Plain English? A Study of Plain English Vocabulary and International Audiences

Plain English and Simplified English systems are often advocated for improved communications with international audiences and other non-native speakers of American English. This study investigates two features of Plain English: the use of phrasal verbs in place of more formal verb forms, and the choice of more “common” English vocabulary, usually Germanic in derivation. Tests administered to speakers of French and German indicate that non-native speakers of English may not acquire the idiomatic meanings of phrasal verbs and that French speakers showed a significant preference for latinate vocabulary items.