The American Society of Geolinguistics is the oldest organization devoted exclusively to research in the field of geolinguistics with the definition given by the Society to the term geolinguistics, currently being: "An academic discipline involving the analysis and implications of the geographical location, distribution and structure of language varieties within a temporal framework, either in isolation or in contact and/or conflict with one another, being originally conceived of by Mario Pei as being a branch of linguistics which would be used to do objective-oriented research on real-life language issues and where interdisciplinary approaches would be acceptable.
The mission statement of the Society states that "The mission of the Society is to gather and disseminate up-to-date knowledge concerning the world`s present-day languages, dialects, and other language varieties in the context of their distribution and use, their relative practical importance, their perceived usefulness and actual availability from economic, political and cultural standpoints, their genetic, historical and geographical affiliations and relationships, and their identification and use in spoken and written form.
Past and present presidents emeriti of the Society are Mario A. Pei, William F. Marquardt, Fedor I. Nikanov, Abraham Tauber, Mimi (Mary F.) Delcuve, Allen Walker Read, Irving Linn, Jesse Levitt, William C. Woolfson, Max Oppenheimer, Jr., Marcelle Altieri, Kenneth H. Rogers, Alexander Milic, Margaret M. Bryant, Etta Sibalis, Frances Lyman, Abraham Taffel, Gloria Taylor, Leonard R. N. Ashley, and Julius Balbin.
Conferences and publications committees which seek to promote the work of the Society outside of the United States exist under the authority of the Society's president, though, with regard to foreign publications, the secretary and president act together as joint editors in chief.
International conferences, open to members and non-members alike, have been held in New York since 1985 and since the beginning of the 21st century on an annual basis.