ICRL is the only regular international conference on Romani linguistics and the principal forum for discussion and presentation of latest research into the structure, history and social functions of the Romani language. The conference brings together prominent researchers of international reputation with graduate students as well as native speakers of Romani with a practical interest in developing their language at the community level. The conference languages are English and Romani.
The ICRL was first held in 1993 in Hamburg. Since 1994 the conference is biennial. The following table shows an overview of the individual ICRL meetings (in 2004, an International Colloquial on Romani Linguistics together with a student Workshop on Romani Linguistics was held in Graz):
| # | YEAR | UNIVERSITY | PRINCIPAL ORGANISER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1993 | Hamburg | Y. Matras |
| 2 | 1994 | Amsterdam | P. Bakker |
| 3 | 1996 | Prague | † M. Hübschmannová, Y. Matras |
| 4 | 1998 | Manchester | Y. Matras |
| 5 | 2000 | Sofia | H. Kyuchukov |
| 6 | 2002 | Graz | D. W. Halwachs |
| 7 | 2006 | Prague | V. Elšík |
Selected papers from the previous ICRL meetings were published in a series of high-profile collections with leading academic publishers: