Here is a micro-introduction to Lancelot Hogben's artificial language (or "controlled language") Essential World English. This is the text of an e-mail message I received in early August, 1995. Unfortunately I have lost the sender's name and e-mail address, so I cannot give him proper credit. - Rick Harrison
You will be delighted in Lancelot Hogben's Essential World English (EWE), and ought to have your own copy.
Hogben's purpose is given in the first chapter:
One cannot speak too highly of Ogden's intention. He stated clearly and courageously, as no one before, a neglected task of language teaching and of language planning. To this end, he offered a recipe seemingly plausible to some of us. If his own solution of the problem he tackled was unsatisfactory for reasons indicated below, Ogden assuredly blazed a trail for others to follow. This book is not necessary because it can offer a solution that is final. It is timely, because it follows a new trail inspired by Ogden's failure. With due recognition of his unique achievement, it is therefore important to say charitably at the outset why Basis was bogus.
As said, a highly educated person may require a vocabulary of at least 30,000 items for extensive reading. That one can say -- technical jargon apart -- everything one needs to say with 850 words in the English of the Authorised Version or of Winston Churchill at his best is therefore at first sight an impressive achievement. On more mature reflection, several considerations prompt second thoughts, in particular:
(a) the Basic vocabulary contains many items which have very different meanings, and by the same token, are translatable by many different words in any other language;
(b) to accomplish the ostensible end in view, Basic usage, though admittedly by no means alien to the eye or ear of anyone with a keen aprreciation of native English, relies extensively on use of idioms invoking particles which have no semantic sanction in their own right;
(c) the learner who starts with no native knowledge of English idiom is therefore at sea, and liable to form not easily broken habits of unacceptable usage.
The new start which this book advocates is that neither of the first-named preceding devices to reduce the mnemonic load of learning achieves the end in view. This follows if the reader is willing to concede two assertions:
(a) it is by no means manifestly easier to learn several unrelated different meanings of the same word than to learn the same number of different words, each with a clear-cut semantic reference;
(b) replacement of otherwise essential words not deemed to be so by wholly arbitrary combinations (e.g. put up with for tolerate or forbear) accomplishes no reduction of mnemonic load for the beginner.
In place of Ogden's 850-word list, we here offer a 1300-item list of what we call Essential Semantic Units, meaning thereby a semantically unique word and a instruction where necessary with respect to its usage, in particular:
(a) what arbitrary particles may accompany it (cf. laugh AT P, contrast X WITH Y, the same A ... AS B);
(b) if a so-called transitive verb, whether to do is interchangeable with doing or for for doing as its object (cf. different usage with cease and finish). (Though one can say acceptably cease to work or cease working, one cannot acceptably say finish to work.
With the exception of less than half a dozen elements of the grammatical matrix (with, to, that, have, be), each listed semantic unit has an unequivocal reference.
The List of Essential Semantic Units (LESU) is given in 26 lessons of 50 words each, followed by two lessons of supplementary words. There are glossaries of EWE equivalents for Standard English terms not included in the LESU.
More words can be made from these by the following rules: UN-V (e.g. UNABLE), IN- (e.g. INACTIVE), UN-V-ED (e.g. UNACCUSTOMED), -ER (e.g. ATTACKER), UN-V-ABLE (e.g. UNANSWERABLE), IN-V-ABLE (e.g. INCOMPARABLE), -LESS (e.g. AIMLESS), (UN-)V-ING (e.g. ACCORDING).
EWE ought to be compared with Basic English, the Voice of America special word list, and Universal Language Dictionary elements.
Here is my synopsis of LESU. You need the book to understand completely.
be can-could do have ought will would
one I you he she it we they self two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve 13-14-15-16-17-18-19 20-30-40-50-60-70-80-90 hundred thousand million each-every other same this-these that-those that-whose whole who(m)-whose?
a(n) about above abroad across after again against also among and around as as...as at away_(from) back backward because_(of) before behind between beyond but by despite down during either...or even except for forward from here home how if in in_favour_of instead_of into kindly -less neither...nor never no not now of on on_behalf_of or out(side) part_of since so_that somewhat soon sort than the then there therefore though through thus till to today together tomorrow too towards under up very what? what when where whether while why with without yes yesterday
second minute hour day week month year bottom edge end front middle rear side top east north south west left right
able abundant active adhesive adult aesthetic angry assertive attentive audible awake aware bad big bitter black blue brown certain chemical chief cold comfortable compatible complex compulsory consistent conspicuous contemporary contemptuous contrary controversial cruel cultured dark deceitful deep dependent difficult divisible durable eager early earnest easy educational electrical emphatic envious equal equitable ethical exact expensive expert explosive extant factual familiar far feeble female few final flat foreign fortunate frequent friendly future generous good grateful green grey guilty happy hard harmful harmless healthy heavy helpful high historical hopeful horizontal hot humorous ignorant imaginary important intelligent intense intentional intermittent late legal less-least like likely little long loose loud low magnetic male manifest many mechanical medical mental mild more-most much near necessary neutral new obedient obstinate old ornate painful parallel partial past patient permanent polite political poor possible powerful practical primitive private prone provisional public punctual pure putrid quarrelsome quick rare ready reasonable recent red regular relevant reliable religious resolute resonant responsible rich ritual rough safe secret selfish shallow sharp short sick small social soft solitary stable steep stiff straight sucessful sudden sufficient surgical sweet synchronous tall territorial theatrical theoretical thick thin thorough tight tranquil transparent true typical unique universal useful usual vertical violent visible wasteful white wide widespread willing worthy yellow young
alert blind blunt clean correct dilute dry empty fit free hollow lame mature moderate narrow open own pale perfect round separate slow smooth tame tidy warm weary wet
