About Specialized English

Spotlight uses a method of radio broadcasting called 'Specialized English'.

Many radio broadcasts are too fast for students of English, people who use English as a foreign language. There is no time to use a dictionary when you are listening to the radio. And there is no time to think about a difficult sentence.

Compared with 'normal' English radio, Specialized English uses:

• fewer words (our word list has 1500 words -we explain other words when we need them.)
• slower speed (about 90 words per minute, or half the normal speaking speed)
• shorter sentences  (mostly, one idea per sentence).

Specialized English is almost the same as VoA Special English. Both use 1500 words, but their word lists are a little different. However, over 90% of the words are the same.

For more information, please see 'Specialized English' in Wikipedia.

NOTE: VoA is Voice of America, a US government radio service. The producers of Spotlight have no connection with VoA or with the US government.