Minimal English: Taking NSM ‘Out of the Lab’

Sadow, Lauren

doi:10.1007/978-981-32-9979-5_1

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The approach relies on a core vocabulary of primes and molecules and can include a (limited) range of field-specific or contextually necessary words (Figure 1). For example, if applying Minimal English to the field of transportation, it may be useful to use words such as car, train, boat, and plane, which are not part of the core NSM vocabulary (Sadow 2020). Additionally, the approach offers expanded grammatical freedom: for example, use of closed-ended question constructions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Minimal Language Approach

Diget

2022

Scanstudlang

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The “minimal language” approach is an adaptation of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage, designed to address communicative challenges in fields where effective communication is crucial. A minimal language vocabulary consists of the 65 semantic primes of NSM, 200–300 semantic molecules, and a small number of context-specific words (Goddard 2021a). It is a research-based take on simplified language for heightened accessibility and cross- translatability. Minimal language promotes the idea that easily translatable texts are also easy to understand, because cross- translatable words represent the concepts most “basic” to human language (Wierzbicka 2020). The approach has gained traction over the last few years, with application in fields such as language teaching (cf. Sadow 2021), science communication (cf. Wierzbicka 2018) and health (cf. Goddard et al. 2021).

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Minimal Language Approach

Diget

2022

Scanstudlang

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Chapter 6. Emergency messaging and dangerous translations

Diget

2024

Pragmatics &Amp; Beyond New Series

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The early onset of the Covid-19 pandemic brought a wealth of communication challenges. Rapid public access to appropriate and accurate information was at the utmost importance, though greatly challenged by the rapidly changing nature of the emerging crisis. This chapter investigates key issues pertaining to Covid-19 emergency public health messaging and translatability. It is outlined how early Covid-19 discourse included novel vocabulary, previously unknown to the public. It is argued that effective community-wide emergency public health messaging requires careful consideration of these initial word choices, as the inclusion of novel terms can pose barriers for effective cross-translatability. This is because it is uncertain whether equivalents exist or will develop in other languages. Further, time constraints can lead to suboptimal translation practices, including the use of machine translation. In combination, this can lead to poor, and in the worst cases, dangerous translation outcomes. Ultimately, this chapter suggests that in times of crisis, authoring messages with translation in mind can foster better and more effective messaging outcomes.

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Minimal English: Taking NSM ‘Out of the Lab’

Cited by 2 publications

References 10 publications

Minimal Language Approach

Minimal Language Approach

Chapter 6. Emergency messaging and dangerous translations

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