bath brush comb drill filter hammer hook lever lock mirror net pencil pin plane plough post pump screw seat shovel trap wedge whip whistle
butter cement color cover crown dress frame label oil ornament plant powder tile
ally cook exile judge nurse pilot rebel rival slave witness
accord act aim answer attack attempt benefit bet blame blemish blend boast branch bribe capture cause change charge chart command compromise concern consent contrast control copy cough counsel cure damage dance decrease delay delight demand desire discharge disgust dislike display dispute doubt esteem exchange experience face fear finish flash flavour flood flow flower fold force forecast grasp groove group guess gulp hate heat help hint hire hoard hope hunt hurry increase jail jerk joke journey jump knot lack laugh lie lift light limit line list love manufacture mark measure move name need number offer pardon permit picture pity place plan play poison praise preserve price print promise protest pull purchase push puzzle question rain reason receipt record regret repair reprimand request rest reverse reward rub rule safeguard score scorn scratch shape share shave sign slope smile smoke sneeze snow sound start stitch store substitute suck talk tax test thank thunder torture touch trade transport trick trouble trust turn twist use value visit vote wait walk waste work worship wound
bend burn dream sleep
burst cut hit split
bite break breed fight mistake run
absorb accustom acknowledge amaze annul arrange ascribe assert attend avoid balance believe boil breathe cease celebrate collect compare complain compute conceal concentrate conquer consist_of contain continue convince cooperate correspond corrode crush cry_out dare deceive decide deem deny deprive describe desert destroy detect dismember dispose_of dissolve drop employ enable equip examine explain express extend fail fasten fill follow frighten fulfil glide greet happen heed imagine impose include infer intoxicate invest kill learn listen live locate marry misconceive narrate observe obstruct oppose organize overturn participate perform pierce please pluck ponder pour practise prefer prevent procure prohibit project propose prove publish punish react receive refrain refuse relinquish remain remember remove retain revile revive satisfy seem select stimulate sue suffer suspend sway tempt threaten translate transmit unite utter warn weigh
deal die dwell feel flee hear keep lose make mean pay say weep
cast put read shut
arise become come drive fly forget give go grow know meet partake_of see seek sell send shake shine sing sit stand steal swell swim teach understand undo write
aeroplane air ale angle animal ankle apartment arch arm ass assembly bag ball band bank barrier bay bead bee bell bill bird blood boat body bone book boundary bowl box brain brake bread brick bridge brother building button camel cape cat cavity chain chairman cheese chest child circle citizen clay clock cloud coal coat colleague college committee compound concrete continent copper cord corn corner corridor cotton couch cow cube cup cupboard cylinder daughter device diamond digit dirt dish dog door drawer drink drug dust ear earth editor egg elbow elephant enemy eye eyebrow eyelash fabric factory family farm fat father feather fibre filament finger fire fish fist flag flame flax flesh floor flour fog food foot forehead forest fork fort friend fruit furniture gap garden gas glass goat gold grass gun gut hair hand handle head heart heel hemp hinge hole horn horse hospital house ice ink iron island jelly joint journal juice key knee knife lake lamp land lead leaf leather leg letter library lid limb lip liquid lung machine maize man manager market mat match mattress member metal milk mine missile moisture money moon mother mountain mouth nail neck needle news night nose oar ocean officer offspring ox package page paper parent particle pearl pen person pest piece pig pipe platform pocket point police port porter priest rail rectangle representative rice river road rod roof room root rubber salt sand satellite scale school sea seed shadow sheep sheet shelf shell shoulder sib silk silver sister skin sky slime snake soap soil solid solution son soup speaker spine spiral sponge spoon spouse square stairs stalk stamp star station steam steel step stick stone stove sugar sun table tail tap tear tent thief throat thumb ticket tin tobacco toe tongue tool tooth town track train tray tree tribunal trunk vapour vehicle wall warehouse water wave weapon -wear wheat wheel wind window wine wing wire woman wood wool worm wrist zinc
ability absence achievement addition agreement approval arbitration army arrangement art authority behaviour birth breath capital characteristic circumstance collison colony communication competition composition condition confirmation consciousness constituent creed criticism current customs danger death decision defence degree description detail development difference direction disadvantage disarmament disease displeasure distance distribution dividend duty effect element empire energy engineering entertainment equality excess expanse extent fact fatigue fervour fidelity figure fraud freedom friendliness game glee goods government grant growth health heap idea identity importance inquiry insurance interior justice knowledge language law length lesson life likeness liquidation loan loss majority marriage mass material membership message minority mishap monopoly motion music nationalism nationality navy negotiations noise oath observation obstacle odor offence opinion opportunity organisation peace penalty permission personnel pleasure potential power prerequisite presence pressure privilege problem procedure process product programme progress prohibition property prose purpose quantity rate reaction recipe relation reservation resistance resources revolt rhythm science search security seizure selection separation sequence service sex shock song source space specimen stage state statement status stipulation structure surface synopsis system task temperature testimony thing time topic trial truth tune type union unit verse vibration victim view voice volume war way weather willingness word
abstract accuracy accuse adhere administrator advancement appearance ascent associate average background basis bat blow bunch card ceremony chimney complete concede conventional crawl crew curve deck defend different difficulty disappointment discount discover engine enthusiastic entrance environment escape exclusive exercise extinguish fall fashion fiction field firm friction full gift God ground guilt habit hereditary honesty honorific hostile income inference innocence instrument invention lewd likelihood link miracle missive mix narrative opposition partner party payment pretend proposal publication reality remind resignation roll rumour sensual similar size spear speed spool stumble subordinate superstition sword tar target title tolerant total treatment vacation verdict viscous wax
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