VOA Special English is a simplified English language used by Voice of America in daily broadcast. The news is read slowly and using a limited wordlist of about 1,500 words. Charles Kay Ogden recommended radio news be given in Basic English with the appropriate Basic special radio vocabulary add-on. VOA Special English, although intended for telling news around the world, has the additional benefit of allowing English to be learned and for pronunciation to be polished.
Web sites
VOA - Voice of America
- VOA "Special English provides clear and simple news and information to listeners whose own language is not English. Using a 1,500 word vocabulary and a slow delivery, about 90 words a minute, Special English has helped tens of millions of listeners learn English since its first broadcast on October 19, 1959."
- OnLine Listening to VOA requires RealAudio software. Some downloads are in MP3 format.
- VOA Special English vs. Basic English
- New Dynamic English. On September 26, 2002, Voice of America began the rebroadcast of New Dynamic English and Functioning in Business, the two English courses created by DynEd International as part of their comprehensive English-language teaching program. Each series will last 26 weeks. The 25-minute programs will be broadcast daily throughout the world.
American | British
| American | British |
|---|---|
| airplane | aeroplane |
| apologize | apologise |
| archeology | archaeology |
| baptize | baptise |
| behavior | behaviour |
| center | centre |
| color | colour |
| cooperate | co-operate |
| criticize | criticise |
| gram | gramme |
| gray | grey |
| honor | honour |
| humor | humour |
| labor | labour |
| meter | metre |
| organize | organise |
| recognize | recognise |
| specialize | specialise |