The development, evaluation and application of an aviation radiotelephony specialised technical vocabulary list

Abstract

International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standard phraseology is an integral element of aviation radiotelephony (two-way radio) communication between air traffic controllers and other aviation personnel. A key issue with standard phraseology in this context is uncertainty as to its role. This is important in the aviation setting as miscommunication can lead to accidents. This paper presents a corpus-based Tower Aviation Radiotelephony Technical Vocabulary List (TARTVL) that is derived from ICAO standard phraseology. The list includes: technical words e.g. taxiway, proper noun classifications e.g. aircraft type, number classifications e.g. headings, acronyms e.g. FOD (Foreign Object Debris) and multiword units e.g. lineup and wait. Evaluation of the list shows that it is a promising training tool. The article discusses how the TARTVL can be used by English for specific purposes (ESP) and content instructors to provide aviation radiotelephony language training for ab initio, first language and non-native English speaking aviation personnel. Such training could help reduce miscommunication in multilingual workplaces, thus enhancing safety in aviation.