WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT "SPECIAL ENGLISH"?

By Nguyen Tri TuanEditor and Instructor in EnglishUniversity of Technology

George Bernard Shaw, the British writer once said, "England and America are two countries separated by the same language." The statement has just enough truth in it to be funny. What Mr. Shaw meant was that Americans and Englishmen speak the same language but in such different ways that the language itself divides Americans from Englishmen as clearly as the ocean that lies between them.This was an "inside" joke that Mr. Shaw made. Its humor is understood fully only by the "insiders"- that is, by Americans and Englishmen. It is funny for them because they know that Mr. Shaw was not serious. He was telling part of the truth-enough of it to be funny to the insiders-but not all of the truth.It is true that Americans and Englishmen speak the English language in different ways. But it is also true that an American and an Englishman can talk together freely and easily. The differences in the way they speak are interesting but they are not important. Far from dividing them, the English language brings them closer together, permits them to communicate. So Americans and Englishmen can laugh at George Bernard Shaw's joke, knowing that a language which two people use together builds a bridge, not a wall, between them.The world needs bridges of that kind. Radio, television, the telephone, the automobile, the airplane, and other wonders of modem science have made the world smaller. Quick communication is more necessary than ever before. New nations have been born, and with them the need for their people to communicate more with themselves and with the people of other nations.
Around the world today, more and more people are learning English as a means of communication. They come from every nation and every race, and they come from every walk of life. Among them are farmers and students, teachers and scientists, people who work in the government, technical people, artists-in fact, all sort of people. English, second only to Chinese for the number of people who speak it, and second to no other for the number of people who are learning it, is a language that anyone, and everyone, can use to communicate. It is a global language. And it is a modem language, a language equal to the needs of today and tomorrow. Those are two of the reasons it is used so widely around the world. Someone has said of English that it is an easy language to learn but a hard language to learn well. Like George Bernard Shaw's statement, that is true-but it is not all of the truth. The English language has perhaps half a million words. Probably no one living knows them all, even if he isan Englishman or an American-even if he is a language expert or an inspired writer using the language to create a thing of lasting beauty.However, we are not now thinking about the finer subtleties of English or the level of communication possible through the creation or full enjoyment of literary masterpieces. We are thinking rather of English as a practical means of communication and understanding between peoples. To make the language work for this important purpose, it is not necessary to be an artist or to know many thousands of words. Much can be communicated and understood by those who know just about a thousand words-and how to use them. If a person knows these things well, he can begin to make himself at home in England, or in America, or any 'place in the world where English is spoken. And he can communicate with those people who speak English.That is something the Special English has found to be true. The officials who were interested in these English language broadcasts asked this question: How can we reach those millions of people overseas who wish to hear broadcasts in English but who do not know the language well? In other words, how do we reach the people who are learning English? The answer to this question was Special English. That is really a funny name for it. There is nothing very special about Special English. It is not a special language different from English and it is not some special form of English. There is nothing in Special English that is not in the regular English as it is spoken and written by millions of its users around the world every day.In fact, the only thing special about Special English is that it is English broadcast especially to those listeners who have less than a mastery of the language. That means it is direct English, clear English, easy-to-understand English. Also, because Special English uses radio to communicate, it is English spoken slowly. Those are the facts about Special English. Now, what is the history of Special English?English Language Teaching researchers studied the problem of communicating in English with listeners who do not know the language well. The study showed that at the heart of the great and ever-growing English language is a little group of words that do an all-important job. They make the language work. Without them, the rest of the language is useless. As their study of this little group of words continued, these researchers made some interesting findings. They had already found that the BIG English language depends on the LITTLE language. Now they found that the little language does not depend on the big language. The little language, they found, can do a big job all by itself. It can give voice to many thoughts and ideas, even more difficult ones, with just its small body of words. How many people listen to these Special English broadcasts? No one knows for sure. However, there is one measure of the success of the programs. Special English has received millions and millions of letters from listeners to the Special English broadcasts. Almost all of them say, in one way or other: "Thank you for your Special English programs. They give me the latest news of the world and they tell me interesting things about people and life in America. And they help me improve my English."It is not surprising that people who write and produce and voice Special English programs find their work exciting. In a world that needs bridges to better understanding, they see themselves as bridge-builders. Therefore, when all is said and done, perhaps there is something special about Special English.