Goddard, Cliff (Ed.) (2018). Minimal English for a global world: Improved communication using fewer words. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-62512-6

Abstract:

‘Minimal English’ is a new tool for improving communication and promoting clearer thinking in a world where the use of Global English can create numerous comprehension and communication issues. It is based on research findings from within cross-linguistic semantics, in particular the NSM approach. The essays and studies in this book are by leading experts who explore the value and application of Minimal English in various fields, including ethics, health, human rights discourse, education and international relations. Informed guidelines and practical advice on how to communicate in clear and cross-translatable ways using the new tool is also provided.

Table of contents:

  1. Introduction (Cliff Goddard)
  2. Minimal English and how it can add to Global English (Cliff Goddard and Anna Wierzbicka)
  3. Minimal English: The science behind it (Cliff Goddard)
  4. Minimal English and diplomacy (William Maley)
  5. Internationalizing Minimal English: Perils and parallels (Nicholas Farrelly and Michael Wesley)
  6. Charter of Global Ethic in Minimal English (Anna Wierzbicka)
  7. Torture laid bare: Global English and human rights (Annabelle Mooney)
  8. Talking about the universe in Minimal English: Teaching science through words that children can understand (Anna Wierzbicka)
  9. Big History meets Minimal English (David Christian)
  10. Introducing the concept of the ‘65 words’ to the public in Finland (Ulla Vanhatalo and Juhana Torkki)
  11. Narrative Medicine across languages and cultures: Using Minimal English for increased comparability of patients’ narratives (Bert Peeters and Maria Giulia Marini)

More information:

Each chapter has its own entry and its own rating, except for Chapter 4, which illustrates the pitfalls and complexities of diplomatic communication, particularly in crisis situations. Apart from an imperfect rendering of Wierzbicka’s 1997 explication of the English word freedom (in Understanding Cultures through their Key Words, p. 154), Chapter 4 does not contain any explications using either NSM or Minimal English.