Charles Kay Ogden

Charles Kay Ogden
Born(1889-06-01)1 June 1889
Fleetwood, Lancashire, England
Died20 March 1957(1957-03-20) (aged 67)
London, England[2]
Alma materMagdalene College, Cambridge (MA)
EraContemporary philosophy
RegionWestern philosophy
SchoolBritish pragmatism[1]
Main interests
Philosophy of language
Notable ideas
Semantic triangle, Basic English

Charles Kay Ogden (/ˈɒɡdən/; 1 June 1889 – 20 March 1957) was an English linguist, philosopher, and writer. Described as a polymath but also an eccentric and outsider,[3][4][5] he took part in many ventures related to literature, politics, the arts, and philosophy, having a broad effect particularly as an editor, translator, and activist on behalf of a reformed version of the English language. He is typically defined as a linguistic psychologist, and is now mostly remembered as the inventor and propagator of Basic English.

  1. ^ James McElvenny, "Ogden and Richards' The Meaning of Meaning and early analytic philosophy", Language Sciences 41:212–221, January 2014.
  2. ^ "Ogden, Charles Kay (1889–1957), psychologist". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35293. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 27 January 2022. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ Frank Kermode in the London Review of Books
  4. ^ "A Voice of Reason: C.K. Ogden and The Cambridge Magazine". Pw20c.mcmaster.ca. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  5. ^ "Ogden 20th Century". Ogden.basic-english.org. Archived from the original on 5 May 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2012.