| Globish | |
| Creator: | Jean-Paul Nerrière |
| Created: | 2004 |
| Setting: | international auxiliary language |
| Ancestor: | Old English |
| Ancestor2: | Middle English |
| Ancestor3: | Early Modern English |
| Ancestor4: | Modern English |
| Posteriori: | vocabulary from a list of 1500 English words, and grammar based on a subset of standard English grammar |
Globish is a name for a subset of the English language formalized in 2004 by Jean-Paul Nerrière.[1] It uses a subset of standard English grammar and a list of 1500 English words. Nerrière claims that it is "not a language" in and of itself,[2] but rather it is the common ground that non-native English speakers adopt in the context of international business.
"Globish," a trademark, is a portmanteau of "global" and "English." The first attested reference to the term as Global English, i.e., to refer to a set of dialects of English spoken outside of traditional English-speaking areas, was in an issue of The Christian Science Monitor in 1997:[3]
Nerrière's project differs from a controlled language of the same name devised by Madhukar Gogate six years earlier.
Jean-Paul Nerrière uses the term Globish for his subset of the English grammar and vocabulary. He claims that the language described in his books is naturally occurring. He has marked his codification of that language by acquiring trademark protection on the term, similar to I.A. Richards who trademarked Basic English in order to prevent dilution and misrepresentation of his work.[4] Instances of attested prior usage, it can be seen, were incidental or not intended for the same purpose.
As an IBM executive and as a result of his vast travels, Jean-Paul Nerrière realized that a new global language was becoming more and more important. While serving as vice president of international marketing at IBM, Jean-Paul Nerriere first observed patterns of English that non-native English speakers used to communicate with each other in international conferences.[2] [5] In 1989, he proposed Globish as an international language focussing most of his efforts to its promotion. He developed rules and training in the form of various publications to help non-native English speakers better communicate with each other by using Globish as a lingua franca.[6] He conducted dozens of interviews and wrote or co-authored 6 books about Globish in four different languages.[7] [8]
Nerrière formulated his ideas in two books he authored, Découvrez le globish (meaning Discover the Globish) and Do Not Speak English, Parlez Globish.[9] Both books have been translated into a number of international languages. In French, he has published Parlez globish!: l'anglais planétaire du troisième millénaire and co-authored with Philippe Dufresne and Jacques Bourgon, the instruction book Découvrez le globish: l'anglais allégé en 26 étapes.
Nerrière's 2004 codification work began to legitimize the language purpose to the extent it drew some press attention. Clearly, and with much subsequent reference, the term Globish has grown increasingly as a generic term since the date of his first publications. Nerrière trademarked Globish as a subset of the English language formalized by him.[10] [11] He also launched the website globish.com to promote his ideas.
In 2009, intending to demonstrate that "Good Globish is correct English", Nerriere and David Hon published Globish the World Over, the first book written entirely in Globish-English. Robert McCrum, literary editor of The Observer, is quoted as supporting the efficacy of the language.[12] By 2011, Globish the World Over had been translated into 12 languages including French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Polish, Hungarian, Slovakian, Uzbek etc.[13] It was a best seller in Japan.
In 2011, the Globish Foundation was formed as a non-profit organization in Australia, for the purpose of maintaining and promulgating the standards of Globish. By 2013, the Globish Foundation had 8 national affiliates and an online Globish Communications Test available 24/7.[14]
Barbara Cassin claims that Globish is not a language of culture, but a language of service.[15] Robert McCrum wrote the book Globish: How the English Language Became the World's Language, describing Globish as an economic phenomenon, unlike "global English" whose uses are much more diverse than just business.[16]
Special English is also a controlled subset of the English language with about 1500 words, short sentences, and slower delivery than traditional English. Special English was first used on October 19, 1959, and is still presented daily by the United States broadcasting service Voice of America.
Specialized English is a controlled subset of the English language derived from Special English by Feba Radio. It also has about 1500 words, with some differences in the word list from Special English.
Critics of Globish either feel that its codifications are not sufficiently clearly rendered, or that an artificial language is preferable to any natural one.