TO THE READER
From cover to cover every word in this
book is in the Basic list printed at the
front.1
It is to be hoped that the reader has
seen one or other of the earlier accounts of
the system,
Basic English,
Carl and Anna, in Basic English,
The Basic Vocabulary,
for there is no discussion here of the rules,
as such. But if taken with a grain of salt,
it may be judged by itself.
C. K. O.
The Orthological Institute,
10, King’s Parade,
Cambridge, England.
1. See page 9, note.
The value of these examples of Basic English
for the development of the system, and for the
purposes of teacher and learner are made clear
on pages 10 and 45.
I . WHY DO IT ?
The present work has two sorts of
readers in view. In the first place, as is
natural with any new language theory,
certain errors have to be got out of the
way ; for example, there is a tendency on
the part of men of letters to take seriously
the suggestion that only very simple things
may be said with simple words. And, in
addition, there is the desire of young
persons, as well as of the brighter groups
in society, for something a little less dry
than the sort of material that is normally
used for the purposes of education.
Every word in this book is a good Basic
word,1 so that an opinion may be formed
by the reader as to the value of the system
from these two points of view. Is it necessarily
limited to the commonplace, or is
the range wide enough on the one hand
for the discussion of serious questions, and,
on the other, for any one with a lighter
touch to get a certain amount of amusement from it ?
The suggestion here is not that Basic in
its simple form will be used by experts for
going deeply into any theory -- though in
fact there are special lists for every
science2 -- but that the limits are very far
from being fixed, and the level, for those
who have anything to say, is no lower than
that of other systems which make use of
over 20,000 words.
But in addition to any interest they may
have for those who take pleasure in getting
the right word into the right place, these
pages have another and more serious
purpose. It is frequently said by language
experts who have not had much experience
in this sort of work, that readers living in
other countries will be at a loss when
words are put together in ways different
from those in which they would generally
be used. This may sometimes be true,
and it is important to make a number of
tests with examples where the sense of a
word is taken over from one field to another.
Care is needed here, if the question is to
be viewed rightly, for reading is very
different from writing or talking in this
connection. Naturally those who have a
knowledge of Basic only from the rules
will be more limited in their range than
those trained in some form of English
from birth. They will be able to say
everything in one way or another, while
the others will have a tendency to make
use of what are named ' idioms ' (special
turns of language, of natural growth,
common to a group) in addition to the
uses by which their needs are covered,
The feeling is that these ' idioms '
will be a cause of error for the reader of
Basic, or that he will be quite unable to
make sense of them. This is not our
opinion, and though most books in Basic
will keep as near as possible to the rules by
which the learner himself has to be
guided, no such attempt has been made in
Brighter Basic3 The words are all used
freely, and it is our hope that readers will
send us notes of points on which they or
their friends went wrong -- if possible, with
reasons.
If there is little or no doubt about if the
sense, when knowledge is limited to the
Hxed uses given in the complete Basic list
(till the reader has this he himself will be
the judge of what uses and special shades
are clear to him), that will make things
very much simpler for everyone. If, on
the other hand, there is room for doubt,
then we are all in agreement that care
must be taken by English writers not to
get far away from the fixed senses of the
words -- but after all there is nothing very
serious about that.
Let us first see what authority Basic
English has in history, for some of the
greatest minds of the past have clearly been
conscious of the direction in which language
was going. This is as true of verse as it
is of prose. For example, not the least of
Shakespeare’s great qualities is his frequent
use of Basic. In fact, it came as naturally
to him as it will to all clear writers of the
future. He seems to have had the feeling
that it was the right thing whenever one
of those thoughts which was to make its
mark on all school teachers and newspapermen
came into his mind.
" To be or not to be, that is the
question ",
or, as Caesar puts it, " Let me have men.
about me that are fat ".
In fact, with a small list of special,
words, and two or three rules (such as that
different endings for Basic words make no
change in the sense) a very great amount
of verse of the highest quality takes its
place in the wide selection which the
present writer has put together for those
who are interested in the structure of
English verse.
But it would be outside our purpose to
go into the question here. The ornaments.
of verse are not necessary for the sort of
work which an international language has
to do. Let us see how Basic gets on with
some form of prose in which fact, though
not important, is at least not without
point. This is the way the dog’s death
would take place in the story recorded by
Frank Crumit (H.M.V. -- B 2859)
No News
One time a business man was ordered
to go away to the mountains for a rest.
He went back to his house and gave his
family an account of what the medical
men had said. He made it clear that
while he was away he was not to be
troubled by letters, or telegrams. “ In
fact ", he said, “ you are not to send me
news of any sort ". So he went away and
was gone about six weeks.
