Replacing phraseology and plain language with technical vocabulary to inform language training in aviation

Abstract

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) divides radiotelephony communication and the instructors who teach it, into two elements: standard phraseology taught by content instructors and plain language taught by language instructors. This divide means that it is unclear what language instructors should teach as plain language that would be beneficial in the workplace. This paper uses the Tower Aviation Radiotelephony Technical Vocabulary List (TARTVL) developed by Drayton and Coxhead (2022) to examine radiotelephony transmissions. The analysis shows that standard phraseology and plain language are situational constructs. The TARTVL provides a technical vocabulary lens for lexical analysis of radiotelephony transmissions. A matrix of language used in radiotelephony communication is presented and identifies standard, non-standard and relational language. The matrix and TARTVL are useful for language training to reduce variation in language use, especially in multilingual workplaces. Such training draws on the skills and knowledge of content and language instructors to provide training that helps reduce miscommunication in the workplace and ultimately, contributes to safety in aviation.