Over the years, many people have called for language reforms of the English language, which vary in approach. Phonetic alphabets limited to English do not belong here. See Category:Phonetic alphabets.
Spelling reforms
Main article: English-language spelling reformSpelling reforms are attempts to regularise English spelling, whether by enforcing a regular set of rules, or by replacing the basic English alphabet with a new one. English spelling reforms include:
Using the basic English alphabet:
- Cut Spelling
- Handbook of Simplified Spelling
- Parallel English
- Regularized Inglish
- SoundSpel
- Spelling Reform step 1 (SR1)
- SaypU (Spell As You Pronounce Universally)
- Simpel-Fonetik method of writing
- Traditional Spelling Revised
Extending or replacing the basic English alphabet:
- Benjamin Franklin's phonetic alphabet
- Deseret alphabet
- Interspel
- Shavian alphabet (revised version: Quikscript)
- Unifon
Subsets
Subsets are reforms that use a restricted wordlist and grammar. English subsets include:
- Attempto Controlled English
- Basic English
- E-Prime
- Globish
- Plain English
- Simplified English
- Special English
- Specialised 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