Area VI · Controlled Natural Languages & Constrained Registers
Simplified Technical English (ASD-STE100)
The aerospace CNL
Restrict prose to an approved dictionary and strict grammar rules built for procedures.
Definition & mechanics
Simplified Technical English (ASD-STE100) began in aerospace maintenance manuals read by non-native speakers under pressure. It pairs a core approved dictionary of roughly a thousand words—each with one meaning and one part of speech—with writing rules: no more than 20 words per procedural sentence, active voice for instructions, one instruction per sentence, and no omitted articles.
“Follow” means to come after, never to obey. STE forbids the second sense entirely—so “follow the safety instructions” is illegal, and you must write “obey the safety instructions.” One word, one meaning, no guessing.
Example
Copy-ready prompt
Apply the concept of Simplified Technical English (rewrite following ASD-STE100 principles—use a restricted, consistent vocabulary with one meaning per word; keep procedural sentences to 20 words or fewer and descriptive sentences to 25 or fewer; use active voice and the imperative for instructions; write one instruction per sentence; keep articles and avoid noun clusters longer than three words) to the provided text and rewrite in place. Apply the edits directly to the file as a clean, production-ready deliverable. Output ONLY the revised document text without embedding revision notes, changelogs, or meta-commentary in the file itself—put any explanations in your chat response only.