ICAO-Special Workshop on Language Proficiency,

1
ICAO language proficiency requirements

• Dr Jeremy Mell
• Head of Language Studies
• ENAC, Toulouse, France
• jeremy.mell_at_enac.fr

2
Language proficiency general concepts

• single complex skill OR many sub-skills
• knowledge/competence
• competence/performance
• receptive/productive
• spoken/written
• accuracy/fluency
• general/special purpose (LSP)
• AND for aviation phraseology/plain language

3
Communicative language competence

• linguistic competence
• lexical range, control
• single words, fixed expressions
• grammatical accuracy
• syntax, morphology
• phonological control
• phonemes, syllable structure, prosody
• interaction/fluency

• pragmatic competence
• relevance, rules for interpretation
• appropriateness of tone/register/dialect
• scripts, interaction schemata,
• appropriateness of response
• evaluation of outcomes
• impacts on safety
• impacts on efficiency

4
ICAO language proficiency who is concerned?

• ALL partners in aeronautical communications
  (English and local language)
• foreign language speakers (FL)
• training and testing
• first language speakers (L1) and second language
  speakers (L2)
• accommodation and monitoring
• Smith (1992) - a study of intelligibility using
  speakers of 9 national varieties of English
•  native speakers were not found to be the most
  easily understood, nor were they, as subjects,
  found to be best able to understand the different
  varieties of English 

• Yoshida (2004) - ICAO seminar Tokyo
•  There are no native speakers of English as an
  International language 
• English as an International language (EIL) arises
  from a mutual need for comprehensible input
• refrain from using idioms/jargon
• modulate delivery
• be specific, explicit, direct

5
The rating scale FAQ

• Why a rating scale?
• Not applied in other fields of aviation
  competency, but...
• well-established in the language
  training/testing profession
• What are the benefits?
• lower levels for recruitment/training
• higher levels to predict future language loss
• top level brings native-speakers within the
  purview of LPRs

• Why an ICAO rating scale?
• many general rating scales world-wide, but...
• . associated with particular tests (often
  commercial) or individual state, and...
• ...do not address specific requirements of
  aeronautical communications within a single level
  band
• ICAO scale ensures
• acceptability to stakeholders
• efficiency in training/testing

6
ICAO language proficiency foundations

• PRICE SG operational and academic
• subject-matter experts language experts
• Evaluation of existing language proficiency
  scales
• DLI/Council of Europe/.
• Findings of several job-specific linguistic needs
  analyses (cf. Appendix to Doc 9835)
• FAA
• Eurocontrol (PELA)
• DGAC/ENAC (F)

7
Language proficiency in aviationwhat ICAO tells
us (1)

• Concerns only
• PIL/CTL radiotelephony communications (Annex 1)
• communications between ATC units (Annex 11)
• Excludes other professional tasks
• PIL intra-cockpit, cabin announcements, ground
  staff
• CTL intra-unit, external services, ...

• Holistic descriptors
• Proficient speakers shall
• communicate effectively in voice only and in face
  to face situations.
• communicate on common, concrete, and work-related
  topics with accuracy and clarity.
• use appropriate communicative strategies to
  exchange messages and to recognize and resolve
  misunderstandings (to check, confirm, or clarify
  information.)
• handle successfully and with relative ease the
  linguistic challenges presented by a complication
  or unexpected turn of events that occurs within
  the context of a routine work situation or
  communicative task with which they are otherwise
  familiar.
• use a dialect or accent which is intelligible to
  the aeronautical community.

8
Language proficiency in aviationwhat ICAO tells
us (2)

• Annex 10, 5.1.1.1
•  ICAO standardized phraseology shall be used in
  all situations for which it has been specified.
  Only when standardized phraseology cannot serve
  an intended transmission, plain language shall be
  used. 
• Annex 1
• minimum operational level 4
• Attachment to Appendix to Annex 1 ICAO Rating
  scale
• 6 levels of proficiency
• 6 skill areas (pronunciation, structure,
  vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, interactions)
• The language proficiency requirements are
  applicable to the use of both phraseologies and
  plain language.

