The Study of Language for Aviation Purposes

by Assoc. Prof. Anna P. Borowska, PhD

University of Warsaw - Poland

Aviation Communication Research Centre

E-mail : a.borowska@uw.edu.pl


DEFINITION

Avialinguistics is the study of aviation language that intersects two parent disciplines – linguistics and aviation. Interdisciplinary in nature, it requires knowledge in a variety of fields, including applied linguistics and aviation technology.

In merging two autonomous disciplines of completely different scientific interests – linguistics and aviation, avialinguistics opens a new research perspective as well as possibilities of mutual recognition of needs and mutual cooperation and an exchange of research results (2017).

OBJECT

Aviation Language is a special language for aviation purposes that is realised in the different forms of the sublanguages or tools, constituting its subsets based on particular aviation domains. Those subsets may share common lexicon and grammar structures, but are treated as separate sublanguages or tools of Aviation Language with their own characteristic features.

AL = {x1, x2, x3, … , x12}

Where we can list the following subsets: aeronautical language (SP, PAE), aviation engineering language (Simplified Aviation Language, aircraft/airport maintenance), aviation regulation, ATC language (excl. AeL, so ATC management language, ATC technology language), airport service language (ground handling language, rescue service language), terminal passenger service language, cabin crew language, aviation commerce language, aviation medicine language, aviation jargon.

AE ⊄ GE

- dependence concerning aviation communication (AC), aviation specialists (AS) and professional message (PM) they produce:

AC = f (AS, PM)

AREAS

- prescriptive view of aviation language

- aviation language description

- aviation language analysis (language use problems: dialects, registers, discourse communities)

- aviation language awareness (contact problems, cultural interactions)

- aviation language competence

- aviation linguistic behaviour

- aviation communication (narrowed down to linguistic aspects)

- aviation discourse

- aviation language error analysis

- improving aviation communication (with reference to linguistic aspects)

- aviation language teaching (resources, training, practice, interaction, understanding, use, contexts, inequalities, motivations, outcomes)

- aviation language learning (skills, awareness, rules, use, context, fluency, automaticity, attitudes, expertise)

- aviation language trainer training

- aviation language assessment and testing (validity, reliability, usability, responsibility, fairness)

- aviation lexicography

- aviation language translation

PURPOSE

The study of aviation language in all its professional aspects in relation to practical problems such as the prescription and the use of aviation language, the study of aviation communication, aviation texts, aviation language training methods, testing and rating.

TASKS

- Observation of aviation discourse and all its segments, e.g. syntax, phonology, lexis;

- In-depth analysis and description of aeronautical discourse;

- Analysis of users' intercultural linguistic awareness;

- Analysis and description of language and communication errors committed by aviation discourse users (incl. native speakers of English);

- Investigating into successful and non-successful communication strategies in the given context;

- Analysis of applied methods for specialised language teaching against current aviation communication problems, incl. the selection of proper technologies employed in the learning process and teaching materials;

- Analysis of aviation language testing and rating methods taking into account frequent aviation incidents;

- Preparation of language tests;

- Designing aviation language training syllabi.

RESEARCH by Prof. Dr Anna P. BOROWSKA

AVIATION ENGLISH THEORETICAL AND GRAMMATICAL ASPECTS

• AVIALINGUISTICS. THE STUDY OF LANGUAGE FOR  AVIATION PURPOSES - 2017   CLICK HERE
• DECODING NEGATION IN AERONAUTICAL DISCOURSE – 2017   CLICK HERE
• SYSTEMATYZACJA ZASADNICZYCH POJĘĆ I KONCEPCJI W BADANIACH LINGWISTYCZNYCH W ZAKRESIE JĘZYKA LOTNICTWA (Polish language version) 
  Reference: Borowska, Anna P. (2020) "Systematyzacja zasadniczych pojęć i koncepcji w badaniach lingwistycznych w zakresie języka lotnictwa", in: Specialist Communication in Education, Translation and Linguistics, vol. 4, Marcin Grygiel & Marta Rzepecka (eds), Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego: Rzeszów, pp. 9-21. OPEN PDF FILE
• VARIOUS RESEARCH TASKS OF AVIALINGUISTICS AGAINST CURRENT AVIATION NEEDS - 2017 (Polish language version: Dyferencjacja zadań badawczych awialingwistyki na tle bieżących potrzeb lotnictwa)   CLICK HERE
• IMPROVING PILOT - CONTROLLER COMMUNICATION: A NEW TASK FOR APPLIED LINGUISTICS IN THE FIELD OF LANGUAGES FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES - 2012 (Polish language version: Usprawnienie komunikacji pilot–wieża: zadanie dla lingwistyki języków specjalistycznych)   OPEN PDF FILE

NATIVE SPEAKERS OF ENGLISH IN AERONAUTICAL DISCOURSE

• AERONAUTICAL ENGLISH: AN ANALYSIS OF SELECTED COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES USED BY NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS IN INTERACTION WITH OPERATIONAL LEVEL 4 PERSONNEL - 2017    CLICK HERE
• DO EXPERT SPEAKERS NEED TO PRACTICE A LANGUAGE? – 2016   OPEN PDF FILE

INTERCULTURAL ASPECTS OF AERONAUTICAL COMMUNICATION

• CUTURE INDICATORS IN GLOBAL AERONAUTICAL COMMUNICATION - 2020   CLICK HERE
• HOW TO INTERPRET AVIATION LINGUA FRANCA – 2018 
  Reference: Borowska, Anna (2018) “How to Interpret Aviation Lingua Franca” in: Across Borders 7. Cultures in Dialogue. Liisi Laineste & Władysław Chłopicki (eds). Zeszyt 74. Prace naukowo-dydaktyczne PWSZ: Krosno, pp. 57-71.  OPEN PDF FILE
• A MULTILINGUAL SPEAKER IN GLOBAL AVIATION COMMUNICATION – 2018   CLICK HERE
• IS THERE ANY DOMINANT CULTURE IN GLOBAL AERONAUTICAL SETTINGS? - 2017   CLICK HERE   Reference: Borowska Anna, 2017, "Is there any dominant culture in global aeronautical settings?”, (in:) Збірник матеріалів ІІІ-ї Міжнародної науково-практичної конференції, МІНІСТЕРСТВО ОСВІТИ І НАУКИ УКРАЇНИ ДЕРЖАВНИЙ ВИЩИЙ НАВЧАЛЬНИЙ ЗАКЛАД «КИЇВСЬКИЙ НАЦІОНАЛЬНИЙ ЕКОНОМІЧНИЙ УНІВЕРСИТЕТ імені ВАДИМА ГЕТЬМАНА», Kijev, pp. 137–144, ISBN 978-966-956-090-1.
• SHAPING CROSS-CULTURAL AWARENESS IN AVIATION ENGLISH COMMUNICATION - 2013 OPEN PDF FILE Cross-cultural Awareness and Aviation English Training. Paper presented at the ICAEA 15th Forum, Paris, France (18th-19th April, 2013).

AVIATION ENGLISH TRAINING

• TEACHING AVIATION ENGLISH STANDARD PHRASEOLOGY – 2017 - (Polish language version: Nauczanie angielskiej frazeologii lotniczej)   CLICK HERE
• Borowska Anna/ Enright Adrian (eds): CHANGING PERSPECTIVES ON AVIATION ENGLISH TRAINING – 2016   OPEN PDF FILE
• Borowska Anna/ Łączek Marcin/ Szerszeń Paweł: SPECIALISED LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING THROUGH MODERN TECHNOLOGIES   OPEN PDF FILE

AERONAUTICAL ENGLISH TESTING

• COMPARISON OF SELECTED AERONAUTICAL ENGLISH TESTS - 2019     OPEN PDF FILE Reference: Petrashchuk, O. & Borowska, A. (2019) "Comparison of Selected Aeronautical English Tests" [in:] F. Fordonski (ed.) Language and Literary Studies of Warsaw, vol. 9, pp. 217-238.