§03§ §16§The development of smaller and more powerful computers and the introduction of new communication channels by the interlinking of computers, by the Internet and the World Wide Web, have caused great changes for linguistics. They affect the methods in the various disciplines of pure linguistics as well as the tools and ways of applied linguistics such as translation and interpretation, language teaching, learning, and testing. This volume presents general reflections and overview articles on these new developments by noted experts followed by reports on the concrete uses of information technologies for linguistic purposes in different European countries and at the European Parliament. A discussion of another important linguistic issue is added: the various uses of the highly symbolic term national language. §02§Gerhard Stickel was the Director of the Institut für Deutsche Sprache, the central research institution for the German language, from 1976 until 2002. He was co-founder of the European Federation of National Institutions for Language (EFNIL) and has been president of this network of central language institutions of the EU states since 2003. Tamás Váradi is deputy director of the Research Institute for Linguistics at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He is an expert of language technology leading several European projects. Since 2010 he has been acting as secretary general of EFNIL. §04§he symbolism of the notion of national language. §02§Gerhard Stickel was the Director of the Institut für Deutsche Sprache, the central research institution for the German language, from 1976 until 2002. He was co-founder of the European Federation of National Institutions for Language (EFNIL) and has been president of this network of central language institutions of the EU states since 2003.§ Tamás Váradi is deputy director of the Research Institute for Linguistics at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He is an expert of language technology leading several European projects. Since 2010 he has been acting as secretary general of EFNIL.
