Globish

Definition:

A simplified version of Anglo-American English used as a global lingua franca. See Panglish.

See also:

• Basic English
• Controlled English
• Global English
• Notes on English as a Global Language
• World English

Etymology:

A blend of global and English, coined by Jean-Paul Nerrière in 1995 to describe a version of the English language that relies on a simplified grammar and a vocabulary of 1,500 words

Examples and Observations:

• "It is not a language, it is a tool. . . . A language is the vehicle of a culture. Globish doesn't want to be that at all. It is a means of communication."
  (Jean-Paul Nerrière, quoted by Mary Blume in "If You Can't Master English, Try Globish." The New York Times, Apr. 22, 2005)



• "Globish is not like Esperanto or Volapuk; this is not a formally constructed language, but rather an organic patois, constantly adapting, emerging solely from practical usage, and spoken in some form or other by about 88 per cent of mankind. . . .
  
  "'Incorrect' English can be extraordinarily rich, and non-standard forms of the language are developing outside the West in ways that are as lively and diverse as Chaucerian or Dickensian English."
  (Ben MacIntyre, "Useful Language Learn Quick Now!" The Times, Apr. 30, 2005)



• "Not quite a pidgin, Globish appears to be English without idioms, making it easier for non-Anglophones to understand and to communicate with one another."
  (Harriet Joseph Ottenheimer, The Anthropology of Language. Cengage, 2008)



• "Globish is a cultural and media phenomenon, one whose infrastructure is economic. Boom or bust, it is a story of 'Follow the money.' Globish remains based on trade, advertising and the global market. Traders in Singapore inevitably communicate in local languages at home; internationally they default to Globish. . . .
  
  "Much gloomy American thinking about the future of its language and culture revolves around the assumption that it will inevitably become challenged by Mandarin Chinese or Spanish or even Arabic. What if the real threat--actually, no more than a challenge--is closer to home, and lies with this Globish supranational lingua franca, one that all Americans can identify with?"
  (Robert McCrum, Globish: How the English Language Became the World's Language. W.W. Norton, 2010)