Article published In:
Australian Review of Applied LinguisticsVol. 32:3 (2009) ► pp.21.1–21.11
Clearing the air
Applied linguistic perspectives on aviation communication
As a result of investigations showing that communication problems can be a significant contributing factor to major aviation accidents, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has established a set of Language Proficiency Requirements. All pilots and air traffic controllers engaged in international aviation must be certified by their national civil aviation authorities as meeting the requirements by March 2011. This has created a demand for tests designed to assess the speaking and listening skills of aviation personnel, and language testers have become involved as developers and evaluators of the various assessment instruments. The present paper gives an overview of the issues and introduces the themes discussed by the other contributors to this special issue of the journal, covering both the linguistic nature of aviation communication and more practical considerations in test design.
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References
Alderson, J. Charles
(2009) Air safety, language assessment policy, and policy implementation: The case of Aviation English. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 291, 168–187. 
ICAO
(2004) Manual on the Implementation of the Language Proficiency Requirements (Doc 9835). Montréal: International Civil Aviation Organization.
Cited by
Cited by 5 other publications
Alderson, J. Charles
2011. The Politics of Aviation English Testing. Language Assessment Quarterly 8:4 ► pp. 386 ff. 
Mede, Enisa, Nergis Koparan & Derin Atay
2018. Perceptions of Students, Teachers and Graduates About Civil Aviation Cabin Services ESP Program: An Exploratory Study in Turkey. In Key Issues in English for Specific Purposes in Higher Education [English Language Education, 11], ► pp. 157 ff.
Moder, Carol Lynn
2012. Aviation English. In The Handbook of English for Specific Purposes, ► pp. 227 ff.
Moder, Carol Lynn
2012. Aviation English. In The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics,
Oliver, Rhonda, Honglin Chen & Stephen Moore
2016. Review of selected research in applied linguistics published in Australia (2008–2014). Language Teaching 49:4 ► pp. 513 ff.
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