| Basic English |
| Definition:
Basic English is a subset of English invented by Charles Kay Ogden (and I. A. Richards). The goal was to create a version of English that would be easy to learn. This would improve international communication, and thus increase the possibility of peace on earth. Ogden felt that a serious language learner could master Basic English in about seven weeks. The language consists of 850 words and a simplified grammar. A complete description of it can be found in Ogden's book Basic English: A General Introduction with Rules and Grammar (1930). Also: (1) A list of the 850 words can be found here. (2) A summary of its grammar can be found here. Note: the Basic in Basic English is an acronym for "British, American, Scientific, International, and Commercial." |
| Oxford English Dictionary: The term's first OED citation is from 1929: "It is the continuous approximation of East and West, as a result of the analytic character of Chinese and English … which makes this particular [Panoptic] form of English basic for the whole world. Many special captions or trade-marks for the system have been suggested, but Basic = British American Scientific International Commercial (English) — is for the time being as good as any." (C. K. Ogden in Psyche IX. iii. 4) |