• Words and phrases (vocabulary)
•  common, concrete and work-related topics 
• paraphrase successfully
• Grammatical structures
•  relevant grammatical structures and sentence
  patterns are determined by language functions
  appropriate to the task 
• Phonology (pronunciation)
•  accent which is intelligible to the
  aeronautical community 
• Interactions
• voice-only and face-to-face situations 
• general or work-related context 
•  complication or unexpected turn of events 
•  apparent misunderstandings 

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Work related topics aviation

• Domains
• accident investigation, aerial work, aerodrome,
  aeronautical information, air transport
  management, aircraft, approach, ATC automation,
  ATC staff, cartography, collision risk, en-route,
  fuel management, ground movements, in-flight
  incidents, landing, liaison, meteorology,
  navaids,organizations, position reporting,
  private flying, radar, radio communications,
  regulations, search and rescue, take-off and
  departure, telephone monitoring, traffic
  information (source AIRWORD ENAC/Eurocontrol,)

• Sub-domains
• aerodrome
• status
• management
• general terms
• amenities
• facilities
• services
• surface conditions
• runways/taxiways
• security problems
• water aerodrome

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Work related topics non-aviation

• Abbreviations, acronyms
• Animals, birds,
• Behaviour, activities
• Cargo, merchandise, packaging
• Causes, conditions
• Geography, topographical features,
• Health, medecine
• Language, spoken communication
• Modality (obligation, probability, possibility)
• Numbers

• Perception, senses
• Problems, errors, accidents, malfunctions
• Rules, enforcement, infringement, protocol
• Space, movement, position, distance, dimension
• Technology
• Time, duration, schedules
• Transport, travel, vehicles
• Weather, climate, natural disasters

11
Grammatical structures overview

• grammatical structures and sentence patterns are
  determined by language functions appropriate to
  the task 
• communicative function
• speakers intention in producing a given
  utterance (a speech act)
• e.g. request information, thank, deny
  approval,
• intentions are linked to activities being
  undertaken, so we can identify a limited
  predictable range of frequently occurring
  functions
• same functions can be realised in professional OR
  non-professional contexts
• distinguish different functions for comprehension
  and production
• 4 major function groups in aeronautical R/T (Doc
  9835, Appendix B)
• triggering actions (orders, requests/offers to
  act, advice, permission/approval,
  undertakings,...)
• sharing information (states, actions, events in
  the past, present or future, necessity,
  feasibility,)
• managing the relationship (satisfaction,
  complaint, reprimand, concern, reassurance,
  apologies,)
• managing the dialogue (opening/closing,
  self-correction, readback, acknowledgement,
  checking, repetition, confirmation,
  clarification, relaying,)

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Individual functions (example)

• Triggering actions
• orders - controller
• give an order
• give an amended order
• give a negative order
• give alternative orders
• give a sequence of orders
• cancel an order
• orders - pilot
• announce compliance
• announce non-compliance

•  give an order 
• phraseology
• TURN LEFT
• plain language
• NOW, I WANT YOU TO TURN LEFT ABEAM THE SHOPPING
  MALL AT YOUR 1 O CLOCK. DO YOU HAVE IT IN SIGHT?

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Interaction schemata

• Simple (2 moves)
• Maintain flight level 2 7 0
• Maintain 270
• Simple (3 moves) CTL initiative
• Say heading
• 1 7 3
• 1 7 3 roger
• Simple (3 moves) PIL initiative
• Requesting descent
• Descend flight level 1 3 0
• Descend flight level 1 3 0

• Complex move
• I ve got an emergency, short on fuel, and I m
  steering to the beacon on II2.3, and I ve been
  told to tune onto the IFR to get me into an
  airfield. I have less than 15 minutes fuel supply
  sir. Have you copied? Over.

15
Interaction schemata

• Simple (2 moves)
• Maintain flight level 2 7 0
• Maintain 270
• Simple (3 moves) CTL initiative
• Say heading
• 1 7 3
• 1 7 3 roger
• Simple (3 moves) PIL initiative
• Requesting descent
• Descend flight level 1 3 0
• Descend flight level 1 3 0

• Complex move
• I ve got an emergency, short on fuel, and I m
  steering to the beacon on II2.3, and I ve been
  told to tune onto the IFR to get me into an
  airfield. I have less than 15 minutes fuel supply
  sir. Have you copied? Over.

16
Interaction schemata

• Simple (2 moves)
• Maintain flight level 2 7 0
• Maintain 270
• Simple (3 moves) CTL initiative
• Say heading
• 1 7 3
• 1 7 3 roger
• Simple (3 moves) PIL initiative
• Requesting descent
• Descend flight level 1 3 0
• Descend flight level 1 3 0

• Complex move
• I ve got an emergency, short on fuel, and I m
  steering to the beacon on II2.3, and I ve been
  told to tune onto the IFR to get me into an
  airfield. I have less than 15 minutes fuel supply
  sir. Have you copied? Over.
• Complex exchange
• Are you direct BRC?
• Yes sir. Do we need to come right a little?
• I think you proceed initially to Abbeville, if
  you wish Abbeville by the right.
• Understand turn right. We could go to Abbeville
  VOR, BRC
• Negative. Proceed Abbeville, BRC or if you prefer
  BRC direct.
• Direct to the BRC

