OGDEN's BASIC ENGLISH
Thoughts for a Spanish Supplement

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1 . The following words of Spanish origin have been adopted into a standard English dictionary and may be used freely by native Spanish speakers as part of Basic English and by English speakers directed to an English or Spanish speaking audience. Most of these words were introduced in the American southwest and spread through the medium of cowboy oriented moving pictures. There is a questionable assumption that the word is recognized in its English form by Spanish speakers as to pronunciation and range of meanings.

SPANISH - ENGLISH adios - goodbye adobe - sun-dried brick alcove - space off a room alpaca - Peruvian llama, its wool anchovy - small fish amigo - friend aparejo - packsaddle (to 2nd list) armada - fleet armadillo - armored animal arroyo - dry streambed assagai - javelin (to 2nd list) -- end scan, start draft -- cabana - cabin canyon - narrow valley cargo - load carried by ship chaps - chaparajos (?) chocolate - chocolate corral - pen for livestock, capture diablo - devil fiesta - festival galleon - large sailing ship guerrila - irregular warfare gringo - unfriendly term for English speaking foreigner hacienda - ranch, country house, manor

lariat - rope, lasso lasso - rope with running noose, to catch launch - open boat of type carried by ships llama - South American camel llano - treeless plain (to 2nd list) lobo - wolf loco - crazy manana - tomorrow, sometime matador - bullfighter mosquito - biting insect mulatto - mixed blood padre - father, priest, chaplain peon - day laborer puma - cougar ranch - farm for animals rodeo - western contest salsa - hot sauce senor - Mr., mister, sir senora - Mrs., woman senorita - Miss, young lady sierra - mountain range siesta - nap sombrero - broad-brim hat vaquero - cowboy vamoose - go away quickly

2 . We often get the impression that cowboy movie Spanish words are the only words shared with Spanish. These are taken whole from Spanish, but, in fact, Spanish is a romance language with a mostly Latin origin. Half of English is derived from a romance language -- Norman French, dating from 1066 -- so half of English shares the same origins as most of Spanish. We would expect a large number of words of to be shared in a recognizable way. And we do find this. Review of a Spanish-English wordlist finds these easily recognizable words.     A B C D

