RetrospectiveCelebrating 50 years: 1959 – 2009
Retrospective
The CAL Story
At the close of the 1950s, issues of U.S. language capacity, interest in U.S. and international language policy, and the emergence of English as a world language created a demand for information about world languages and for expertise in linguistics and language training. In the United States, reactions to the launch of Sputnik and the continuation of the Cold War led to concern about the ability of U.S. schools to train students in mathematics, the sciences, and foreign languages.
The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) was created in this environment by our founder and first director, Dr. Charles A. Ferguson, a pioneer in the field of applied linguistics. CAL was established in 1959 in Washington, DC by a grant from the Ford Foundation to the Modern Language Association. Its primary function was to serve as a liaison between the academic world of linguistics and the practical world of language education and language-related concerns. CAL was the first organization of its kind to focus on the identification of qualified personnel for language-related professions, professional development for language teachers, and development of linguistically sound materials for English as a second language as well as foreign language instruction.
CAL's original mandate was to improve the teaching of English around the world; encourage the teaching and learning of less commonly taught languages; contribute new knowledge to the field by conducting language research to resolve social and educational problems; and serve as a clearinghouse for information collection, analysis, and dissemination and as a coordinating agency to bring together scholars and practitioners involved in language-related issues. This was accomplished by convening meetings and issuing papers that addressed the crucial language and education issues of the times; consulting with ministries of education of countries that were newly independent, particularly in East Africa and the Middle East; working on English language learning problems of Native American populations; and developing materials in the less commonly taught languages, among other activities.
During the Cold War era, CAL provided venues for Eastern European scholars to disseminate their work in linguistics. During the time of heightened activity around civil rights issues in the United States, CAL developed the Urban Language Program and invested resources in American dialect work, beginning with African American varieties and expanding to other ethnic and regional dialects. When large numbers of refugees began arriving in the United States from Southeast Asia, CAL responded with resources to support their orientation and resettlement. In the last several decades, attention to the education of child and adult immigrants has expanded in significance.
From its inception, CAL served as a well-respected provider of reliable and objective information to researchers, teachers, parents, policy makers, and the general public. Central to its work was the creation of seminal publications that served as the basis for assessment, language education, bilingual education, English as a foreign/second language, language policy, and second language acquisition. Fifty years later, CAL has grown and evolved to meet the needs of a changing world, leading the field in making complex linguistics issues comprehensible to students, teachers, parents, policy makers, and the public. CAL has played a central role in conducting research on language use, language learning, and effective teaching methods and translating research into practical applications to help language learners succeed.
Looking ahead
CAL has a vital strategic role to play in strengthening the quality of teaching and learning of languages; creating access and equity for underserved groups in our diverse world; providing continued leadership in translating theory to practice to improve education; and strengthening the programs we develop to meet the fast pace of changing demands in our global society. CAL’s experience is that language and culture are central to meeting these demands. Through our resources and our research, we seek to lay the foundation for the next fifty years of addressing important societal issues that involve language and culture.
Browse CAL's Web site
From its inception, CAL has ensured that its resources are reliable, relevant, and readily available. The growth of the Internet has allowed us to disseminate these resources even more widely. CAL’s Web site has become a trusted source of information internationally, providing a link into what CAL is learning and doing on issues related to language and culture. Visit the CAL Web site.
