About Us

The Linguistic Society of India was founded in Lahore at the fifth Oriental Conference. The inaugural meeting of Linguistic Society of India was held on 1st April 1928 at the residence of Principal A.C. Woolner in Lahore. It was attended by enthusiastic linguists of Punjab. Dr. Taraporewala, Professor of Comparative Philology, Calcutta University presided over the meeting. The inauguration coincided with the bestowal of the Order of Merit (the highest honour by the British Empire) on Sir Gorge Abraham Grierson, who was instrumental in the first Linguistic Survey of India. The preliminary and formal requirements and constitution of the Society were discussed. Dr. Taraporewala, in his presidential address stated the aims and objectives of the Society, stressing the importance of the study of Indian language and furthering the work done by Sir George Grierson. He also mentioned the need for popularizing Linguistics through clearing up the misconceptions related to the subject, so that it would successfully be taken up by the students at the Universities. The society functioned at Lahore from 1928 to 1938, during which six volumes of Indian Linguistics were published. The Society used to conduct its general meetings biannually along with the sessions of the All India Oriental Conference. In 1937 it was decided to shift the office from Lahore to Calcutta, where Professors S.K. Chatterji and Sukumar Sen took the responsibility of its running. Nine issues of Indian Linguistics were published from the Calcutta office. In November 1955 the Indian Philological Association which had been functioning since 1945 at Pune, was merged with the Linguistic Society of India. The effective office and management were transferred to Deccan College, Pune. So far seventy -two volumes of Indian Linguistics have been published from the Pune office. The Society was associated with the Deccan College in conducting the Summer Schools and Winter Seminars which were funded by the Rockefeller Foundation. Even after the Foundation stopped the funding, the Society co-sponsored the Schools along with various universities and the University Grants Commission. The Society also co-sponsored with the University of Pune a Conference of Vice-Chancellors and Linguists in 1962. On the request of the Conference, the Society appointed a committee to prepare a blue-print of linguistic development in Indian Universities.