Special English

Special English is a simple form of the English language.  It is used by a public radio station called Voice of America, run by the United States government in Special English programs every day. Its news and feature programs are read more slowly than usual, using fewer English words and simple grammar.

The contents of Special English programs are much easier to understand.  Special English is clearer and simpler, and it uses shorter sentences. It can also help someone whose English is weak to improve their English. In some countries, for example China, Special English is popular among people for learning English.

Special English was first used on October 19, 1959. Special English started in that year as one of radio programs by the Voice of America. This broadcasts adopt slow pace and simple English in order to increase understanding for millions of listeners. It is now also known as "Learning English".

 Details 
Special English started in 1959. It was developed as an experimental radio program to spread information on news and culture to people outside the United States. Programs on VOA use a simpler English within about 1,500 words, and reports are paced 1/3 slower than regular English in order to allow listeners to increase a better understanding. This means broadcasters speak at about two-thirds the speed of conversational English. But is still far from sounding like a record played at the wrong speed. It now deals with various topics to keep interest of listeners, such as news, business, science, and culture. Stories are written in clear, direct ways, using the core 1,500-word vocabulary whenever possible.

To be a Special English broadcaster, a person needs to do months of training. The training includes a professional voice trainer who teaches how to breathe properly and pronounce clearly. A chief of Special English at VOA said, "People in this country have likely never heard of Special English," and also said, "and, if they have, they often don't understand the significance of it to people in other countries."

One VOA staff explains that the main goal of Special English is for the listener to understand the content of what is being broadcast, and to make steady progress in English. "There is a fine line between being simplified and simplistic", he says. "We never want to cross that line." So when necessary, more "advanced" English words are used and the meanings made clear, so the stories never suffer from incomplete information.

Students and teachers in other countries say Special English is a good learning tool.

 About programs 
Some popular programs on VOA follow.

Arts & Culture
American Stories
Health & Lifestyle
U.S.History
Science & Technology
Words & Their Stories
Learning English Broadcast
VOA broadcast a program titled 'Willis Conover, the Voice of Jazz, Is Now Online" in the past, as Willis Conover became a famous host at Music USA.

 Notes 

Related pages
Voice of America
Simplified English
Wikipedia:VOA Special English Word Book
Basic English

 Other websites 
The VOA Web Page on Learning English "Learning English" replaced the earlier name "Special English"
VOA Special English Word Book - 1,500 words used on VOA Special English broadcast (2009 edition)
Learning English Word Book - words used on VOA Learning English broadcasts (2018 edition)
Voice of America Special English Study - Online quizzes, listen and read along, crossword puzzles and more. (By Charles Kelly)

Category:English language