About the International Conference on Language Documentation & Conservation (ICLDC)
The International Conference on Language Documentation & Conservation series, or ICLDC, has, since its inception in 2009, become the flagship conference for the field of language documentation. Every two years, conference attendees gather to share their experiences working on diverse topics related to the preservation of underrepresented languages worldwide. Attendees come from a range of backgrounds: Indigenous language communities, language activism organizations, K–12 school systems, as well as students and faculty from colleges and universities. They represent dozens of countries and hundreds of languages, and they have one goal in mind: supporting small languages together. The ICLDC is hosted by the Department of Linguistics and the National Foreign Language Resource Center at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.
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A BRIEF HISTORY
On April 7-8, 2006, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Department of Linguistics and the National Foreign Language Resource Center, along with the co-sponsors Center for Pacific Islands Studies, National Resource Center East Asia, and Center for Southeast Asian Studies, brought together 24 experts on language documentation & conservation to advise on and help develop two important future projects. The first was the establishment of the online open-access refereed journal, Language Documentation & Conservation (LDC), which debuted in June 2007 and which serves as a major source of publication for the field. The second was the establishment of the biennial International Conference on Language Documentation & Conservation (ICLDC) in March 2009, a forum which regularly brings together linguists, students, and community activists to share resources and research and discuss issues of importance in documenting and revitalizing the world’s endangered languages.
Over the years ICLDC has grown in size and prominence: ICLDC 1 (311 attendees), ICLDC 2 (383 attendees), ICLDC 3 (439 attendees), ICLDC 4 (455 attendees), ICLDC 5 (435 attendees), ICLDC 6 (465 attendees), and ICLDC 7 (1025 attendees).
For more information about the history and impact of the ICLDC since 2009, please read this article.
Previous ICLDC Conferences
 ICLDC 7: Recognizing Relationships March 4-7, 2021 Conference Co-chairs: Bradley McDonnell (Dept. of Linguistics, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) Andrea L. Berez Kroeker (Dept. of Linguistics, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) N. Ha‘alilio Solomon (Dept. of Linguistics, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) Conference Coordinator: Jim Yoshioka (NFLRC, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) |
 ICLDC 6: Connecting Communities, Languages & Technology February 28-March 3, 2019 Conference Co-chairs: Gary Holton (Dept. of Linguistics, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) Bradley McDonnell (Dept. of Linguistics, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) Conference Coordinator: Jim Yoshioka (NFLRC, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) |
 ICLDC 5: Vital Voices: Linking Language & Wellbeing March 2-5, 2017 Conference Co-chairs: Andrea L. Berez-Kroeker (Dept. of Linguistics, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) Gary Holton (Dept. of Linguistics, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) Conference Coordinator: Jim Yoshioka (NFLRC, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) |
 ICLDC 4: Enriching Theory, Practice, & Application February 26-March 1, 2015 Conference Co-chairs: Andrea Berez (Dept. of Linguistics, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) Victoria Anderson (Dept. of Linguistics, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) Conference Coordinator: Jim Yoshioka (NFLRC, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) |
 ICLDC 3: Sharing Worlds of Knowledge February 28-March 3, 2013 Conference Co-chairs: Andrea Berez (Dept. of Linguistics, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) Victoria Anderson (Dept. of Linguistics, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) Conference Coordinator: Jim Yoshioka (NFLRC, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) |
 ICLDC 2: Strategies for Moving Forward February 11-13, 2011 Conference Chair: Yuko Otsuka (Dept. of Linguistics, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) Conference Coordinator: Jim Yoshioka (NFLRC, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) |
 ICLDC 1: Supporting Small Languages Together March 12-14, 2009 Conference Chair: Nicholas Thieberger (Dept. of Linguistics, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) Conference Coordinator: Jim Yoshioka (NFLRC, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) |