This is an old script. Please visit our current website at www.spotlightradio.net for new ones.
Spotlight
Radio programs in 'Specialized English'
Script Title: Seaspeak
(Program number: 007)
Hello, I’m Peter Laverock
And
I’m Marina Santee. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English
method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where
in the world they live.
How
do I get a message to you? I say some words. You hear them. I pass a message to
you. People pass messages to each other every day. Some we understand, some we
do not. It is not an exact science. If we are just discussing what film to see,
then it does not matter if we take a little time to understand each other. But
what if we are on a ship and we need to send a message?
What if we are the crew of the ship and it is sinking?
In the nineteen sixties America and Britain were the world’s greatest sea going nations. Eighty percent of crews were native English speakers. By the end of the nineteen seventies the situation was the opposite. Eighty percent of crews did not speak English as a first language. It was clear that to keep the seas safe the shipping industry would have to find new ways of passing information over the radio.
Experts in language worked closely with experts in shipping to produce a new way of speaking. The new language was called Seaspeak. The International Maritime Organisation made Seaspeak the official language of the seas in nineteen eighty-eight. Seaspeak defined the rules of how to talk on the radio between ships.
In the official book of Seaspeak, it says that messages between ships should be of direct interest to the crew. Messages should be short and clear. Such messages should be in words simple enough for a non-native speaker of English to understand.
There is a list of about five thousand words in Seaspeak. Some of these words are in general use by all English speakers. Some of the words are special to ships and the sea. But there is another very important thing about Seaspeak. It uses seven really important words, called ‘message markers’. A message marker tells the listener what kind of message is coming. Message markers are words such as; Question, Warning, and Information. Let us try an example. But before we listen, here is Marina to tell about buoys!
No I-am not going to tell about young men! This kind of buoy is spelled B U O Y. Buoys are the colourful metal objects floating in the water where ships pass by. These metal buoys stay in the same place. Ropes tie them to a fixed point at the bottom of the sea. Buoys help the crew of a ship to know where they are -- to know their position.
Thankyou. Now here is the example of Seaspeak;
Warning; buoy number two five and buoy number two six have no lights.
Warning; received. Two five and two six, no lights.
You can hear how this works. The man on the first ship begins with a message marker. In this example the message marker is the word ‘warning’. The message that follows is a warning. The ship tells another ship that there is some danger. The buoy normally has a light, but today the light is out. Here is another message marker;
Question; what is your estimated time of arrival at buoy number two five?
Answer; estimated time of arrival at buoy number two five, one four three zero UTC.
This example is a question, not a warning. One ship is asking what time the other ship will arrive at buoy number twenty-five. The other ship then says Answer. The word, ‘answer’ is another message marker. It shows that the information that follows is the answer to the question.
Now did you observe another thing about Seaspeak? Numbers in English have lots of names. Numbers from one to twenty all have their own names. Every tenth number after that has a name; twenty, thirty, forty and so on. Some of the names sound alike; such as thirty and thirteen. Seaspeak keeps it simple! You just say the number by its individual parts. Twenty-five becomes two-five. Twenty-six becomes two-six. You tell the time by giving four numbers. One four three zero means fourteen thirty hours, or half past two. This makes life much easier for seamen who do not normally use the English language.
Edward Johnson is a professor from Wolfson College in Cambridge, England. He is the man who did most to create Seaspeak. Edward Johnson has been interested in languages since he was a young man. He also has a great love of the sea. In the years between school and going to college, he sailed with friends across the oceans. Professor Johnson later combined his love of the sea with being an expert in languages. This meant that his young life as a sailor was not wasted time! Professor Johnson described Seaspeak in these words;
"English is the international language for ships. I designed special rules to make English work well at sea. I worked with ships officers at the Plymouth Maritime College in England. The result was SeaSpeak. It is an exact language. To put it simply, it is a language that prevents ships from crashing into one another. It helps seamen in many countries communicate clearly."
Professor Johnson has gone on to design special kinds of English for the police, medical workers and fire fighters. Maybe we could all help each other by speaking more simply. If I met one of my friends, I could have my message marker ready!
I would say; Question; how are you today?
And my friend would say; answer; I am all right.
Then I say; Information; the cafe is open at one zero zero zero.
My friend says, Information received.
I say; Request; can I buy you a coffee?
My friend says; Request received, yes, buy me a coffee, thank you.
OK, it is a bit of a strange way to talk. But I am sure that it is worth thinking about. How well do we send and receive messages? If we could all be open about what we want to say that would be good. It would also be good if we used the simplest, clearest words. And if we answer clearly when a person asks a question, that also would make it easier for us to be understood.
Let us say Goodbye to Spotlight listeners in our new language, Seaspeak; are you ready?
Yes I am ready.
Information; Peter Laverock wrote this programme.
Information received. Peter Laverock wrote this programme.
Request; go to the website to listen and read. Website is www.radioenglish.net
Request received; going to website www.radioenglish.net
Advice; the name of this programme is Seaspeak
Advice received; the name is Seaspeak.
Bon voyage spotlight.
Save this page | Close this page | Word list
Website: www.radioenglish.net