Chapter 13: How Globish is Different from English
Globish has a different name
The name lets people know exactly how much English they are using. It also lets native English speakers know that they do not “own” this language. Globish means we use the same simple rules for everyone. And it usually means that the speaker or writer is trying to help with understanding. Globish speakers enjoy the fact that all cultures are talking together.
Globish has 1500 words, expandable in four ways:
- different use of same word,
- combinations of words,
- short additions to words,
- and Phrasal Verbs.
Also allowed are (a) Names and Titles - (capitalized), (b) international words like police and pizza, (c) technical words like noun and grammar in this book. Only common agreement between speakers can decide between them, of course, what other words to allowbeyond these 1500 Globish words. If one person cannot understand an additional word, then its use is not recommended. (See Chapters 16 and 17)
Globish uses mostly Active Voice
Globish speakers should understand Passive and Conditional forms. But it is usually best for Globish users to create messages in Active Voice if possible. Who or what is doing the action must be clear in Globish. English may say:
The streets were cleaned in the morning.
But Globish would say (See Chapter 18):
The workmen cleaned the streets in the morning.
Globish suggests short sentences (15 words or fewer)
This limits phrases and clauses, but allows them if necessary. Instead of:
When we went to Paris we took a nice little hotel not far from the main shopping area so that we would not have too far to carry our purchases.
Globish speakers will say:
We went to Paris, and we found a nice little hotel. It was near the main shopping area. That way, we would not have too far to carry our purchases.
Globish pronunciation has fewer necessary sounds than traditional English
Globish sounds should be learned with each word. Most important: Globish must use syllable stress VEry corRECTly. Because there are similar sounds in most languages, each speaker may have to learn only a few new sounds. (See Chapter 21).
Globish speakers use their body, their hands and their face when they talk
They use headlines, dark print, underline, and pictures with written Globish. In meetings, Globish speakers use objects, pictures, sounds, and give things to the listeners. Good Globish speakers speak clearly, and are happy to repeat what they have said. Globish speakers check that the listeners understand before they say the next thing. They repeat all questions AND answers in meetings. (More in Chapter 18)
Globish speakers are very careful about humor, idioms and examples
Globish speakers can have fun, and be friendly. But they avoid anything that might not be understood. Most people are careful not to use the same humor with their parents and their friends. Sometimes humor is good for one person but offensive to another. This is even more difficult to know about between cultures, so it is best to avoid trying to be “funny”. In the same way, examples from one culture might not be good in another culture and some analogies might not carry exactly the same meaning. And idioms, things that depend on understanding a certain culture, should be avoided. (More in Chapter 19)
Globish is a “Closed System of Natural Language.”
This is what makes Globish useful, dependable, and easier to learn and use. The next chapters will be about “natural language” and Globish’s closed system.
Technical words
- Noun
- a part of speech naming a person, place, or thing.
- Passive Voice
- a sentence with no subject. "The house is sold."
- Active Voice
- usual sentence - subject first. "Mary came home."
- Figurative
- expressing one thing in terms of another: "on thin ice."
- Analogy
- using two things that have a similarity to make a case. Analogy: "The human brain is like a computer."