List of language reforms of English
(Redirected from English language reform)
Over the years, many people have called for language reforms of the English language, which vary in approach. Phonetic alphabets limited to English do not belong here. See Category:Phonetic alphabets.
Spelling reforms
[edit]Attempted spelling reforms are attempts to regularise English spelling, whether by enforcing a regular set of rules, or by replacing the basic English alphabet with a new one. Such historical proposals include:
| Name of publication | Date published | Proposer(s) | Alphabet |
|---|---|---|---|
| An American Dictionary for the English Language | 1825 | Noah Webster | Basic |
| Benjamin Franklin's phonetic alphabet | 1768 | Benjamin Franklin | Extended |
| Booke at Large for the Amendment of English Orthographie | 1580 | William Bullokar | Extended |
| Cut Spelling | 1992 | Chris Upward | Basic |
| Deseret alphabet | 1847–1854 | Board of regents of the University of Deseret | Replaced |
| English Grammar | 1633 | Charles Butler | Extended |
| Handbook of Simplified Spelling | 1920 | Simplified Spelling Board | Basic |
| Interspel | 1986 | Valerie Yule | Extended |
| Logonomia Anglica | 1619 | Alexander Gill | Extended |
| Regularized Inglish | 1959 | Axel Wijk | Basic |
| SaypU (Spell As You Pronounce Universally) | 2012 | Jaber George Jabbour | Extended |
| Shavian alphabet (revised version: Quikscript) | 1960 | Ronald Kingsley Read | Replaced |
| Simpel-Fonetik method of writing | 2012 | Allan Kiisk | Extended |
| SoundSpel | 1910–1986 | Various | Basic |
| SR1 (Spelling Reform step 1) | 1969 | Harry Lindgren | Basic |
| The Opening of the Unreasonable Writing of Our Inglish Toung | 1551 | John Hart | Extended |
| Traditional Spelling Revised (TSR) | 2021 | Stephen Linstead | Basic |
| Unifon | 1950s | John Malone | Extended |
Subsets
[edit]Subsets are reforms that use a restricted wordlist and grammar. English subsets include:
- Attempto Controlled English
- Basic English
- E-Prime
- Globish
- Plain English
- Simplified English
- Special English
- Specialised English
Vocabulary reforms
[edit]Vocabulary reforms seek to reform English by changing or restricting its words without changing its grammar.
- Anglish: the use of native (Germanic) words only, and spellings of such without foreign influence—a form of linguistic purism