Miscellaneous discussion about the Able Baker Charlie Dog Easy Fox alphabet,
which was widely used until the mid 1950s.
Note particularly the last item.
Article 11445 of alt.usage.english:
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,sci.lang
From: JAREA@ukcc.uky.edu
Subject: Re: logical pronunciation of letters
Organization: The University of Kentucky
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1993 01:30:46 GMT
In article <1993Jul28.181120.24661@infodev.cam.ac.uk>
bck1@cl.cam.ac.uk (Brian Kelk) writes:
>
>I have seen the above described as the NATO alphabet. There
>are others. One of them starts Able Baker.
>
This is the one we used in WWII: Able Baker Charlie Dog Easy Fox George
Hypo Inter Jig etc.
Italian uses the names of cities, so that my last name is sounded out
Roma Empoli Ancona.
>I'd be interested to know about corresponding alphabets for
>other languages.
>
Article 11576 of alt.usage.english:
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,sci.lang
From: dravey@netcom.com (Donald Ravey)
Subject: Re: logical? pronunciation of letters
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Sun, 1 Aug 1993 02:59:17 GMT
Herman Rubin (hrubin@mentor.cc.purdue.edu) wrote:
: In article <1993Jul31.171143.2622@infodev.cam.ac.uk> bck1@cl.cam.ac.uk (Brian Kelk) writes:
: >In article <1993Jul28.181120.24661@infodev.cam.ac.uk> I wrote:
: >>In article <23593mINNlc1@myall.awadi.com.au> tmason@awadi.com.au writes:
: >>>The international phonetic (Roman) alphabet is:
: >>>Alpha, bravo, Charlie, delta, echo, foxtrot, golf, hotel, India,
: >>>Juliet, kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, papa, Quebec, Romeo,
: >>>Sierra, tango, uniform, Victor, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.
: ...........................
: >Thanks to various contributors for alphabets in Dutch,
: >Flemish, German and Swedish. Are there any more? I may post
: >a summary.
: This is of interest, but I cannot find anything at all
: LOGICAL about it.
I would have to agree. However, it might be of interest to some that
the international authority of the above phonetic alphabet notwithstanding,
the military services have used several earlier phonetic alphabets
(Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, Fox, George, How, Item...) and
law enforcement agencies use different ones, too (Adam, Boy, Charlie,
David, Edward, Frank, George... around here). CHARLIE seems to be the one
stable element common to all the sets of which I'm aware. Curious?
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Don Ravey dravey@netcom.com OBJECTS IN MIRROR |
| ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Article 11706 of alt.usage.english:
From: barrett@lucy.ee.und.ac.za (Alan Barrett)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,sci.lang
Subject: Re: Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta: also in Swedish
Date: 4 Aug 1993 08:08:51 +0200
Organization: Elec. Eng., Univ. Natal, Durban, S. Africa
Keywords: alphabets
In article <1993Aug2.204405.11351@infodev.cam.ac.uk>,
bck1@cl.cam.ac.uk (Brian Kelk) writes:
> [The Cambridge Encyclopedia Of Language gives whiskey (sic)]
They don't spell it "encyclopaedia"?
> Partial alphabets: [perhaps remembered imperfectly]
> Able Baker Charlie Dog Easy Fox George Hypo Inter Jig
> Able Baker Charlie Dog Easy Fox George How Item
That looks like the alphabet that I learned from "The Complete Morse
Trainer (with a section on Semaphore)", by F. Tait (Telegraphist and
Wireless Operator, Central Telegraph Office, London), published in
London by Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons, Ltd., 1944. The exercises in the
book are almost all of a military nature, and there are several other
hints that the intended audience was largely composed of military folk,
so it seems plausible that the phonetic alphabet presented in the book
was in official use by the British military during WW2.
Here's the alphabet:
able baker charlie dog easy fox george how item jig king love
mike nan oboe peter queen roger sugar tare uncle victor william
x-ray yoke zebra.