He came back to town very much
better for the change and with a great
desire to have some news of his family.
When he got oft the train, his coloured
servant was at the station, and this is
what was said :
" Well, Henry, how’s everything ? Have
you any news ? "
" No sir, no sir, there’s no news, sir.
Everything’s much the same as when you
went away ".
“ What, nothing new ?"
" No sir, no sir. There’s no news ".
“ Well now, Henry, I’m bursting for
some word of the family. Any little
thing, ever so small ?
" No sir, no sir, there’s no news, sir.
There’s nothing been going on while you
were away. Only one thing-your dog’s dead ".
" Oh ! my dog dead. That’s bad.
‘ What put an end to the dog ?"
" Well sir, it seems that the dog had
some burned horse-meat, and that’s what
was the cause of his death ".
" But where did the dog get the burned
horse-meat ?"
“ Well sir, you see, your farm’s burned
down ; and when the fire was over, the dog
went in and had some of the burned horse-meat, and that’s what was the cause of
his death ".
“ Oh, my farm’s burned down ?"
" Yes sir, that’s all burned down ".
“ Well, how on earth did the farm get on fire ?"
“ Well sir, you see, the flames from the
house got across to the farm -- and the
farm was burned down, and all the cows
and horses ; and after the fire was over,
the dog went in and had some of the
burned horse-meat, and that’s what was
the cause of his death ”.
“ Oh, my house burned down as well as the farm ? "
" Yes sir, yes sir, your house’s burned down. That’s completely gone ".
“ But how did the house get on fire ?"
“ Well, sir, you see, they had some wax
lights in the house
" What I They had wax lights in my
house ?"
" Yes sir, one of them got on to the
curtain, and the fire got up to the roof, and
the flames from the roof got across to the
farm, and the farm was burned down, and
all the cows and house ; and when the fire
was over, why, the dog went in and had
some of the burned horse-meat, and that’s
what was the cause of his death ".
“ Well, Why were there wax lights in my
house ?"
" Oh yes, sir, yes sir, they had them
burning all round the body ".
“ The body ! Why, Who’s dead ?"
" Oh yes, sir, yes -- that’s another little
thing I was going to say. Your mother-in-law’s dead ".
“ Oh, my mother-in-law dead, eh ?"
" Yes sir, yes sir, she’s dead; no need
to be troubled about her any more ".
" But what was the cause of my
mother-in-law’s death ?"
" Well sir, I’m not quite certain what
the cause was, but round about they all
say it was from the shock of the Missus
going oft with the motor-man ; but outside
of that there is no news ".
" That in our opinion, is good enough for
any company, which is more than one is
able to say of most stories.
" But ", it may be answered, “ it is all
very well to give us things by others. The
need of the hour is for new stories. Why
not take pen in hand and make an addition
to the store ? Your last was about the
surprise of a business man at the death of
his dog. What about a living dog and the
surprise of two business men ?"
This strange suggestion gave birth to a
happy thought, which makes a natural
stepping-stone to Part II.
------------------------
1. Naturally, this is not true of names of
persons and places, or of international words
(p. 12), or of words taken from the writings of
others, such as ‘ verb ’ (p. 23).
2 . See Basic English Applied : Science.
3. For comparison, see The Basic Traveller,
where only the simplest and most direct language
is used.
SAUL UPJOHN
and
SAMUEL SMILES
1 . Saul
From observations made upon a dog
which he had kept without food for a
long time, a business man named Saul got
an idea for the better organization of his
works. “ If ", said he, “ the animal, even
in this condition, is able to go on making
attempts to get on its legs, when pins
are pushed under its skin, probably
another turn of the screw will get some last
reactions out of my men. But first let us
keep out all goods from other countries,
so that self—help may be their only
possible chance ".
True to his word, he sent letters to the
papers about the bad effects of competition
from outside. At the same time, by
making use of his friends in government
circles and of the representatives of his
industry in high places, he got a nine-hour
day put into force. Experts were able to
get facts together which made it quite
clear that men do better work when they
are a little tired, because the muscles
and nerves are then more elastic. Flag-waving
was made the chief instrument of
education, at the suggestion of another
Committee; examples being given from
history to the effect that the flag is the
true mother of trade.
All went well for some weeks. Markets
got smaller and smaller. Prices went
higher and higher, and those at the top
seemed to be getting away with it. Then
there was trouble at the power stations.
The worm was turning, In the end even
2 . Samuel
“ Saul Upjohn ", said Samuel, another
business man, " that’s not the way to do it.
The earth has been getting smaller on
account of the discoveries of science.
Your horse has gone ; but if the door is
open wide enough, other horses may come
in, if only for a drink. Let the cat out of
the bag and she may give birth to other
cats. Has Basic ever had your serious
attention? See here —" and the piece
of note paper was produced from his
pocket. But Saul had gone off.
