official language

Kinney Brothers Publishing Fun Facts About English 25

Official Language of Civil Aviation

The ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), a specialized agency of the United Nations, has acknowledged that communications play a critical role. Miscommunication has been an important factor in many aviation accidents. Examples include the Tenerife accident in 1977 (583 dead) or the 1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision (349 dead).

In the mid-twentieth century when air travel was becoming more common, English-speaking countries dominated the design and manufacturing of aircraft as well as much of their operations. The 1944 Chicago Convention, representing 54 national governments, and aiming to resolve some of the problems of air travel at the time, established English as the language of aviation. The aim was to help avoid misunderstanding and confusion over the radio and between international crews. Today, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is funded and directed by 193 national governments to support diplomacy and cooperation in air transport.

The most important thing is for all players in air traffic communications to be able to communicate clearly. It’s arguably unimportant whether that happens in English, French or Japanese – the language itself is less important than its clarity. There’s an argument that English is a more egalitarian language, one that has dispensed with many formal honorifics or need for deference when addressing seniors, an advantage in a crisis moment. There’s also some evidence that people follow more logical and less emotional decision-making processes when speaking a second language. This is beneficial when dealing with the high-pressure world of aviation communications.

Aviation English is a highly formalized and technical language developed to enhance the very specific type of interactions between pilots and air traffic control. To help smooth communications, air workers are encouraged to develop a neutral accent that makes them as intelligible as possible. Even native English speakers need to spend time learning it. The need for standardization has led to the creation of the Test of English for Aviation for all civil pilots and air traffic controllers working in an international environment.

Official Language of the Seas

Shipping is an integral part of the world economy. In the 1960s, the United States and the United Kingdom dominated ocean traffic, and 80 percent of ships’ crews were native English speakers. By the end of the 1970s, however, the situation had reversed, and today, 80 percent of ship’s crews do not speak English as a first language. It is estimated that 80% of accidents at sea are in some way caused by human error and just under half of those are caused by poor levels of Maritime English.

In 1983 a group of linguists and shipping experts created a new system of communication called “Seaspeak.” English was chosen as the principle lexicon for Seaspeak as it was the most common language spoken on ships at that time, and, importantly, it was also the language of civil aviation. In 1988, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations specialized agency responsible for safety and security of shipping, made Seaspeak the official language of the seas.

Good communication in Maritime English is essential for the maintenance of effective working environments, the safety of the crew, and general safety at sea and at ports. MarTEL (Maritime Tests of English Language) is a standardized test of Maritime English language proficiency.

You might also be interested in learning why the U.S.A doesn’t have an official language or what the “X” in airport codes actually means! Did you know that the English language doesn’t have an official agency overseeing its use? Click here to learn more!

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Donald’s English Classroom offers you bundled resources for savings on the materials you need in class. From preschool through adults, you’ll find a wealth of language learning materials for your ESL classes.

Fun Facts About English 10 Kinney Brothers Publishing

“Official language” doesn’t mean the main language of the country; it means the language used in government. If the U.S. made English its official language, ALL business carried out in government offices would have to be in English. This includes the post office, police stations, courts, and all city, county, and federal offices.

If English was made official, places with large Hispanic populations would not be permitted to have Spanish-language announcements in fundamental information resources, like a water or gas bill. In areas near Native American reservations, such as the Navajo Nation in Arizona, the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) and the Navajo court system would have to use English, with the Navajo language not being allowed. All Navajo litigants would have to bring interpreters.

Since the U.S. has no official language on the federal level, neighborhoods and areas where other languages are largely spoken, such as Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese, inhabitants can receive government materials, announcements, etc., in their language.

To date, twenty-eight states have declared English the official language of their local governments; most having done so within the last few decades as a result of the “English Only” movement. However, due to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, any public entity in the state that receives federal funds must provide all vital documents in every single language that any client of that agency speaks. In effect, the “English Only” declaration is a lot of conservative barking with no legal bite.

The fact that English isn’t the official language of the United States hasn’t stopped it from becoming the dominant language of the country. Although there are as many as 350 different languages spoken across the country, native English speakers comprise about 82% of the population, native Spanish speakers come in at number two at about 13%, and various other European and Asian languages comprise the bulk of the balance. However, despite about 18% of the U.S. population natively speaking a different tongue than English, a full 96% of United States citizens speak English fluently. So it is unlikely that English is going anywhere as the de facto language of the United States in the foreseeable future.

On the other hand, only a fifth of American adults can speak a second language. It’s a surprisingly low fraction of the population compared to other countries. Even in the United States’ earliest beginnings as the Thirteen Colonies, colonists spoke English, Dutch, German, and French. Demanding that people speak English simply because “this is America” is nonsense and doesn’t serve the ever-expanding diversity of the country.

Did you know that the U.S. has 24 English dialects? You might also be interested to learn about English as the official language of the air and the sea, or why English has no official language academy! To learn more about the future of the English language, check out my post, The Future of English.

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Stories For Young Readers is a graded textbook series for students studying English as a second language. The books are designed to extend students’ skills and interest in communicating in English. Teachers can utilize the stories and exercises for listening comprehension, reading, writing, and conversation.