Variation and Co-operative Communication Strategies in Air Traffic Control English

The aim of this study is to establish the co-operative communication strategies that are used in air traffic control (ATC) conversations. The research deals with the question: what kind of co-operative communication strategies do pilots and controllers employ in a speech situation with a restricted use of vocabulary, which generally does not permit any deviations from standard phraseology? The strategies in ATC speech are then compared to those used by second language learners. Faerch and Kasper's (1983) taxonomy of communication strategies will serve as a basis for this comparison. The author analyses authentic speech samples from various ATC workstations at Zurich Airport and evaluates various aspects of phraseology training of air traffic controllers.

Autorentext

The Author: Eveline Wyss-Bühlmann was born in Zurich, Switzerland. She has studied English Linguistics and Literature, German Linguistics and Applied Psychology at Zurich University and completed her Ph.D. at Zurich University in 2004. Since 1995 she has been teaching English and German at the University of Applied Sciences in Brugg/Windisch and at the Technical School for Building Managers («Bauschule») in Entfelden. The author's main interests are Conversation Analysis, and Second Language Learning and Communication Strategies.

Inhalt

Contents: Procedures in air traffic control (ATC) - Linguistic variation - Strategic and non-strategic variation of standard ATC phraseology - Communication strategies in Second Language Learning - Co-operative communication strategies in ATC conversations - Phraseology training of air traffic controllers.