Simple English is an attempt to imagine what a simplified English designed for easier learning would actually look like.
Basic English, which claims to do so, only focuses on reducing the vocabulary (and increasing circumlocutions) without targeting phonology or morphology.
Phonology
The sounds likely to be excluded due to their rareness crosslinguistically, even in a Standard Average European (SAE) context are:
/θ ð ʒ ɪ ʊ æ ʌ/.
Also, phonemic distinctions between /v/ and /w/ are rare, even in SAE context.
Subtracting these leaves us the following consonants:
/p b t d t̠ʃ d̠ʒ k g/ <p b t d ch j k g>
/ f s z ʃ h m n ŋ/ <f s z sh h m n ng>
/w ɹ l j/ <w r l y>
And vowels:
/α ɛ ei i ɔ ou u ə/ <a e ei i o ou u y*>
/aj aw oj/ <ai au oi>
*y is a vowel after a consonant
To convert the rare sounds to their more common counterparts, the following table is provided:
Code: Select all
English Simple English Context
θ t #_
θ f _#
θ t V_V
θ t _r
ð d All
ʒ dʒ All
ɪ i stressed
ɪ ə unstressed
ʊ u all
ʌ ə unstressed
ʌ ɔ stressed
v w #_, V_V
v f _#
æ a stressed
æ ɛ unstressed
Phonotactics
Since the maximal phonotactic structure of CCCVCCC in English is more complex than the global average of CCVC, several steps will be taken:
1. Epenthesis of the schwa on syllable-final voiced obstruents
e.g <astyroidy> from "asteroid"
2. Epenthesis of the schwa on final consonant clusters
e.g <handy> from "hand"
3. i- Prothesis before sC- clusters
e.g <iskul> from "school"
4. Reduction of final consonant clusters before another syllable beginning a consonant
e.g <wyrbuk> from "wordbook" for "dictionary" or <hanyus> for "manual(ly) operated"
5. Dropping before the "s"
This occurs in cross-syllable clusters like "install" becoming <istal> (cf. Spanish dialectal /'is.ta.lar/)
or <pyspektif> fr. "perspective"
The resulting structure is:
Code: Select all
(C1 (C2)) V (C3))
where C2 is <r>,<l>,<w>or <y>
and where C3 is any voiceless obstruent, liquid or nasal