scholarly journals The Pragmatics of Aeronautical English: an investigation through Corpus Linguistics / A Pragmática do inglês aeronáutico: uma investigação pela Linguística de Corpus

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 1381
Author(s):  
Malila Carvalho de Almeida Prado
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Corpus Linguistics ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Radio Communications ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers ◽  
English Fluency ◽  
Pragmatic Aspects ◽  
Oral Skills ◽  
Interaction Corpus ◽  
Aviation English

Abstract: The ICAO Language Proficiency Rating Scale offers parameters for aeronautical English teaching and assessment focused on oral skills. It assists governments worldwide in assessing pilots and air traffic controllers’ English proficiency, licensing them for international operations. This paper addresses two of the six linguistic areas listed in the Rating Scale, namely fluency and interaction, to understand what conversational elements are present in pilot-controller communications with a view to informing pedagogical material. The analysis is based on a corpus of pilot-controller radio communications in abnormal situations, revealing a more spontaneous code as opposed to the documented Standard Phraseology mandated for routine situations. Corpus Linguistics is the methodology chosen for this investigation, concentrated on the top frequent three-word clusters extracted from the corpus. Investigation of these clusters reveals that fluency and interaction are interconnected and should be considered in a broader perspective that takes into account language in use. To illustrate, ‘we’d like’ and ‘if you can’ are commonly employed as requests in this specific register. The paper concludes by suggesting that learners’ awareness of pragmatic aspects of language is pivotal in the aviation English classroom.Keywords: Plain Aviation English; fluency; interaction; Corpus Linguistics; Pragmatics.Resumo: A Escala de Proficiência Linguística da ICAO oferece parâmetros para o ensino e a avaliação do inglês aeronáutico focado nas habilidades orais. Serve para os governos em todo o mundo avaliarem a proficiência em inglês de pilotos e controladores de tráfego aéreo, licenciando-os para operações internacionais. Este estudo aborda duas das seis áreas linguísticas elencadas na Escala, quais sejam, fluência e interação, para compreender quais elementos conversacionais estão presentes nas comunicações entre pilotos e controladores com o objetivo de subsidiar materiais pedagógicos. A análise se baseia em um corpus de comunicações via rádio entre pilotos e controladores em situações anormais, revelando um código mais espontâneo, diferentemente da Fraseologia Padrão oficial mandatória nas situações rotineiras. A Linguística de Corpus é a metodologia utilizada nesta investigação, concentrada nos mais frequentes blocos de linguagem de três palavras evidenciados no corpus de estudo. A investigação desses blocos de linguagem revela que fluência e interação são interconectadas e deveriam ser consideradas a partir da perspectiva da língua em uso. Para ilustrar, ‘we’d like’ e ‘if you can’ são normalmente empregados como solicitações. Conclui-se sugerindo que a conscientização dos aprendizes sobre aspectos pragmáticos da língua é fundamental na sala de aula do inglês aeronáutico.Palavras-chave: Plain Aviation English; fluência; interação; Linguística de Corpus; Pragmática.

scholarly journals Designing the Radiotelephony Plain English Corpus (RTPEC): A specialized spoken English language corpus towards a description of aeronautical communications in non-routine situations

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 113-128
Author(s):  
Malila C.A. Prado ◽  
Patricia Tosquil Lucks
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Regulatory Agencies ◽  
Radio Communications ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers ◽  
Language Corpus ◽  
Shed Light

Pilots and air traffic controllers need to undergo a specific English test in order to be granted a license for international operations. A language proficiency scale was developed to serve as a parameter to all aviation regulatory agencies throughout the world by targeting the language produced specifically by air traffic controllers and pilots in radio communications when non-routine situations (such as technical problems, bird strike, changes in weather, health problems on board, etc.) occur (ICAO 2010). However, there is a lack of empirical investigation which could shed light upon this particular register helping the users of the scale with its understanding. In an attempt to fill this gap, this paper outlines a compilation of the Radiotelephony Plain English Corpus (RPTEC), a spoken corpus of aeronautical communication consisting of transcriptions of exchanges between pilots and air traffic controllers in non-routine situations for research and pedagogical purposes. By presenting steps taken during the process, we intend to provide fellow researchers with data which may suit other purposes and yield further analyses, as well as enlighten similar investigations in the field of English for Specific Purposes.