SPANISH - ENGLISH abandono - abandon abominable - abominable abril - April absoluto - absolute absorber - to absorb abstinencia - abstinence absurdo - absurd abundancia - abundance abuso - abuse academia - academy accidente - accident accion - action acusado - accused acento - accent aceptacion - acceptation acido - acid aclamcion - acclamation actividad - activate activo - active acto - act actor - actor adaptar - to adapt administracion - administration       administrador - administrator administrar - to administer admirable - admirable admiracion - admiration admitir - admit adolescancia - adolescence adaptar - adapter adicion - action adorable - adorable adorno - ornament adulto - adult adventura - adventure adverso - adverse afable - affable aficionado - aficionado africano - African afirmacion - affirmation agencia - agency agenda - agdenda angente - agent agil - agile agitacion - agitation agonia - agony agricultura - agriculture aire - air alabastro - alabaster alarma - alarm alarmar - to alarm alcohol - alcohol alerto - alert altar - altar alternator - alternator altitud - altitude	SPANISH - ENGLISH ambicion - ambition ambiente - ambient ambulancia - ambulance americano - American analisis - analysis ancestral - ancestral angel - angel angelical - angelical angulo - angle animacion - animation aniversario - anniversary animal - animal anual,anuales - annual area - area arena - areana, sand artificial - artificial artilleria - artillery ascenso - ascent anterior - anterior anual - annual aparato - apparatus aparte - apart apartmento - apartment apetito - appetite aplicacion - application aplauso - applause approximacion - approximation aqua - aqua, water argumento - argument arma - arm (weapon) aramada - armada arco - arck arena - arena arte - art articulo - articulo artifical - artificial artista - artist artilleria - artillery artista - artistic asamblea - assembly Asia - Asia asistencia - assistance asociacion - association astutos - astute atomico - atomic atomo - atom atmosfera - atmosphere atencion - attention atraccion - attraction atractiva - attractive audiencia - audience auto - auto autor - author automovil - automobile avenida - avenue aviacion - aviation avocacion - avocation azur - azure, blue
B babe - babe, baby banda - band banco - bank banda - band bandido - bandit banquet - banquet bar - bar barril - barrel baritono - baritone barracuda - barracuda base - basis basico - basic batalla - battle batallon - battalion beneficio - benefit Biblia - Bible bilingues - bilingual	billon - billion biografo - biographer biologia - biology borde - border boton - button bravura - bravery brigadier - brigadier brillante - brilliant brutal - brutal bruto - brute burro - burro burritos - burritos busto - bust
C cable - cable cadete - cadet cafe - cafe, coffee cafeteria - cafeteria calcular - to calculate calma - calm calories - calorias camarada - comrade campo - camp canon - cannon canal - canal candelabro - candelabra candidato - candidate capacidad - capacity capania - company capital - capital capitan - captain caracter - character caracteristica - characteristic caracterizar - characterize caravana - caravan carbon - carbon, coal caricatura - caricature carga - cargo carnaval - carnival carpet - carpeta carrera - career casino - casino casada - cascade caso - case catedral - cathedral categoria - category causa - cause caviar - caviar celebrar - to celebrate celebracion - celebration celeste - celestial centro - center centurion - centurion ceramica - ceramics cereal - cereal champana - champagne cero - zero cheque - check chile - chili pepper China - China chocolate - chocolate cigarro - cigar, cigarette cinema - cinema ciruito - circuit circulacion - circulation circunstancia - circumstance civilizacion - civilization civilizar - to civilize clandestino - clandestine clase - class claxon - claxon, horn cliente - client clinetela - clientele clinic - clinica club - club clubes - clubs columna - column clutch - clutch costa - coast coca - coca cocaina - cocaine coincidencia - coincidence coincidir - to coincide coleccion - collection colegio - college colonia - colony color - color colosal - colossal collar - collar coma - comma combate - combat combinacion - combination combustion - combustion comedia - comedy comerciales - commercials comercio - commerce conexion - connexion comision - commission companero - companion compania - company comparar - to compare comparacion - comparison comparativeamente - comparitively compasion - compassion compatriota - compatriot compensar - to compensate competencia - competition competir - to complete compilar - to compile completo - complete	completar - to complete compromiso - compromise comunicacion - communication conceder - to concede concentrar - to concentrate concepcion - conception concepto - concept concluir - to conclude conclusion - conclusion condicion - condition condominio - condominium condor - condor conducir - to conduct conducta - conduct conectar - to connect conferencia - conference confesar - to confess confeti - confetti confirma - to confirm conflicto - conflict conforme - conform comfortablemente - comfortably confuso - confused congestion - congestion congreso - congress conquistador - conqueror conserva - conserve consideracion - consideration considerar - to consider consistir - to consist consolar - to console consolidacion - consolidation constante - constant constantemente - constantly constitucion - constitution constituir - to constitute contrato - contract construccion - construction construir - to construct consul - consul consulado - consulate consultar - to consult consumir - to consume contracto - contact contemplar - to contemplate contemporaneo - contemporary contento - content continente - continent contingencia - contingency continuar - to continue contra - against contradiccion - contradiction contrario - contrary contrastar - to contrast contribuir - to contribute conveniencia - convenience conveniente - convenient convento - convent conversacion - conversation conversar - to converse conversion - conversion convertir - to convert cooperar - to cooperate coordinacion - coordination copiar - to copy Corporacion - Corporation corte - court corral - corral corredor - corridor correspondencia - correspondence corresponder - to correspond corriente - current cosmopolita - cosmopolitan costa - coast coste - cost creacion - creation creador - creator credito - credit crema - creme crimen - crime criminal - criminal crisis - crisis cristal - crystal cristiano - Christian cristo - Christ criterio - criterion critico - critic crudo - crude cruel - cruel cuestion - question culpable - culpable cultivar - cultivate cultural - cultural cura - cure curva - curve custodia - custody
D danze - dance dean - dean decadencia - decadence decapitar - decapitate decente - decent decepcion - deception decidir - to decide decision - decision declaracion - declaration decosopm - decision declamacion - declamation declarar - to declare declinar - to decline decoracion - decoration decorar - to decorate decoroso - decorous decrepito - decrepit dedicar - to dedicate deducir - to deduce defecto - defect defender - to defend defensa - defense defensor - defender deficiencia - deficiency deficientca - deficient defindamente - definitely definitivo - definitive deforme - deformed deleite - delight delicadeza - delicate delicioso - delicious demanda - demand democracia - democracy democratico - democratic demonio - demon demostrar - to demonstrate dentista - dentist departamento - department depender - to depend dependiente - dependent depositar - to deposit deposito - deposit derivar - to derive descender - to descend describir - to describe descripcion - description desesperacion - desperation desesperado - desperate designio - design desilusion - disillusion desistir - to desist desolacion - desolation destino - destiny destrozar - to destroy destruccion - destruction determinacion - determination	determinar - to determine detestar - to detest devastar - to devastate devocion - devotion diabetes - debetes dictador - dictator dieta - diet diferemcia - difference diferente - different dificultar - to make difficult digestion - digestion dilatacion - dilation diligencia - diligence diligente - diligent dimensional - dimensional diminuto - diminutive dinosauro - dinosaur diplomacia - diplomacy diplomatico - diplomatic director - director dicernir - to discern disciplina - discipline direccion -direction descrecion - discretion discusion - discussion disolver - to dissolve disposicion - disposition disputa - dispute distancia - distance distante - distant distender - to distend distinguido - distinguished distinguir - to distinguish distribucion - distribution distrito - district diversion - diversion diverso - diverse dividir - to divide divino - divine division - division divorcio - divorce doble - double docil - docile doctor - doctor doctrina - doctrine documento - document dolar - dollar domestico - domestic domicilio - domicile dominacion - domination dominador - to dominate domo - dome donacion - donation dramatico - dramatic [Stopped -- you get the idea.]

