Simple English Wikipedia
Encyclopedia
The Simple English Wikipedia is an English
edition of the online encyclopedia
Wikipedia
, primarily written in Basic English
and Special English
. Founded in 2003, the site has the stated aim of providing an encyclopedia for "people with different needs, such as students, children, adults with learning difficulties
and people who are trying to learn English". As of September 2011, the site contains over 73,000 content pages, and has more than 196,000 registered users.
counterparts, typically presenting only basic information: Tim Dowling of the Guardian newspaper explained that "the Simple English version tends to stick to commonly accepted facts". The interface is also more simply labeled; for instance, the "Random article" link on the English Wikipedia is replaced with a "Show Any Page" link; users are invited to "change" rather than "edit" pages; clicking on a red link brings up a "not yet started" message rather than the usual "page does not exist". The project uses around 2,000 common English words, and is based on Basic English
, an 850-word auxiliary international language created by Charles Kay Ogden
in the 1920s.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
edition of the online encyclopedia
Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
, primarily written in Basic English
Basic English
Basic English, also known as Simple English, is an English-based controlled language created by linguist and philosopher Charles Kay Ogden as an international auxiliary language, and as an aid for teaching English as a Second Language...
and Special English
Special English
Special English is a controlled version of the English language first used on October 19, 1959, and still presented daily by the United States broadcasting service Voice of America. World news and other programs are read one-third slower than regular VOA English. Reporters avoid idioms and use a...
. Founded in 2003, the site has the stated aim of providing an encyclopedia for "people with different needs, such as students, children, adults with learning difficulties
Learning disability
Learning disability is a classification including several disorders in which a person has difficulty learning in a typical manner, usually caused by an unknown factor or factors...
and people who are trying to learn English". As of September 2011, the site contains over 73,000 content pages, and has more than 196,000 registered users.
Description
Articles on the Simple English Wikipedia are usually shorter than their English WikipediaEnglish Wikipedia
The English Wikipedia is the English-language edition of the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Founded on 15 January 2001 and reaching three million articles by August 2009, it was the first edition of Wikipedia and remains the largest, with almost three times as many articles as the next...
counterparts, typically presenting only basic information: Tim Dowling of the Guardian newspaper explained that "the Simple English version tends to stick to commonly accepted facts". The interface is also more simply labeled; for instance, the "Random article" link on the English Wikipedia is replaced with a "Show Any Page" link; users are invited to "change" rather than "edit" pages; clicking on a red link brings up a "not yet started" message rather than the usual "page does not exist". The project uses around 2,000 common English words, and is based on Basic English
Basic English
Basic English, also known as Simple English, is an English-based controlled language created by linguist and philosopher Charles Kay Ogden as an international auxiliary language, and as an aid for teaching English as a Second Language...
, an 850-word auxiliary international language created by Charles Kay Ogden
Charles Kay Ogden
Charles Kay Ogden was an English linguist, philosopher, and writer. Described as a polymath but also an eccentric and outsider, he took part in many ventures related to literature, politics, the arts and philosophy, having a broad impact particularly as an editor, translator, and activist on...
in the 1920s.
Use as a resource for learning English
Simple English Wikipedia's basic presentation style makes it ideal for beginners learning English. Material from the Simple English Wikipedia forms the basis for One Encyclopedia per Child, an OLPC project.External links
- Simple English Wikipedia main page
- Simple English Wikipedia mobile version (not fully supported)
- Again But Slower - displays Wikipedia and Simple English Wikipedia entries side by side.