scholarly journals O efeito retroativo do EPLIS nas percepções de professores

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Paula Ribeiro e Souza
Keyword(s):  
Training Program ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Civil Aviation ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers ◽  
Aviation English

The Aviation English Proficiency Exam for the Brazilian Airspace Control System (EPLIS) was developed in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) language policy regarding the assessment of English language proficiency for air traffic controllers and aeronautical station operators. A high-stakes test by any account, EPLIS was delivered only to in-service air traffic personnel for the first 7 years. In 2014, however, pre-service air traffic controllers started sitting EPLIS in the last semester of their two-year training program. This study aimed at investigating the washback effect of EPLIS on the English teachers’ perceptions in an Air Traffic Control Initial Training Program. Teachers responded to a questionnaire about the influence of EPLIS on different aspects of language teaching and learning. A descriptive statistical analysis was carried out and the results showed that Aviation English teaching experience andknowledge about the exam interact with washback intensity.

scholarly journals AIR SAFETY, LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT POLICY, AND POLICY IMPLEMENTATION: THE CASE OF AVIATION ENGLISH

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 168-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Charles Alderson
Keyword(s):  
Rating Scales ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Language Assessment ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Civil Aviation ◽  
Close Monitoring ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers ◽  
Assessment Policy ◽  
Assessment Procedures ◽  
Aviation English

The language of international aviation communication is English, but numerous aviation incidents and accidents have involved miscommunication between pilots and air traffic controllers, many of whom are not native speakers of the language. In 2004 the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) published a set of Language Proficiency Requirements and a Proficiency Rating Scale, and by 5 March 2008, air traffic controllers and pilots were required by the ICAO to have a certificate attesting to their proficiency in the language used for international aeronautical communication. Although some organizations made efforts to produce tests by the deadline, in the event an implementation period was allowed, with a new deadline of March 2011. This article describes a number of surveys of tests of aviation English, the implementation of the ICAO requirements, and the rating scales. It concludes that many of the assessment procedures appear not to meet international professional standards for language tests, the implementation of the language assessment policy is inadequate, and much more careful and close monitoring is needed of the quality of the tests and assessment procedures required by the policy.

scholarly journals REPRODUCTION OF MEANS OF EXPRESSION IN UKRAINIAN TRANSLATION OF POLITICAL TEXTS OF DIFFERENT GENRES

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (87) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Glinka ◽  
◽  
Tetiana Zykova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Semantic Category ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
The Political ◽  
Communicative Behavior ◽  
Original Language ◽  
High Level ◽  
Pragmatic Aspects

The article is devoted to current problems of linguistic science - the study of mechanisms for implementing the manipulative function of a political text, which involves the study of features and potential of the means of expression and its effective impact on the mass consciousness. The study of political text as a complex and multi-vector phenomenon makes it possible to identify effective means of communicative influence on recipients, which is an important factor in the development of communication technologies and increase the manipulative function of political speeches. Today, the political text is the object of close attention and study of many scholars in various fields of knowledge, such as political science, economics, psychology, linguistics, as political communicative behavior is characterized by a set of language and speech means, including language units of expression. The expressiveness of a political text is an important semantic category that every experienced politician takes into account. Therefore, today there is a growing interest in the study of the communicative aspect of language, in the problems of interpretation of expressive, word-forming and syntactic means in the translated text. In the field of translation studies, the direction of modern linguistics is presented as a study of mechanisms for reproducing the potential of the means of expression in the original language by appropriate means in translation, which requires a comprehensive study of political texts in combination of semantic, expressive and pragmatic levels. There is a need to clarify both general theoretical knowledges and to study practical views on the reproduction of the communicative and pragmatic aspects of the political text functioning in the language of translation. Perfect and complete political texts translation in various genres, taking into account linguistic and cultural peculiarities, requires from the translator not only a high level of language proficiency, but also deep background knowledge, including information about the country of the native speaker. It is noted that the transfer of means of expression in the Ukrainian language is carried out with the involvement of various stylistic, lexical and grammatical transformations.

What constitutes professional communication in aviation: Is language proficiency enough for testing purposes?