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Interaction schemata

• Simple (2 moves)
• Maintain flight level 2 7 0
• Maintain 270
• Simple (3 moves) CTL initiative
• Say heading
• 1 7 3
• 1 7 3 roger
• Simple (3 moves) PIL initiative
• Requesting descent
• Descend flight level 1 3 0
• Descend flight level 1 3 0

• Complex move
• I ve got an emergency, short on fuel, and I m
  steering to the beacon on II2.3, and I ve been
  told to tune onto the IFR to get me into an
  airfield. I have less than 15 minutes fuel supply
  sir. Have you copied? Over.
• Complex exchange
• Are you direct BRC?
• Yes sir. Do we need to come right a little?
• I think you proceed initially to Abbeville, if
  you wish Abbeville by the right.
• Understand turn right. We could go to Abbeville
  VOR, BRC
• Negative. Proceed Abbeville, BRC or if you prefer
  BRC direct.
• Direct to the BRC

18
Phonology - the problem

• phonology is a crucial parameter for
  intelligibility,
• sound channel imperfections
• absence of visual channel
• non-native speaker (NNS) reliance on acoustic
  input
• but phonological features are
• least described by linguists
• strongly influenced by mother tongue
• most closely linked with personal identity
• least susceptible to conscious control

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Phonology - some solutions

• All stakeholders follow ICAO recommendations
• standardised phraseology/standardised
  pronunciation of alphabet, numbers
• NNS renounce a pure native speaker (NS) target
  for pronunciation
• linguists define core phonology e.g. Lingua
  Franca Core (Jenkins) combining crucial features
  of regional variants
• vowel length distinctions,
• correct placing of nuclear stress,
• marking of tone boundaries,
• avoid simplification of some consonant clusters
• learners practise paired interactions (different
  first language backgrounds)
• NS cultivate skills of accommodation in speaking
• perception of interlocutors possible linguistic
  difficulties
• replacement of  high-risk  L1 features to
  increase communicative efficiency
• a natural inclination if intelligibility is a
  salient feature of the interaction
• NS NNS develop skills of convergence

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Spontaneous convergence, if...

• Productive convergence
• intelligibility is most salient aspect of
  interaction (eg Information transfer)
• speaker appreciates listener's difficulties in
  using extra-linguistic context
• target LFC item is within speaker's repertoire
  and can be produced effortlessly
• no processing overload to prevent focus on
  pronunciation
• Receptive convergence
• motivated to understand (eg. Information
  transfer)
• prior exposure to speaker's accent
• prior exposure to a range of L2 accents and
  tolerance of difference
• no fear of acquiring speaker's transfer errors
• linguistically and affectively able to signal
  non-comprehension

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Level 4 implementation issues

• A licensing requirement
• level 4 operational (the safety standard)
• levels 4-6 re-test intervals
• supplementary descriptors for ICAO phraseology?
• A training objective
• intermediate levels (3.5)
• aim higher to
• increase safety margins?
• facilitate maintenance
• unstable vs. consolidated levels
• variability of performance (mood, stress,)
• one or more skills are borderline
• A potential benchmark for
• monitoring performance in aeronautical
  commmunications
• analysing occurrences, incidents,...

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Level 4 application to phraseology

• Possible descriptors
• Uses standard ICAO phraseology accurately and
  appropriately, even when switching between
  phraseology and appropriate plain language.
• Pronunciation of phraseology conforms to ICAO
  recommended pronunciations when available, or
  otherwise to a natural model of pronunciation
  which is intelligible to the aeronautical
  community.
• Speech transmitting technique (enunciation, rate
  of speech, pausing, and speaking volume) is
  adequate to fulfil ICAO recommendations for
  intelligibility.

• Definition of accuracy
• Accurate use of phraseology implies that
  terminology, syntax and sentence frames conform
  to prescribed models whenever these are required
  by the situation or intended message
• Accurate utterances contain
• no unjustified  deletions (eg. Climb 350)
• no unjustified additions (eg. You can climb now
  to flight level 350)
• no substitutions by plain language lexis or
  structures (eg. OK for Roger)
• no re-sequencing of elements (eg. Traffic
  information)

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Further reading

• ICAO (2004), Doc 9835 AN/453, Manual on the
  Implementation of ICAO Language Proficiency
  Requirements.
• Jenkins, J (2000), The Phonology of English as an
  International Language, Oxford University Press.
• Mell, J (1992), Etude des communications
  verbales entre pilote et contrôleur en situation
  standard et non-standard, Editions de lENAC.
• Websites
• www.icaea.pata.pl (International Civil Aviation
  English Association)
• http//culture.coe.fr (Common European Framework
  for Modern Languages)