Citation

Franks WR, Soutendam J, Taylor I, Allen P. Aviat. Space Environ. Med. 1980; 51(4): 339-343.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1980, Aerospace Medical Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

7369968

Abstract

In 1978, 12 million flights arose from nations where English is a foreign language. From these, crash-deaths averaged 200 per million flights. The Aerospace Linguistic Foundation is incorporated to further cooperative evolution of a suitable speech for universal air use as envisaged by I.C.A.O. The language is called UNIGEN, an acronym from Gensise 11:1. It reflects the paragmatic monitoring of collective air communications and universal linguistic developments. The foundation underwrites investigations by existing communication faculties of linguistic problems identified from accidents, etc. (e.g. Tenerife shows English phonemes "th" and "wh" are not internationally suitable). Optimum expressions may derive from the world languages. Phonetics may also be selected to monitor the human factor, e.g. plosives to spot hyperventilation or arousals for sleep. "As a man speaks, so is he." Future air communications must exploit hearing and sight concurrently to assure the million-to-one reliability required for perception transfer.

Language: en