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyejeong Kim
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Limited English Proficiency ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Professional Knowledge ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Professional Communication ◽  
Civil Aviation ◽  
Air Traffic Controller ◽  
Interactional Competence

This paper aims to identify what aviation experts consider to be the key features of effective communication by examining in detail their commentary on a 17-minute segment of recorded radiotelephony discourse between a Russian pilot and a Korean air traffic controller. The segment was played to three practising pilots and three air traffic controllers. Their commentary on the qualities of communication displayed in the interaction was recorded and coded thematically, using a grounded ethnography approach. The analysis revealed that although the Russian pilot was viewed as having limited English proficiency, the strategies he used to make himself understood were evaluated positively as fulfilling the requirements of the professional role. By contrast, the Korean air traffic controller, although not evaluated as having limited proficiency, was criticized for his lack of professional knowledge. The discourse analysis and the feedback given by these expert informants highlight not only the nature of the miscommunication arising in unexpected situations, but also the multiple factors that may contribute to it. While language proficiency is clearly an issue, there are many other sources of miscommunication that emerge during the exchange. These findings are used to critique the narrow, language-focused oral proficiency construct as articulated in the holistic descriptors and the rating scale stipulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, 2010) as the basis for tests of aviation English worldwide. Instead the paper proposes an expanded construct of oral communication incorporating elements of professional knowledge and behaviour with a focus on interactional competence specific to this context.

TECHNICAL ENGLISH IN AEROSPACE

2021 ◽  
pp. 31-35
Author(s):  
Anton MATVEEV
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
Civil Aviation ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
International Civil Aviation Organization ◽  
Teaching Approaches ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Communication Problems ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers ◽  
Training Materials

Since 2004, the International Civil Aviation Organization has imposed pilots and air traffic controllers elsewhere in the world to comply with the established language proficiency standards as a safety measure against language and communication problems during flights. Currently, one of the problems that aviation English practitioners face is the lack of training materials on aviation specifications to learn various language aspects. This article discusses peculiarities of technical English used in aerospace. Thus, technical English not only facilitates communication between native and non-native English speakers but reduces the risk of errors and overall risks as well. In this regard, appropriate teaching approaches should be chosen, various tools and forms of teaching English aviation language should be used to form the language competence of future specialists.

Zagreb and Tenerife

2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 22.1-22.14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Cookson
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Civil Aviation ◽  
Air Traffic Controllers ◽  
Swiss Cheese Model ◽  
Accident Causation ◽  
Airline Accidents ◽  
Cheese Model

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is currently implementing a program to improve the language proficiency of pilots and air traffic controllers worldwide. In justifying the program, ICAO has cited a number of airline accidents that were at least partly caused by language factors. Two accidents cited by ICAO are analysed in this paper: the mid-air collision above Zagreb in 1976, and the runway collision at Tenerife in 1977. The paper examines the linguistic factors involved in each accident, such as code switching and L1 interference, and uses the ‘Swiss cheese’ model of accident causation developed by Reason (1990) and adapted by Wiegmann and Shappell (2003) to put these factors into a broader aviation context. It is shown that, while linguistic factors were in each case significant, both accidents occurred as the result of multiple causal factors, many of which were non-linguistic. Furthermore, stress and fatigue played a decisive role in exacerbating the linguistic factors in each accident. Finally, the paper suggests lessons that may be drawn from the analysis for the training of pilots and air traffic controllers, both nativespeaker and non native-speaker.

scholarly journals Plain Aviation English – Qualitative and Quantitative Interpretation

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Anatoliy Vitryak ◽  
Boris Slipak ◽  
Kirpitnyov Serhii
Keyword(s):  
Natural Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Quantitative Interpretation ◽  
Topical Problem ◽  
Air Traffic Controller ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Language Competency ◽  
Aviation English

The article deals with the still topical problem of plain aviation English. This problem has been highlighted by ICAO in its ‘Manual on the Implementation of ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements’ (Doc 9835). According to this ‘Manual’, each pilot and air traffic controller are required to have a good ranked command of not only standardized radiotelephony phraseologies which remains dominant but also of plain English intended to be used in the cases which are not covered by the phraseologies. As far as the authors are aware, the concept of plain aviation English has remained mainly declarative so far. The article under consideration is aimed to make up qualitatively quantitatively for this lack. To master plain aviation English, along with the phraseologies, means in fact to acquire natural language competency.

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