List of language reforms of English

For centuries, many people have called for language reforms of English, which vary in approach from the radical (completely overhauling existing conventions) to the conservative (preserving most while removing irregularities).

Phonetic alphabets limited to English do not belong here. See Category:Phonetic alphabets.

Spelling reforms

Main article: English-language spelling reform

Spelling reforms are attempts to regularize English spelling either by reducing the number of irregularities or by making it completely phonemic. This may be done using the existing basic English alphabet (basic), by extending it (extended) or by replacing it entirely (replaced). Such historical proposals include:

Proposals for English language spelling reforms

Name of work	Date completed	Creator(s)	Alphabet
A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language	1806	Noah Webster	Basic
A New English Grammar	1662	James Howell	Basic
A Plea for Phonetic Spelling	1848	Alexander John Ellis	Extended
Benjamin Franklin's phonetic alphabet	1768	Benjamin Franklin	Extended
Booke at Large for the Amendment of English Orthographie	1580	William Bullokar	Extended
Cut Spelling	1992	Christopher Upward	Basic
Deseret alphabet	1847–1854	Board of regents of the University of Deseret	Replaced
The English Grammar	1633	Charles Butler	Extended
Handbook of Simplified Spelling	1920	Simplified Spelling Board	Basic
Interspel	1986	Valerie Yule	Extended
Logonomia Anglica	1619	Alexander Gill	Extended
Ormulum	c. 1150–1180	Orrm	Extended
Regularized Inglish	1959	Axel Wijk	Basic
Robert Bridges' Literary Alphabet	1913	Robert Bridges, David Abercrombie and Stanley Morison	Extended
SaypU (Spell As You Pronounce Universally)	2012	Jaber George Jabbour	Extended
Shavian alphabet (revised version: Quikscript)	1960	Ronald Kingsley Read	Replaced
Simpel-Fonetik method of writing	2012	Allan Kiisk	Extended
SoundSpel (previously Classic New Spelling, New Spelling, World English Spelling)	1910–1986	Various	Basic
SR1 (Spelling Reform step 1)	1969	Harry Lindgren	Basic
The Global Alphabet	1944	Robert L. Owen	Replaced
The Opening of the Unreasonable Writing of Our Inglish Toung	1551	John Hart	Extended
Traditional Spelling Revised (TSR)	2021	Stephen Linstead	Basic
Unifon	1950s	John Malone	Extended

Subsets

Subsets are reforms that use a restricted wordlist and grammar. English subsets include:

• Attempto Controlled English
• Aviation English
• Basic English
• ClearTalk
• Common Logic Controlled English^[1]
• E-Prime
• Gellish Formal English
• Globish
• Learning English
• Logical English^[2]
• ModeLang^[3]
• Newspeak (fictional)
• Plain English
• Processable English (PENG)^[4]
• Seaspeak
• SBVR Structured English
• Simplified Technical English
• Specialized English

Vocabulary reforms

Vocabulary reforms seek to reform English by changing or restricting its words without changing its grammar.

• Anglish: the use of native (Germanic) words only, and spellings of such without foreign influence—a form of linguistic purism