And without much stretch, these words may be considered.

aborigen - aboriginal acompanamiento - accompaniment     agricultor - farmer alterar - to change amable - amiable ambicion - ambition ambiguo - ambiguous	amor - love ante - before aeroplano - airplane aficion - affection aficionado - a fan ascender - ascend (in status) auter - author aventura - adventure
balcon - balcony balsamo - balsam banco - bank banda - band	bendicion - benediction Biblia - Bible bonete - bonnet
censura - censorship centro - center cerca - circa cesar - to cease comentar - to comment comenzar - to commence comerciante - merchant comercio - commerce complejo - complex complicar - to complicate completamente - completely comunicar - to communicate	comunidad - community conciencia - conscience confiar - to confide conquistar - to conquer consentir - to consent consulta - consultation cumplimiento - compliment champana - champagne chimenea - chimney chofer - chauffeur, driver
desastroso - disastrous descifrar - decipher desconteto - discontent descortesia - discourtesy deshonra - dishonor desmoralizacion - demoralization desorden - disorder desorganizado - disorganized	despachar - to dispatch detalle - detail detener - to detain devorar - to devour diablo - devil diagnosticar - to diagnose dificultad - difficulty dinamico - dynamic direcccion - direction directamente - directly disgusto - disgust distraer - to distract distrito - district disturbio - distrubance distintivo - distinctive

Methodology. These lists have not been refereed and are certainly not authoritative or do they include all words of commonality between English and Spanish. The first list is derived by reading a standard dictionary of the English language (80,000 word) looking for words of Spanish origin.
The second list was started from a State Department orientation manual, which disappeared from the college library before it was transcribed. It has been filtered by wordlists from several texts of basic Spanish language for English speakers.
Omissions are totally my error and additions and corrections are sought to improve the lists.

3 . A similar technique should find another list of words of English origin that have been integrated into standard Spanish or otherwise known to all Spanish speakers. These are likely to include many words of technology and commerce. Because I am not a Spanish speaker such a list must be compiled by others. A submitted list will be displayed here with accreditation to the compiler(s).

4 . The final Basic English Supplementary List for Spanish will be merged, refereed and condensed from the three sources. Preference will be given to words of greatest commercial or conversational usage. Remember that BASIC English means British American Scientific, International and Commercial English.
To do : subtract out those words already in Basic English 850 and International words, and flag those also in other supplemental lists.

5 . The following expressions are probably understood by English speakers although with a Latin flavor, i.e. ethic connotation. The are not standard English words.

amigo		- friend
barrio		- district
bueno dias/noche    - good morning/night
bueno, muy bien	- good, very good.
caballero	- horseman	
caramba!	      - "Good Heavens!"
comandante	- commander
espanol		- Spanish
gracias 		- thank you
hasta la vista	- goodbye
madre		- mother
mucho		- much, many
muchacho/a 	- Muchacho (boy) and muchacha (girl) will be
                  recognized as referring to young people, but many
                  will not be able to distinguish as boy or girl.
no, nadda		- no
por favor		- please
puerto		- port
si    			- yes
una momento	- one moment

6 . Many English expressions and idioms are known to most Spanish speakers, but will not be found in a "correct Spanish" dictionary. This list is also solicited for display with accreditation.

See a learning-Spanish text using some of Ogden's methology.

OTHER LANGUAGES.

Submissions and links are desired.
Perhaps someone with access to word lists could match two languages.


Spanish is addressed here first because of NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, which will benefit from an international commercial language. NAFTA has also caused a migration of Spanish speaking people into the US and Canada exemplifying the need for and value of Basic English as both an international language of commerce and an introduction to standard English.

Afghanistan is another example of an urgent need for an international language for commerce.

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About this Page: Spanish.html -- Worksheets for the creation of a Spanish Supplement for Basic English.
Last updated July 10, 2006.
Created on February 26, 2002.
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