So Samuel took up Basic English
himself, and sent letters (with all the words on
the other side) to a number of business
houses in other countries. From the very
start new orders came in by every post.
It was even possible to get backing from
outside for inventions which might have
had no other chance but self-help. So in
the end Samuel was all Smiles.
II . THE LANGUAGE OF THE FUTURE
A number of bright ideas have gone to
the making of Basic, but the small size
of its word-1ist is more than a bright idea.
There are six good reasons for having
the language of the future on the smallest
possible scale.
1. There will be more time for all forms
of sport, of which art is the most serious.
A great writer has given it as his opinionl
that art is a waste of time to-day in view
of the danger of another general smash.
Well then, more time for good works.
2. Where there is less of a tax on the
memory, education may have a chance.
In China, it takes 20 years to get a knowledge
of the language. The same great
writer is of the opinion that this is the Cause
of China’s present position. But others say
that China is even now an example to all
other nations in her sense of the need for a.
quiet existence. Well then ?
21
But, even so, it is true that the trouble
taken about language is quite out of
relation to its value. Everyone has to give a
great part of his earlier years to his mother
tongue. Other tongues may be cut out
with profit as far as possible, and Basic
goes to the root of the question. It those
at present in control of education were
right, the porters of our great hotels2
would be the wisest of men. So they are --
at looking after small change.
3. With a small list, all the words are in
front of the learner from the start. When
he has got them he has got all there ever
will be. But on other systems when he has
got all he ever will get, he has only got
some. The Mind has no chance of saying,
" Now for some thought ", or the Body,
“ Now for doing something ", without the
Unconscious taking a step forward to put
up a fight for the past, through words, or
to be given more food -- new words for
Memory. There is a physical limit as
with the stomach, and one or other of the
four has to give way.
22
4. The trouble about education to-day
is that words have come to take the place
of experience. As Representatives of
Substance in the House of Fiction, they
may be a support on the waters of error,
a guide through the mists of news-value.
But give the door of the mind a push and
there is nothing inside.
A little thought may be necessary before
something foolish is said in Basic, and then
it may not be said after all. That will be
no great loss. If on the other hand,
something comes out, the care will have
been a good thing all the same. This has
a special point in Africa, where the tendency
is for the learner to be completely overcome
by word-memory. In Basic, words
have to be put together, and that is only
possible if their sense is kept before the
mind. A ' negro ’ is a person with a
dark skin, and that, of itself, is not a cause
of ill-feeling.
5. The fact that it is possible to get all
the words in Basic English on one side of a
small piece of business note-paper has a
special point when it comes to putting the
system across.
23
The business man who is ready to give
help to new ideas -- and there are such --
will have it all on the back of his letters.
What good will that do, you say, if his
friends in other countries have no knowledge
of English ? The answer is that the
ways in which new ideas get across are
strange. Where there’s a wood there’s a
way, though it may be necessary to go
through the trees ; and happily some of us
see the light on the other side-even of a
piece of note-paper.
6. It the number of words in a language
is small, science will be able to make use
of it.
One of the most interesting inventions
of the future will be an apparatus -- such as
that of which an account is given in
Automaton3 by Dr. Hatfield, probably the
greatest living expert on automatic
machines -- for taking down words directly
from the voice. The sounds will go in at
one end and the words will come out,
printed, at the other.
24
This is the opposite of another machine
on which The Orthological Institute has
been working for some years, where the
idea is to put printed words in at one end
and (by a new process, the discovery of
Professor Fournier d’Albe, who gave us
his apparatus) to get their sounds at the
other. That light may be turned into
sound is surprising enough ; but this will
be more like getting voices from a dead
body. Every letter on the page is broken
into its separate parts ; the light from their
surfaces goes through a number of holes
to a special substance, as with the talking
pictures of to-day, and out come words as.
if from the mouth. It is all very strange ;
but unhappily there is no one free to get
on with the details.
This gets us to the other bright idea
of which Basic is, in an international.
sense, the outcome. If the size of Basic
makes it clear that there will be no waste
of time, the wise will make it clear that
there is no time to be wasted.
There are good reasons for the belief
that the Great War was in fact only a little
one -- a sort of one-act play before the
25
curtain is lifted on a more serious military
outburst. In this new War chemical
inventions will have a chance for the
first time, and the experts are almost
ready in at least four countries. At the
same time the boys are all for a taste of the
dangers of the air, which, as we see
every day in the motion picture houses,
will make it hard even for persons with
private incomes to get away. There is no
need for the theory that Time itself is
suddenly starting to go more quickly.
