Researchers exploring the use of language use in radiotelephony communication have tended to focus on the limitations of the non-native English user and the threats which their limited control of English may pose for aviation safety (e.g. Atsushi, 2003, 2004). Hence the recent International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) policy places the onus on non-native users to bring their English to an appropriate standard. The present paper argues that there is a need for a broader perspective on this issue and supports this case with reference to two sources of data: a) episodes of radiotelephony discourse recorded in two air traffic control centres in Korea exemplifying non-routine, abnormal and emergency situations involving NS of English and NNS from different language backgrounds, b) focus group and individual interviews with selected Korean aviation personnel eliciting their interpretations of these episodes and of issues in aviation English more generally. Findings suggest that responsibilities for communication problems in aviation English are distributed across NS and NNS users, and may be partly due to the absence of shared assumptions about efficient and appropriate communication practices in an environment where English is a lingua franca (ELF). Implications are drawn for the communication training of all aviation personnel, regardless of language background.
Atsushi, Tajima (2003). Use of second language and aviation safety: Analysis of fatal miscommunication and attempts for prevention. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, San Diego.
Atsushi, Tajima (2004). Fatal miscommunication: English in aviation safety. World Englishes, 23(3), 451–470.
Basturkmen, Helen; Elder, Catherine. (2004). The practice of LSP. In Davies, A and Elder, C (Eds.), The Handbook of Applied Linguistics (pp.. 672–694). Oxford: Blackwell.
Howard, John W. (2008). “Tower, am I cleared to land?”: Problematic communication in aviation discourse. Human Communication Research, 34(3), 370–391.
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) (1996). Aeronautical Telecommunication Annex 10. Montreal: International Civil Aviation Organization.
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) (2004). Manual on the Implementing of ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements. Montreal: International Civil Aviation Organization.
Jenkins, Jennifer (2000). The Phonology of English as an International Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Jenkins, Jennifer. (2002). A sociolinguistically based, empirically researched pronunciation syllabus for English as an international language. Applied Linguistics, 23(1), 83–103.
Jenkins, Jennifer (2005). Teaching pronunciation for English as a Lingua Franca: A sociopolitical perspective. In Gnutzmann, C. And Intemann, F (Eds.), The Globalisation of English and the English Language Classroom (pp. 145–158). Tübingen: Gunter Narr.
Jenkins, Jennifer (2007). English as a Lingua Franca: Attitude and Identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Mackay, Ronald; Mountford, Alan (1978). English for Specific Purposes: A Case Study Approach. London: Longman.
Morrow, Daniel; Rodvold, Michelle; Lee, Alfred (1994). Nonroutine transactions in controller-pilot communication. Discourse Processes, 171, 235–258.
Seidlhofer, Barbara (2004). Research perspectives on teaching English as a lingua franca. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 241, 209–239.
Shin, Dongil; Kwon, Oryang; Kim, Hyejeong (2005a). English Proficiency Assessment for Aviation Personnel: Guidelines for Test Development and Validation. Unpublished paper commissioned by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, affiliated with the Ministry of Construction and Transportation, Korea.
Shin, Dongil; Kwon, Oryang; Kim, Hyejeong (2005b). Developing English Proficiency Assessment for Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers: Planning and Budget. Unpublished paper commissioned by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, affiliated with the Ministry of Construction and Transportation, Korea.
Sullivan, Patricia. and Girginer Handan. (2002). The use of discourse analysis to enhance ESP teacher knowledge: An example using aviation English. English for Specific Purposes, 21(4), 397–404.
Wang, Aiguo (2007). Teaching aviation English in the Chinese context: Developing ESP theory in a non–English speaking country. English for Specific Purposes, 261(1), 121–128.
Widdowson, Henry G. (1994). The ownership of English. TESOL Quarterly, 28(2), 377–389.
Cited by (34)
Cited by 34 other publications
Drayton, Jenny & Averil Coxhead
2023. The development, evaluation and application of an aviation radiotelephony specialised technical vocabulary list. English for Specific Purposes 69 ► pp. 51 ff.
Kim, Youn-hee
2023. The challenges of radiotelephony communication and effective training approaches: A study of Korean pilots and air traffic controllers. English for Specific Purposes 72 ► pp. 26 ff.
Yin, Yan, Guoxing Yu & Dayong Huang
2023. Implementing the ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements: The Localization of Aviation English Testing. Applied Linguistics
Zervina, Olga
2023. Value expansion and sense making. Behaviormetrika 50:2 ► pp. 585 ff.
Wang, Li
2022. Examining Validity Evidence of an ESP Proficiency Scale: The Case of a Business English Writing Scale. In Assessing the English Language Writing of Chinese Learners of English, ► pp. 175 ff.
Bullock, Neil & Carolyn Westbrook
2021. Testing in ESP: Approaches and Challenges in Aviation and Maritime English. In Challenges in Language Testing Around the World, ► pp. 67 ff.
