Nuclear English

The name of a proposal to adapt the English language to produce a core system of STRUCTURE and VOCABULARY for international use. Suggested by the British linguist Randolph Quirk, it was presented as a possible solution to problems of communication arising from the emergence of international VARIETIES of English. Nuclear English would eliminate all features that were ‘dispensable’, in the sense that the language has an alternative means available for their expression (e.g. one of the two INDIRECT object constructions, or the range of TAG questions). A COMMUNICATIVE nucleus would remain, which could be the focus for international purposes.