The Chicago Linguistic Society (or CLS) is one of the oldest student-run organization in the United States, based at the University of Chicago. Although its exact foundation date is obscure, according to Eric Hamp, it is generally believed to antedate the Second World War, and possibly extends back to Bloomfield's and Sapir's tenure at the University in the 1920s and 1930s.
Since the mid-60s, CLS has run an annual conference that has received an international status in linguistics comparable to BLS, the LSA, WCCFL and NELS.
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