There have been a number of proprietary and public domain 'simple' English systems in the last century. Prior to that time, those wanting to communicate with English speakers tended to build informal 'languages including both pidgins and creoles. This was happening at a time when English spelling, for example, was not yet defined. These systems also tended to develop in the locale where the communicators were living and meeting face-to-face. Globish is being developed for a world where communication happens across vast distances, with little relevance to the location of those involved. Globish is also expected primarily to help non-native English speakers in a world of pervasive communication technologies. What is new in Globish is the emphasis on making it easy for communication between non-native speakers/writers/readers of English.

Many proprietary 'simple' English systems have been developed by publishers in-house for graded development of vocabularies for young (and sometimes adult) readers. These proprietary systems are not 'standards' and are not usually designed to help people who are not native English speakers. As proprietary systems, they are not available for use by anyone.

There are, of course, a number of online resources that can be used to determine the 'readability' of English texts but these do not define a subset of English that learners can work with. See: 'English Language Tools'

Ogden's BASIC English

More than 50 years ago, Ogden was working on his version of a Simple English. He proposed 850 words that he thought would be sufficient. The work was interesting and many lessons learned from this work can be built on today. See the Wikipedia article and the Ogden's Simple English website. Check out Ogden's word list. 

Nerriėre has the following to say about Ogden's work:

Ogden called his idea "BASIC". It stands for "British American Scientific Industrial Commercial", which indicates in the first place that he viewed the British and the American languages as close but still different enough to deserve different names.

His first and most brilliant idea was to define a list of 850 words which he claimed would be the minimum to start with. This has been the primary source of the Globish 1 500 words list, and it is a pleasure to give credit to Ogden here.

Nonetheless, there are important differences between his vision and Globish.

First it seems that 850 is too limited to become a sufficient tool. "Voice of America" has decided, for their programs in what they call "Special English", that 1500 would the right number. And it works for them. Their list of words was the second source of inspiration for the Globish list. And it works for Globish.

Then, Ogden saw his BASIC English as a first step to the full command of English which was still the ultimate and legitimate goal for him. I am at variance here. in the current global environment [80 years later than Ogden], I think that native English speakers have a serious problem in global communication, and, worse than that, a problem that, in most cases, they cannot are not conscious of their problem. Many people whose English is limited do not dare communicating with them, which distorts the sample they can observe, and lead them to conclude that English, at their own level, is what is needed.

Globish demonstrates that its definition and its limitations are not only enough, but are what is needed as well as within reach, and not more. Working to achieve a command of English identical to a native speaker's, far from helping, would be counter-productive. This is opposite to Ogden's thinking, but, nonetheless, his work and contributions are immensely appreciated.

Voice of America 'Special English'

Voice of America's (VOA) 'Special English' has 1500 basic words. Broadcasts in Special English started in 1959. VOA describes its use of 'simple English' as follows:

The Roots of Special English

On October 19, 1959, the Voice of America broadcast the first Special English program. It was an experiment. The goal was to communicate by radio in clear and simple English with people whose native language was not English. Special English programs quickly became some of the most popular on VOA. They still are. Special English continues to communicate with people who are not fluent in English. Over the years, its role has expanded. It helps people learn American English while they learn about American life and stay informed about world news and developments in science. It provides listeners with information they cannot find elsewhere.

Three Elements Make Special English Unique

• It has a core vocabulary of 1500 words. Most are simple words that describe objects, actions or emotions. Some words are more difficult. They are used for reporting world events and describing discoveries in medicine and science.
• Special English writers use short, simple sentences that contain only one idea. They use active voice. They do not use idioms.
• Special English broadcasters read at a slower pace, about two-thirds the speed of standard English. This helps people learning English hear each word clearly. It also helps people who are fluent English speakers understand complex subjects (VOA reference).

For those wanting to learn American English, VOA offers learning materials and resources for practice. It also provides an American news service. VOA delivers a range of resources aimed at promoting American interests.

Significantly, VOA describes its Special English as a 'tool', and explains how it is helpful to language learners to work with a subset of English. This is based on vast experience in many parts of the world and provides important support for the Globish approach.

Teaching Tool

Through the years, Special English has become a very popular tool for teaching English, although it was not designed as a teaching program. The short sentences, limited vocabulary and slow pace of speaking make it easy to understand. It succeeds in helping people learn English in a non-traditional way (VOA reference).

Globish differs only in that it is being developed collaboratively as an international, or globally-useful, simple English rather than allied to a particular nation.

Globish differs from VOA Special English in that it does not aim to provide international news so much as promote general communication. This means that of the 1500 words, only a few hundred are different so those learning Globish can make use of many of the resources offered by VOA including spoken VOA Special English, that gives practice with American accents.

TechScribe international English

TechScribe promote the idea of simplified English for international users

To sell to an international market, the best solution is to translate your website. However, translation is expensive. The next best solution is a website that is written in international English.

International English is specially written for people who read English as a second language. International English is clearer than plain English.

The following people benefit from international English:

• People who can read English, but who are not good readers.
• People who use machine translation. With international English, machine translation gives good results.

In particular, TechScribe argues that with what they call International English, automatic translation is more accurate and useful. on the website, Mike Unwalla reviews John Kohl's style guide and thus shows the importance of using clear grammar for people who are not familiar with the flexible consturctions of English that native speakers often employ.

(John R Kohl, 2008. The Global English style guide: writing clear, translatable documentation for a global market. Cary, NC: SAS Institute Inc. 310 pages including appendices and index. ISBN 978-1-59994-657-3.)

Cambridge University Press

Cambridge have been successfully publishing resources for learning/teaching Englsh for many years. Cambridge start with a vocabulary of 1200 words. Their range of published vocabularies are a significant resource in themsleves. See http://www.cambridge.org/au/elt/catalogue/subject/item382403/Vocabulary-in-Use/?site_locale=en_AU (note they supply information in local English, in this case Australian English). Cambridge also publishes books about grammar in use (see http://www.cambridge.org/au/elt/catalogue/subject/item2561950/?site_locale=en_AU).

Other examples of 'simple English'

The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English uses 2000 words to define approximately 200,000 terms.

ASD Simplified Technical English is for technical documentation, It has a vocabulary of approximately 850 words and it restricts the grammar that a writer can use. AST STE has been used since 1986.

Wycliffe Associates (UK) uses EasyEnglish for its Christian literature. A translation of the Bible uses 1200 basic words and a subset of English grammar.

Braj and Yamuna Kachru wrote about English as a world language in 1985. They came from Kashmir and defined communities of English users. See Kachru, B.B. (1985). Standards, codification and sociolinguistic realism: The English language in the outer circle. In R. Quirk and H. Widdowson (eds.), English in the world: Teaching and learning in the language and literatures (pp. 11-36). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

See also:

Basic English: A General Introduction with Rules and Grammar; Richards & Gibson (1945)

Learning Basic English: A Practical Handbook for English-Speaking People, New York: W. W. Norton & Co.

Joachin Grzeg’s Basic Global English (BGE) at http://www.basicglobalenglish.com/.