This may very well be true,
4 for no one
has so far given any account of how it goes
at all, and there are some schools of
thought by which its very existence has
been questioned. But the facts themselves,
with the military getting stronger
every day, are enough to give everyone a
night or two without sleep.
Something has to be done for the
development of international feeling, or
another War will take our breath away
in more senses than one. Where there is
no breath, there is no language -- only a
system of signs or marks on paper; but
26
where there is no international language,
the breath even of nations may be turned
into some new chemical substance by
gases of such power that there will be no
signs of the British Museum, or the
Committee for the Study of International
Relations, having ever been in existence.
What is chiefly necessary at the present
time is some new Idea, by which the mind
of man may be lifted out of its narrow
prison-house, where food, sex, and money,
or the needs of family and nation, are its.
only interests. If the nations get at one
another’s throats again and secretaries.
make more tea in Government offices,
money will go down in value so far that
families may no longer be supported, and
the Earth may go up in smoke. What
makes a nation is a common language.
What will make men international will be
a common language. That is the great
Idea.
Basic is the only chance. English, in
one form or another, is the natural or
political language of over 500,000,000
persons, and any other language would
take 500 years to get to such a point. The
27
only hope for the future is to make it part
of the education of the other 1,500,000
for trade and business purposes, for the
sciences, and for general news. Our first
great step may come through Radio,
when the short wave system puts Africa,
India, and the Far East in touch with the
B.B.C., the R.C.A., and the A.B.C. of
international organization.
If this is so, what is the good of talk ?
Here are 33 small Words which say all
there is to be said now: It is up to the
young to get a move on. The old are full
of care, and have no hope ; let us see to it
that they do not do us in.
----------
1. The Observer, December 30th, 1930.
2. International Word. See Basic English, p. 41.
3. See p. 87. All this part of Automaton
(Kegan Paul, 1928) is in Basic English.
4. See Adelyne More, Psyche, 1925, p. 327.
III . ALL IN ORDER
Have you ever taken a list of words by
chance and made an attempt to get sense
out of them ? The idea is to make use of
every word in the list and of no others.
The effect is generally very strange and the
substance foolish.
Here, something even harder has been
attempted with the Basic list. The rules
were these :
1. Take all the general names which
have the same first letter and say
something with every group in turn.
2. No word in any later group may be
used ; but those which have been
worked in earlier may come in again.
3. The other words of Basic (names of
operations, qualities, and so on) are
all to be worked in somewhere ; but
no names of common things.
The greatest range, then, is at no stage
more than 650 words. At the start, for
the first group, there will be 18 general
names, and 250 others possible; at the
end the 400 general names, and the same
250. For the first 15 letters less than 500
words will make up the complete language.
It is hoped that the arguments will seem
to the reader to have not only some point,
but even a sort of connection.
29
THE ATTRACTION OF ATTENTION
This Account of
Basic English is an
Attempt to get the Attention and Approval
of the Authorities by Art and Argument.
Basic is almost as necessary to inter-
national Animals as Air. Why ? The
Answer is that through it conscious
Adjustment and Agreement are possible ;
and in Addition to the Amount of Amusement
it gives, there is a special Attraction
about any Apparatus which makes a
complex Act so clear.
BASIC AS BUSINESS
At the Back of all present agreements
is the old Belief in Balancing one political
Body against another.
But all bodies are dependent on regular
amounts of Bread, Butter, and Beef ; a
Bite or a Burn will make kind Behaviour
hard. When we see red there will be
Blows and Blood -- and in come the
military, on the first Beat.
If the Base of a Building is not as solid
as Brass, it may be bent by a Breath.
Then there will be a Burst -- and in come
the military again.
We are all Brothers by Birth. Let us
get to Business.
30
IN CONNECTION WITH COMPETITION
Beliefs are like Corks ; they are only to
be got out if we have the right apparatus.
Then why have an argument with the
Cook ? She might as well be Coughing or
Crying, for all there is in it. If she is not
clear, it is cruel.
Cloth may be made to seem like Can-
vas if the Colour is the same. But the
One is Only a Copy of the Other. Let us
go deeper.
Competition among Companies, for the
Control of Copper, Cotton, Chalk, Coal, or
chemicals, may be common ; but between
Countries it is a Crime. There is no
Comparison ; and no Cause.
We may go with the Current in Comfort,
but there is no Credit in that. If we do
not take Care, we may only be able to take
Cover. The military will certainly come
back, if there is no Change, and we will
all be Crushed. But under certain Conditions
we might have a chance of getting
through a Crack or round a Curve.
What is the Connection ? The
international apparatus of the future is
Basic.
It is small and cheap, and it will be
free from Committees and competition.
31
. . . 14 pages . . .
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