This version of the SALC Constitution was edited for the General Assembly of the Scandinavian Association for Language and Cognition held on April 21, 2017, during The Sixth Conference of the Scandinavian Association for Language and Cognition (SALC) in Lund, April 20-22, 2017.

  1. The international name of the Association is the Scandinavian Association for Language and Cognition (abbreviated SALC).

The Danish name of the Association is Det Skandinaviske Selskab for Sprog og Kognition (abbreviated SSSK).

The Finnish name of the Association is Skandinaavinen kielen ja kognition yhdistys (abbreviated SKKY).

The Norwegian name of the Association is Skandinavisk Selskap for Språk og Kognisjon (abbreviated SSSK).

The Swedish name of the Association is Skandinaviska Sällskapet för Språk och Kognition (abbreviated SSSK).

  1. The purpose of the Association is

(a) To promote contacts and cooperation between its members, provide information on Scandinavian and international summer schools and postgraduate courses on language and cognition, and to facilitate the development of research projects across institutional and national borders.

(b) To organize biannual conferences and arrange workshops when required. The official conference language is English for the convenience of communication.

  1. Applicants for membership are expected to support the goals of the Association, may be of any nationality and may be based in a Non-Scandinavian or in a Scandinavian country.
  2. The Governing Board:

(a) Responsibility for setting up and administering the Association falls to the Governing Board.

(b) The Governing Board consists of the President, the Vice-president, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and six other regular elected members. In addition, three substitutes for the board members are also to be elected.

(c) The Governing Board is elected by members of the Association for a two-year term at a General Assembly, to be held in connection with a conference organised by SALC.

(d) Candidates can self-nominate, or be nominated by any member prior to the elections at the General Assembly. Candidates should be affiliated with (or emeritus from) institutions based in a SALC member country.

(e) The President is elected separately from the election to the Governing Board of the other nine members and the three substitutes.

(f) The Scandinavian countries should be represented by at least one member each on the Governing Board.

(g) The President may be re-elected only once for an immediately subsequent second term.

(h) The functions as Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer are distributed within the Governing Board at their first, constituting, meeting.

  1. Authorized to sign for the Association as a company are the President, the Treasurer and the Secretary, any two jointly.
  2. The Governing Board is charged with the following:

(a) Maintaining a website in order to promote the interests of the Association and in order to facilitate membership applications. A webmaster may be engaged for this purpose.

(b) Ensuring that this constitution is made available in English, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish.

(c) Deciding on and collecting the members’ fees to ensure the continuing activities of the Association.

(d) Deciding on the location of the Association’s conferences and supporting the local organizers.

(e) Reporting on activities and developments to the members of the Association during the business meeting.

(f) Engaging in and developing collaboration with other Scandinavian and international organisations promoting research on language and cognition, such as the International Cognitive Linguistics Association.

(g) Engaging in any other activities that may support and promote the aims and interests of the Association and its members.

  1. The constitution:

(a) Proposals for amendments to any aspect of the constitution are to be sent to the Governing Board no later than four weeks before a General Assembly. The proposal will then be prepared by the Governing Board for a vote at the General Assembly.

(b) Amendments to the constitution are to be approved by a qualified majority (two-thirds) of the members present at the General Assembly.

(c) If the organization of an actual physical General Assembly is not feasible, voting may be performed electronically.

  1. The official address of the association is identical with the home address of the Treasurer.
  2. If SALC/SSSK is dissolved it will be the duty of the Treasurer to hand over any financial assets to the Autism Foundation (Stiftelsen Autism), c/o Riksföreningen Autism, Hantverkargatan 87, Stockholm, SE-112 38 Sverige/Sweden.
  3. This Constitution was approved by a two-thirds majority at theGeneral Assembly at SALC6 in Lund April 21st 2017. This is hereby the official English version of the Constitution of SALC.