The emergence of a professional community in the late 20th and early 21st centuries

Abstract

The Association of Hungarian Applied Linguists and Language Teachers (MANYE) is the biggest linguistic association in Hungary. The 30th anniversary of its founding is a suitable occasion to recall and analyse the documents relating to the circumstances of its establishment. The thirty-year history of the association can be divided into three stages. The first was its coming of age (1990‒1998); the second stage was consolidation (1999‒2015), and the third one is renewal (2016‒). This study deals with the first two stages. Based on the comparative analysis of documents, it describes the launching of two initiatives in 1990, one from the language teaching community, the other from applied linguists, which ultimately led to the emergence of a professional community and a series of Hungarian applied linguistic conferences spanning over 30 years.