Research on Aviation English from a LHUFT (Language as a Human Factor) Perspective

Abstract

This article is based on a presentation on recent research into Aviation English within a LHUFT perspective conducted in a private university in Brazil. The article describes this perspective to Aviation English and illustrates how it is being used with undergraduate student pilots in the Aeronautical Science Program. Miscommunication episodes in aviation have historically caused accidents, incidents, and near misses and so need to be addressed in a way that encompasses aspects closely associated with language factors, such as technical, procedural, and cultural factors. Linguistic issues are the starting point and can be analyzed in a more thorough manner if considered along with underlying elements that account for a given communicative behavior. The following research topics fit into this proposal: Cross-cultural factors underlying air-ground communications between native and non-native speakers of English; miscommunication issues in the SBPA radiotelephony between the ATCO and foreign pilots and a taxonomy-based classification and analysis of aeronautical accidents considering language as a human factor in aviation. We conclude that a number of challenges can be overcome with improvements in pilot training regarding a wider perspective of aeronautical communication, and that can be done through research. The LHUFT perspective seems to allow for a broader approach to better understand miscommunication episodes and offer tools to be used in training.