The (abbreviated , in ) is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

incorporated in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

with the legal status of a civil association (). It is the affiliate body in Mexico to the overarching parent organization

SIL International SIL Global (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics International) is an evangelical Christian nonprofit organization whose main purpose is to study, develop and document languages, especially those that are lesser-known, to expan ...

, a worldwide

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

-based

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

organization that sponsors the study, documentation and development of indigenous and

minority language A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a territory. Such people are termed linguistic minorities or language minorities. With a total number of 196 sovereign states recognized internationally (as of 2019) and ...

s across the world. ILV in Mexico was formally established in 1948, with a stated focus on the study and documentation of the indigenous languages of Mexico and involvement with Mexico's indigenous peoples' affairs generally. The Institute publishes dictionaries, grammars and other literacy and education materials in many of the indigenous languages, and it is also a sponsor of language workshops, presentations and conferences. As a body with ongoing degrees of association and sponsorship of Christian missionary activities and goals, ILV also works to produce translations of Biblical texts in local languages. While its work in the fields of

linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

and

cultural anthropology Cultural anthropology is a branch of anthropology focused on the study of cultural variation among humans. It is in contrast to social anthropology, which perceives cultural variation as a subset of a posited anthropological constant. The term ...

has been lauded and recognized as substantial and positive contributions in many quarters, some of the ILV's activities have also attracted criticism and controversy with a number of anthropologists and other commentators severely criticizing its relations with Evangelical proselytism, and also alleging political involvement, pro-U.S. stance and

acculturation Acculturation refers to the psychological, social, and cultural transformation that takes place through direct contact between two cultures, wherein one or both engage in adapting to dominant cultural influences without compromising their essent ...

policies.Miguez Bonino (1994, pp.589–590)

Notes

References

* *Hvalkof, Søren, and Peter Aaby (eds.): ''Is God an American? An Anthropological Perspective on the Missionary Work of the Summer Institute of Linguistics'' (A Survival International Document, International Workgroup for Indigenous Affairs, Copenhagen/London 1981), . *Stoll, David. 1983 ''Fishers of Men or Founders of Empire? The Wycliffe Bible Translators in Latin America. A US Evangelical Mission in the Third World'' (London, Zed Press 1983) *Todd Hartch. 2006. Missionaries of the State: The Summer Institute of Linguistics, State Formation, and Indigenous Mexico, 1935–1985. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2006.

External links

Instituto Lingüístico de Verano A.C.
main website Non-profit organizations based in Mexico Evangelical parachurch organizations Linguistic societies Mesoamerican studies + Christian organizations established in 1948 Christianity in Mexico Educational organizations established in 1948 Research institutes established in 1948 Research institutes in Mexico {{ling-org-stub