Spelling alphabet

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A spelling alphabet, radio alphabet, or telephone alphabet is a set of words which are used to stand for the letters of an alphabet. Each word in the spelling alphabet typically replaces the name of the letter with which it starts (acrophony). It is used to spell out words when speaking to someone not able to see the speaker, meaning there are no visual cues which assist the listener (the McGurk effect). Giving one's name over the telephone is a common scenario where a spelling alphabet is often used. Spelling alphabets are often called phonetic alphabets. However, phonetic transcription systems such as the International Phonetic Alphabet are designed to record detailed information about the sounds of human speech. As written representations of spoken sounds, they are utterly different from spelling alphabets, which are spoken representations of written symbols.

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[edit] Voice procedure

See also: Voice procedure

Spelling alphabets are especially useful when speaking in a noisy environment when clarity and promptness of communication is essential, for example during two-way radio communication between an aircraft pilot and air traffic control, or in military operations. Whereas the names of many letters sound alike, the set of replacement words can be selected to be as distinct from each other as possible, to minimise the likelihood of ambiguity or mistaking one letter for another. For example, if a burst of static cuts off the start of an English-language utterance of the letter J, it may be mistaken for A or K. In the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet (or NATO phonetic alphabet), the sequence J-A-K would be pronounced Juliett-Alpha-Kilo. Some voice procedure standards require numbers to be spelled out digit by digit; some spelling alphabets replace confusable digit names with more distinct alternatives: for example, the NATO alphabet has "niner" for 9 to distinguish it better from 5 and the German word "nein".

[edit] History

On the Western Front of the First World War British Army signallers developed "signalese", a way of spelling out over the landlines in use to communicate. This gave rise to phrases such as "Ack-Ack" from AA for anti-aircraft. Pip-emma for pm.

[edit] Examples

The following examples are from various languages and time periods:[1]

Letter NATO & Aviation British Forces 1952 RAF 1942-43 NY Police French German Italian
A Alfa Abel Apple Adam Anatole Anton Ancona
Ä - - - - - Ärger -
B Bravo Baker Beer Boy Berthe Berta Bologna
C Charlie Charlie Charlie Charlie Célestin Cäsar Como
Ch - - - - - Charlotte -
D Delta Dog Dog David Désiré Dora Domodossola
E Echo Easy Edward Edward Eugène Emil Empoli
F Foxtrot Fox Freddy Frank François Friedrich Firenze
G Golf George George George Gaston Gustav Genova
H Hotel How Harry Harry Henri Heinrich Hotel
I India Item In Ida Irma Ida Imola
J Juliett Jig Jug / Johnny John Joseph Julius I lunga[2]
K Kilo King King King Kléber Kaufmann Kilo
L Lima Love Love Lincoln Louis Ludwig Livorno
M Mike Mike Mother Mary Marcel Martha Milano
N November Nan Nuts Nora Nicolas Nordpol Napoli
O Oscar Oboe Orange Ocean Oscar Otto Otranto
Ö - - - - - Ökonom -
P Papa Peter Peter Peter Pierre Paula Padova
Q Quebec Queen Queen Queen Quintal Quelle Quarto
R Romeo Roger Roger / Robert Robert Raoul Richard Roma
S Sierra Sugar Suga Sam Suzanne Samuel Savona
Sch - - - - - Schule -
ß - - - - - Eszett[2] -
T Tango Tare Tommy Tom Thérèse Theodor Torino
U Uniform Uncle Uncle Union Ursule Ulrich Udine
Ü - - - - - Übermut -
V Victor Victor Vic Victor Victor Viktor Venezia
W Whiskey William William William William Wilhelm Washington
X X-ray X-ray X-ray X-ray Xavier Xanthippe Ics[2]
Y Yankee Yoke Yoke / Yorker Young Yvonne Ypsilon[2] York
Z Zulu Zebra Zebra Zebra Zoé Zeppelin Zara

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Phonetic Alphabet
  2. ^ a b c d This is simply the ordinary name of the letter.

[edit] External links


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