a candidate for elected office in the RCS, one must be a member in good standing of RCS at the time of the nominations to have voting rights in such elections, one must be a member in good standing when the ballots are provided to the membership, (approved amendment in 1979).

B.Election of the RCS Board Officers

1. During the year preceding the quadrennial sessions the RCS membership shall elect the Board composed of the following six officers: the President, First and Second Vice-Presidents, Secretary- Treasurer Newsletter Editor and Membership Chairperson. Additionally, one Delegate and one Alternate to the ISA Research Council shall be elected by the membership from this Committee Board. Due consideration shall be given to geographical representation as well as to experience in the specific areas of responsibility in terms of which each officer's position is defined.

a. Election of board members shall be by mail ballot. Exceptions may be made for run-off elections and the election of delegates to the Research Council, which may be held at a general meeting of RCS membership. Persons nominated need not be present, but, if they are not, the nominator shall have in his/her possession a statement signed by the nominator indicating the latter's acceptance of the nomination for the specific Board position(s) for which s/he is being nominated.
b. Nominations shall be open for the six Board offices, but not for the two Research Council positions, and shall be accompanied by a short description of the nominee's qualifications and a
statement signed by the nominee showing his/her acceptance of the nomination for the specific position. Candidates for the positions of Secretary-Treasurer and Editor of the Newsletter shall show to the incumbent Board that they have available the facilities for carrying their duties of their respective offices. The Secretary-Treasurer shall coordinate all nominations. Names and qualifications of every candidate for each office shall be submitted to the full membership who shall then vote simultaneously for one candidate for each of the six positions on the mail ballot. At a general meeting during each World Congress, the membership shall vote for any two of the six Officers to serve as Delegate and Altemate to the Research Council of ISA.

2. All Board Officers shall be elected by a plurality of the votes cast. If no candidate receives an absolute majority in the first round, the decision shall be made by a run-off election between the two top candidates.

3. Elected Board Members shall serve a four-year term. No person shall serve for more than two consecutive terms in the same position.

C. Balloting on policy motions and membership appeals.

1. Between quadrennial general meetings, the membership shall vote by mail ballot on important matters of Committee membership policy which may be submitted to it by a motion of any two or more Board Officers. Furthermore, any policy motion or appeal concerning Board actions (or nonactions) which bears the signature of at least five bona fide members from at least three countries and which is sent in duplicate to the RCS President and Newsletter Editor, shall require a mail vote of the entire membership. The result of that vote shall be published in the Newsletter.

2. At each quadrennial session, the committee shall convene at least once each of the following: (a) a general meeting of the membership (b) a meeting of the outgoing board and (c) a meeting of the incoming board.
a. The time and place of all these meetings shall appear in the Committee's official program and be published and open to both members and observers.
b. The privileges of making motions, appeals, aid voting shall be reserved for members in the general meeting, and to the RCS Officers in the Board meetings.
c. Protocols of both general and Board meetings shall be made available to all members in the first issues of the Newsletter following their occurrence.

ARTICLE VI: THE BOARD

A. The Board shall be the executive organ of the Committee.
B. The position of each Board Officer shall be imbued with a definite minimum set of responsibilities and powers as follows:
1. The President shall have the following powers and responsibilities:
a.coordination and supervision of the overall activities and planning of the Committee
b.periodical reports to the Board, RCS membership, and ISA on all activities
c.authorization of all cooperative projects with other organizations and of any use of the RCS name by other groups
d.negotiation with ISA on all matters pertaining to the RCS such as dues schedules, membership criteria, and changes in the status or the Committee
e.the power to remove any Board Officer not fulfilling his/her assigned responsibilities and authority to make interim appointments in such cases or in cases of vacancies on the Board for whatever other reason. Should the President be unable to fulfil his/her responsibilities, then the Board shall appoint one of the Vice-Presidents to take over the powers and responsibilities of the office of the President.

2 . The First Vice-President shall:
a. serve as a program chair-person for the full range of administrative and scientific sessions held by the Committee at each quadrennial meeting
b. submit to the Board a general overall plan for the themes and organization of the quadrennial program no later than one year following his/her taking office
c. seek suggestions from the membership (via the Newsletter) for the organization and content of the quadrennial program no later than during his/her second year in office
d. submit to the Board a final general plan for the quadrennial program no later than two years subsequent to his/her taking office
e. issue an open call for scientific papers at least one year prior to the qadrennial program and delineate deadlines and requirements for their submission which are in accord with ISA regulations.

3. The Second Vice-President shall:
a.develop plans for RCS-sponsored symposia, conferences, and institutes in the period between quadrennial meetings
b.be responsible for expanding work by recruiting corresponding Board members.

4. The Secretary-Treasurer shall:
a. act at the Committee secretariat
b. oversee Newsletter production costs
c. keep the ISA Secretary General regularly informed about plans for new activities, applications for financial support, and other matters of common concern
d. submit an annual general written report on all Committee financial activities to both the RCS President and the ISA Secretary General by deadlines established by each and have the financial records of the Committee audited prior to the conclusion of the Secretary-Treasurer's elected period:
e. organize any mail ballots
f. be in charge of responding to requests for examination copies of the Newsletter
g. arrange for block payments for scholars in countries with currency restrictions.

5. The Newsletter Editor shall do the following:
a. guide and direct the general editorial policies of the Newsletter
b. adhere to policies designed by the Board and membership to maintain a Newsletter focussed upon such matters as news and reports concerning Committee activities, announcements and reports concerning-gatherings of persons in the subject field, descriptions of research planned or in progress, occasional informal articles, editorial statements and members' letters and comments
c. submit a written annual report to the RCS Board.

6. A Newsletter Managing Editor may be appointed by the Editor to assist in carrying out Newsletter responsibilities such as the following:
a. the compilation, editing, layout and printing of the Newsletter
b. be responsible for correspondence with contributors and Associate Editors
c. management of all arrangements with the printer
d. correspondence with the Secretary-Treasurer on all costs relating to the Newsletter.

7. A Publications Editor and other Associate Editors may be appointed by the Newsletter Editor.

8. The Membership Chairperson shall, as stated above, perform the following duties:
a. S/he shall accept or reject any application for membership in the Research Committee. Any questioned decision on membership shall be reviewed by the Board.
b. S/he shall pursue an active membership policy and may make recommendations for new members on the Research Committee.
c. S/he shall make the final decision on continuing membership.

9. Corresponding Board Members shall:
a. act as ex-officio consultants and resource persons for the RCS on matters of policy, program, and international cooperation
b. be particularly distinguished scholars selected by the RCS Board and appointed by the RCS President
c. number no more than ten persons at any one time
d. receive all important RCS reports and communications not have a vote on the Board.

C. Procedures governing RCS Board policy decisions

1. Whether the Board actually meets, or whether it conducts discussions and votes on significant policy matters by correspondence, participation of two thirds (or four) of its Officers shall be necessary to constitute a quorum.

2. An absolute majority of the quorum (three Officers) or an absolute majority of those participating (four persons if all six Officers vote), whichever is greater, shall be required to carry the motion.

ARTICLE VII: AMENDMENTS TO THE RCS BY-LAWS

1. The by-laws shall be subject to change only by vote of the membership and not by a vote of the Board.

2. Proposals to change the by-laws shall be subject to the above requirements for policy motions and membership appeals, size of quorums and voting procedures.

3. The decision to change by by-laws shall require a two-thirds majority of the votes cast.