Specialized English facts for kids

Specialized English is a special way of speaking and writing English. It's made simpler so that people who are learning English, or who don't speak it as their first language, can understand radio programs more easily. It's a bit like a "controlled" version of English, meaning it uses a limited set of words and rules. This special English is based on something called Voice of America (VoA) Special English.

Specialized English was first created by a group called Feba Radio in the UK. Now, Feba works with US radio groups like Words of Hope and Back to God Ministries International. These groups are Christian, but Specialized English is not used for religious sermons. Instead, it's mainly used for a program called 'Spotlight'. This program shares interesting stories and information and is broadcast all over the world. You can also find the scripts and audio for free on the Spotlight website.

How Specialized English Works

Specialized English sounds very similar to Special English, and they share many features. Both use a main list of about 1500 words. They also use short sentences and are spoken slowly, at around 90 words per minute. This slow speed helps listeners understand every word.

Its History and Design

Special English was first used by Voice of America around 1959. Specialized English was created later, in the late 1990s, by different people. Even though they were made separately, their basic design is almost the same. The people who made Specialized English wanted a name that showed it was similar but also a bit different.

Voice of America is part of the US government, so its Special English programs are mostly for its own news. Specialized English, however, was designed by regular groups (not the government). Its creators wanted it to be used for many different purposes.

Why These Words Are Chosen

Specialized English, like Special English, is a tool for communication, not just for teaching. The words in its 1500-word list are chosen carefully. Most of them are the most common and easiest English words to learn.

However, some words are chosen for specific reasons. For example, Special English uses words that a US government news service might need, like "Congress" or "federal." Specialized English replaces some of these with words often used in religious topics, such as "blessing" or "prayer." The word list for Specialized English has been updated a few times, in 2000 and 2007, based on how well it worked. Still, about 91% of the words are the same in both lists.

Specialized English also allows words to have a wider range of meanings. For example, the word 'joint' in Special English means "shared by two or more." But in Specialized English, it can also mean "the place where two parts are fixed together." Specialized English also lets you add more prefixes and suffixes (like "-ful" in "wonderful"), which means fewer words need to be on the main list.

Besides the 1500 core words, both Special and Specialized English generally allow:

• Different forms of the core words (like "run," "running," "ran").
• Numbers up to one million.
• Pronouns (like "he," "she," "they").
• Proper nouns (names of people, places).
• Any words whose meaning can be understood during a radio broadcast using the core vocabulary.

Main Differences

Here are some key ways Special English and Specialized English are different: