This chapter presents a basic overview of the history, development, and philosophy of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage approach, from its inception in the 1960s to the present day. The chapter presents the current range of semantic primitives (approximately 65) and the more recent inclusion of semantic molecules. The chapter goes on to discuss the specificities of NSM syntax, the structure of explications, and the notions of cultural and pedagogical scripts (the latter for language learning). Thanks to the NSM approach, we can explain cultural values and elucidate norms or communicative behaviours, fixed expressions, language routines, culturally salient words, and productive syntactic structures identifiable within a linguaculture without falling into the trap of ethnocentrism. However, for applications outside of linguistic theory, the NSM approach has recently given rise to an approach known as the minimal languages approach (cf. Goddard, 2017, 2021). A minimal language is a reduced and simplified language, devoid of lexical and grammatical complexities, which provides a way for everyone to avoid using complicated technical terms, and instead communicate clearly and precisely.