Hamzah, Haryani
2021. CLARITY AND PRONUNCIATION OF AB-INITIO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER. Aviation 25:4 ► pp. 252 ff.
ISHIHARA, NORIKO & MALILA CARVALHO DE ALMEIDA PRADO
2021. The Negotiation of Meaning in Aviation English as a Lingua Franca: A Corpus‐Informed Discursive Approach. The Modern Language Journal 105:3 ► pp. 639 ff.
Kim, Hyejeong & Cara Penry Williams
2021. Communication in Workplaces: Equal Services and Professional Discourses. In Discovering Intercultural Communication, ► pp. 145 ff.
Rahmati, Massoud & Siros Izadpanah
2021. A study of the proficiency and performance of Iranian Air Traffic Controllers: attitude, work experience and specific aviation English courses. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education 6:1
Ковтун, Олена Віталіївна, Марина Леонідівна Пилипчук, Марина Володимирівна Рудіна & Сергій Іванович Сидоренко
2021. AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL AS A MEANS OF FORMING AVIATION SUBJECT MATTER COMPETENCE OF AVIATION TRANSLATION STUDENTS. Information Technologies and Learning Tools 83:3 ► pp. 176 ff.
Harsch, Claudia
2020. English Varieties and Targets for L2 Assessment. In Ontologies of English, ► pp. 165 ff.
Park, Moonyoung
2020. Investigating Target Tasks, Task Phases, and Indigenous Criteria for Military Aviation English Assessment. Language Assessment Quarterly 17:4 ► pp. 337 ff.
Wang, Li & Jason Fan
2020. Assessing Business English writing: The development and validation of a proficiency scale. Assessing Writing 46 ► pp. 100490 ff.
Wang, Li & Jason Fan
2021. Assessing Business English: The Role of Language Scales. In Working Towards a Proficiency Scale of Business English Writing: A Mixed-Methods Approach, ► pp. 9 ff.
Cookson, Simon
2019. Intercultural Communication on the Flight Deck: A Review of Studies in Aviation. In Advances in Human Aspects of Transportation [Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, 786], ► pp. 78 ff.
Im, Gwan-Hyeok, Dongil Shin & Liying Cheng
2019. Critical review of validation models and practices in language testing: their limitations and future directions for validation research. Language Testing in Asia 9:1
Trippe, Julia & Melissa Baese-Berk
2019. A prosodic profile of American Aviation English. English for Specific Purposes 53 ► pp. 30 ff.
Kim, Hyejeong
2018. What constitutes professional communication in aviation: Is language proficiency enough for testing purposes?. Language Testing 35:3 ► pp. 403 ff.
Kim, Hyejeong & Rosey Billington
2018. Pronunciation and Comprehension in English as a Lingua Franca Communication: Effect of L1 Influence in International Aviation Communication. Applied Linguistics 39:2 ► pp. 135 ff.
Rose, Heath & Mona Syrbe
2018. Assessment Practices in Teaching English as an International Language. In The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching, ► pp. 1 ff.
Zhao, Ke, Xiaohang Guo & Xuesong Gao
2017. Learning English to fly: A study of Chinese cargo airline pilots’ learning engagement. English Today 33:4 ► pp. 5 ff.
Wang, Yan & Liping Wu
2016. 2016 5th International Conference on Computer Science and Network Technology (ICCSNT), ► pp. 362 ff.
Hazrati, Alireza
2015. Intercultural Communication and Discourse Analysis: The Case of Aviation English. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 192 ► pp. 244 ff.
Kim, Hyejeong & Catherine Elder
2015. Interrogating the construct of aviation English: Feedback from test takers in Korea. Language Testing 32:2 ► pp. 129 ff.
Parohinog, Dondon & Chaithat Meesri
2015. ICAO-Based Needs Assessment in Thailand's Aviation Industry: A Basis for Designing a Blended Learning Program. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 208 ► pp. 263 ff.
Knoch, Ute
2014. Using subject specialists to validate an ESP rating scale: The case of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rating scale. English for Specific Purposes 33 ► pp. 77 ff.
Jenkins, Jennifer & Constant Leung
2013. Englishas a Lingua Franca. In The Companion to Language Assessment, ► pp. 1605 ff.
Moder, Carol Lynn
2012. Aviation English. In The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics,
Moder, Carol Lynn
2012. Aviation English. In The Handbook of English for Specific Purposes, ► pp. 227 ff.
Alderson, J. Charles
2011. The Politics of Aviation English Testing. Language Assessment Quarterly 8:4 ► pp. 386 ff.
McNamara, Tim
2011. Managing learning: Authority and language assessment. Language Teaching 44:4 ► pp. 500 ff.
McNamara, Tim
2012. Values in Language Assessment. In The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics,
McNamara, Tim
2014. 30 Years on—Evolution or Revolution?. Language Assessment Quarterly 11:2 ► pp. 226 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 5 august 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.