![]() The NATO Phonetic Alphabet, on the other hand, is used to spell out words in an effort to counteract misunderstanding due to different pronunciations. Phonetic alphabets help individuals in the pronunciations of words. Understanding the Useĭespite the alphabet being called a phonetic alphabet, it is technically not a phonetic alphabet at all. Specifically, the International Civil Aviation Organization tested each word in many common dialects and across several replications of use, finding it stood the test of time as an international and understood standard. Not to be taken lightly, the alphabet was developed over several iterations and several years of careful research and testing. ![]() NATO later adopted a similar alphabet in 1957, which is what we know today as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet. It was not until 1941, however, that the US introduced the formal Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet, also known as Able Baker Charlie Alphabet. Note: While “Alpha” is the typical English spelling, “Alfa” is considered the international spelling, as the “ph” sounds is not recognized globally. By the start of the WWII, ITU code words was the form of communication used by most commercial airlines. In 1927, the International Telegraph Union (ITU) developed a popular spelling alphabet for telegram communication. ![]() The use of these alphabets continued into WWI. There was a specific word that corresponded to each letter. Flight associations started using code words to represent letters that were easily confused or misheard. The first letter of the word is the letter the word stands for.įirst used primarily by military servicemen and women, several different spelling alphabets came in and out of use in the early twentieth century, when poor signal and radio interference of early AM radio technology was known to cause errors in communication. The NATO Phonetic Alphabet is a way of using words to replace letters. We introduce you to the NATO Phonetic Alphabet. ![]() For example, if you are trying to say “T”, you may say “T for Tony,” or “N” as “N for nighttime.” And while it seems like just a convenient way to make sure your name is spelled correctly while on the phone, original uses for this method of communication were a little more life or death. If you’ve ever been on the phone trying to spell out your name or an address, you may be familiar with using another word to help you identify a letter. What is the NATO Phonetic Alphabet? And why do we use it in the first place? ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |