Not Using Standard Phraseology: Misunderstandings and Delays

Abstract

: In order to ensure safety, international aviation radio communication is conducted in a restricted language, based on English but with significant constraints and specific characteristics. Deviations from standard phraseology are tolerated to a certain extent and are to be expected in non-routine situations where no exact phraseology has been defined. Some relational language is also accepted as helping smooth interactions. But any additional word increases the length of the speech signal and may make it more difficult for the recipient to identify the important words that need to be attended to, so the use of relational language can also have a detrimental effect. Clarity and lack of ambiguity are particularly necessary when the interlocutors do not share the same language background. This paper analyses the communications during an incident at Narita (Japan) where a native English-speaking pilot used unnecessary words that are not part of the expected phraseology to communicate an emergency, making it difficult for the Japanese ATC to extract the crucial words ‘vector back to Narita’ from the pilot’s transmission. Supported by a close linguistic study of the complete interaction in this incident and by interviews with aviation experts, the analysis employs the Community of Practice framework to investigate the series of misunderstandings. It shows how non-standard phraseology and unnecessary verbosity can be detrimental to successful aviation communication, even if the additional words are intended to build rapport and help the interaction.