Seaspeak
Encyclopedia
Seaspeak is a simplified form of English
, designed to facilitate communication between ships whose captains' native tongues differ. It has now been formalised as Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP).
While generally based on the English language
, seaspeak has a very small vocabulary, and will incorporate foreign words where English does not have a suitable word.
There are similar languages for aircraft and trains
.
(WOME 3), in a project led by Captain Fred Weeks, and was updated in the following years.
After the M/S Scandinavian Star
disaster in 1990, in which communication errors played a part, an effort was made by the International Maritime Organization
to update Seaspeak and the Standard Maritime Communication Vocabulary (SMCV). This resulted in the development of the Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP), which were adopted by the IMO as resolution A.198(22) in November 2001 at their 22nd Assembly.
A simplified vocabulary also helps overcome static, since the phrase "say again" is always two words and three syllables, no matter how much it is blurred by that static.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, designed to facilitate communication between ships whose captains' native tongues differ. It has now been formalised as Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP).
While generally based on the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, seaspeak has a very small vocabulary, and will incorporate foreign words where English does not have a suitable word.
There are similar languages for aircraft and trains
Tunnelspeak
PoliceSpeak is a constructed language for police and emergency service cooperation at the Channel Tunnel, using a limited vocabulary of French and English for ease of communication between workers with different native languages.-See also:* Seaspeak...
.
History
Seaspeak originated at the International Maritime Lecturers Association (IMLA) Workshop on Maritime English in 1985 in La SpeziaLa Spezia
La Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
(WOME 3), in a project led by Captain Fred Weeks, and was updated in the following years.
After the M/S Scandinavian Star
M/S Scandinavian Star
M/S Massalia, later known as M/S Scandinavian Star and M/S Regal Voyager was a car and passenger ferry built in France in 1971. The ship caught fire in 1990, killing 158 people.- History :...
disaster in 1990, in which communication errors played a part, an effort was made by the International Maritime Organization
International Maritime Organization
The International Maritime Organization , formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization , was established in Geneva in 1948, and came into force ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959...
to update Seaspeak and the Standard Maritime Communication Vocabulary (SMCV). This resulted in the development of the Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP), which were adopted by the IMO as resolution A.198(22) in November 2001 at their 22nd Assembly.
Example phrase "Say again"
A good example of the benefit of seaspeak is the use of a single short and carefully crafted phrase to replace a multitude of phrases. Thus the phrase "say again" could replace any of the following:- Could not hear what you said, please repeat!
- I did not understand, say that again.
- Too much noise, repeat what you said!
- I am having difficulty hearing what you are saying! Please repeat what you were trying to say.
- There is too much noise on the line - I cannot understand you.
- What did you say?
A simplified vocabulary also helps overcome static, since the phrase "say again" is always two words and three syllables, no matter how much it is blurred by that static.
Accidents
- Pécrot rail crashPécrot rail crashThe Pécrot rail crash was a rail accident in the village of Pécrot , Belgium, that occurred on 27 March 2001 when two passenger trains collided head-on...
- caused in part by two signalers that shared no native language.
External links
- IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases and teaching their use in VTS-context, talks a little about the history of Seaspeak.
- Prolingua, the company where Edward Johnson worked on SeaSpeak, AirSpeak, etc.
See also
- Airspeak
- TunnelspeakTunnelspeakPoliceSpeak is a constructed language for police and emergency service cooperation at the Channel Tunnel, using a limited vocabulary of French and English for ease of communication between workers with different native languages.-See also:* Seaspeak...
- Channel tunnelChannel TunnelThe Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep... - Number of words in English