{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.english","code":"thing-q1860","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q1860/","name":"English","alternateNames":["history of English","plain English","English language in Algeria","English language in Switzerland","English language in Lebanon","English language in Ukraine","English in the Netherlands","English language in Sweden","English language in Spain","Jewish English varieties","Pijin","English language in Puerto Rico"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Information and virtual systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"INF","domain":["INF.MED"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A West Germanic language originating in England, now a global lingua franca with many national varieties, spoken as a first or additional language by more than a billion people by most estimates.","purpose":"Let an agent handle English by variety, register, usage, learning and plain-language practice, respecting varieties and learners.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Global lingua franca","Many national varieties","Irregular spelling","Large vocabulary from many sources"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"variety","name":"Variety","description":"Which English.","layers":[{"id":"variety","name":"Variety","description":"Regional form.","findings":[{"id":"variety-finding","name":"Variety","description":"Variety.","questions":[{"text":"Which variety of English is expected?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which spelling convention follows from it?","kind":"definition"}]}]},{"id":"register","name":"Register","description":"Formal or informal.","findings":[{"id":"register-finding","name":"Register","description":"Register.","questions":[{"text":"Which register suits the audience?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Is jargon avoided?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"usage","name":"Usage","description":"Correctness.","layers":[{"id":"grammar","name":"Grammar","description":"Rules.","findings":[{"id":"grammar-finding","name":"Grammar","description":"Grammar and usage.","questions":[{"text":"What do reputable usage guides say?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the rule prescriptive or descriptive?","kind":"definition"}]}]},{"id":"plain","name":"Plain English","description":"Clarity.","findings":[{"id":"plain-finding","name":"Plain","description":"Plain English.","questions":[{"text":"How can the text be made clearer?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Is it readable for the intended audience?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"learning","name":"Learning","description":"Learners.","layers":[{"id":"levels","name":"Levels","description":"CEFR.","findings":[{"id":"levels-finding","name":"Levels","description":"Proficiency levels.","questions":[{"text":"What proficiency level is needed?","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which test certifies it?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"resources","name":"Resources","description":"Study.","findings":[{"id":"resources-finding","name":"Resources","description":"Learning resources.","questions":[{"text":"Which resources suit the learner?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Are they accessible?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"translation","name":"Translation","description":"Other languages.","layers":[{"id":"equivalents","name":"Equivalents","description":"Meaning.","findings":[{"id":"equivalents-finding","name":"Equivalents","description":"Translation.","questions":[{"text":"Does the translation keep the meaning and tone?","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Are idioms handled?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"respect","name":"Respect","description":"Varieties and accents.","findings":[{"id":"respect-finding","name":"Respect","description":"Respect for varieties.","questions":[{"text":"Are all varieties and accents treated with respect?","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Is native-speaker bias avoided?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Translate, teach and write in English, naming the variety used.","Explain grammar, usage and differences between national varieties."],"mustNot":["Treat speakers of other varieties or accents as less correct or less capable.","Translate legal, medical or safety texts without flagging that a qualified translator should check them.","Present English as required where people have a right to use another language."],"requiresHuman":["Certifying a translation for official or legal use."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["The spread of English can push out other languages and disadvantage non-native speakers.","Judging people by accent or variety is a common form of discrimination."],"affectedParties":["Non-native speakers","Speakers of other languages","Learners"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody: a language held in common by its speakers.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q1346342","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"West Germanic language","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"Latin script","type":"related","note":"script"},{"target":"dictionaries and style guides","type":"related","note":"references"},{"target":"Scots and Frisian","type":"related","note":"relatives"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.english","Wikidata: Q1860 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1860)","ISO 639-1: en language code","BCP 47: en-GB, en-US and others variety tags"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["speakers: about 1.5 billion people - first and additional language together; the count depends on who is counted as a speaker, so treat it as an estimate, not a census figure"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Varieties such as British, American, Indian, Nigerian English","Spelling differences such as -our and -or","Plain English guidelines","Written in the Latin alphabet; spoken with many accents."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["choose a variety and spelling convention","write in plain English","learn and teach English","translate to and from English"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Treating one variety as the only correct one","Jargon and inaccessible writing","Mistranslation of idioms"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["No single regulator; style guides and dictionaries","Plain language laws in some countries"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Communication in daily life, science, business, diplomacy and culture.","British and Irish English","North American English","Australian and New Zealand English","South Asian and African Englishes","English-based creoles (related)"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q1860: English","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1860","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: English language","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should varieties be separate entries?","How should language tags be linked?","How should plain language guidance be linked?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q1860/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q1860/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-11T08:29:38Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:51:55+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane INF: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}