--apb
Alan Barrett, Dept. of Electronic Eng., Univ. of Natal, Durban, South Africa
RFC822: barrett@ee.und.ac.za
Article 5869 of sci.lang:
Newsgroups: sci.lang
From: JAREA@ukcc.uky.edu
Subject: Re: Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta: also in Swedish
Organization: The University of Kentucky
Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1993 00:50:54 GMT
Back in 19 hundred and ought 42, as the old timers would have reckoned it,
the Army Air Corps Radio School at Scott Field IL taught us , able baker
CAST dog easy fox George HYPO inter jig (now why did they change that one!)
king love Mike NEGAT OBOE PREP Queen Roger SUGAR TARE Uncle Victor William
X-ray yoke and Zebra. (We were also made aware of obsolescent how, item
Nan Peter, and switched from oboe to over later that summer.) We were
told this was a Phonetic Pronunciation -- Phonetic Alphabet. I innocently
(nascent lingkuist) asked why they called it Phonetic, and was told by the
Sergeant to look at p 94 of Basic Field Manual FM
24 - 13, where it is printed, and if that's what the Army Field manual
calls it, that's what it is, stupid! That Field Manual was labeled
"Restricted", so I hope they don't shoot me at this late date under pro
vision of the State Secrets Act.
Ki semenat ispinaza, non andet iskultsu!
J. A. Rea jarea@ukcc.uky.edu
Article 12123 of alt.usage.english:
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,sci.lang
From: dravey@netcom.com (Donald Ravey)
Subject: Re: Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta alphabets: revised
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1993 21:58:41 GMT
Brian Kelk (bck1@cl.cam.ac.uk) wrote:
: Here is a collection of alphabets of the Alpha Bravo
: Charlie Delta kind, as used for spelling things out over
: radio links. There are several distinct alphabets for
: English, and alphabets for:
B
[...lines deleted for brevity...]
: The ARRL (American Radio Relay League) version:
: Adam Baker Charlie David Edward Frank George Henry Ida John
: king Lewis Mary Nancy Otto Peter queen Robert Susan Thomas
: union Victor William x-ray young zebra
: [also Adam Boy (?)]
: From a book entitled "The Complete Morse Instructor..." (1944):
: able baker charlie dog easy fox george how item jig king love
: mike nan oboe peter queen roger sugar tare uncle victor william
: x-ray yoke zebra
: [This one seems to have undergone quite a lot of evolution.
: Entries also cited: cast, hypo, inter, negat, over, prep ]
As a ham radio operator for over 45 years (W6DBZ), permit me to add
some recollections, though I can't document these. First of all, the
"young" cited above from ARRL seems wrong. Trouble is, I can't think
what seems right to me... But my main point is that in the ham radio
tradition there is a tendency to spurn the "establishment" phonetics,
whether that is or is not wise, and if you listen to the ham voice
transmissions on bands where there is considerable international
operation, you will more likely hear some variations of the following:
America Brazil Chile Denmark E.. Finland Greece Hawaii I.. J.. Kilowatt
L.. Mexico Norway Ocean Pacific Q.. Radio Sweden Texas U.. Venezuela
Whisky Xray Y.. Zulu
Sorry my memory is so spotty.
The second citation above, attributed to a Morse training booklet, is
actually the U.S. Navy (other military?) phonetics from WW II. These
terms were frequently used on the bridge of a warship, instructing the
signalman to hoist signal flags to the yardarm. The flags and pennants
all had names, so that the officer could shout them out to the signal-
man. That's where 'Prep' comes from, for example; when the 'P' flag
was hoisted above other flags, it informed the ships in formation to
prepare for the maneuver signalled by the flags. A separate hoisting,
without the 'Prep' flag, would mean 'execute this maneuver when the
signal is lowered.' 'Inter' is similar: the 'inter' hoisted above a
sequence of flags meant it was a question; indeed, it was usually
pronounced "interrogatory," I believe. Also the 'negat', which I
recall as being pronounced "negative."
Since I'm started on this, a nautical FLAG is square shaped; a PENNANT
is long, tapered, and the far end may have a dual 'tail' to it.
Pennants were used for numerals and some other "prosigns"--now THERE's
a special military word I haven't thought about in a long time!
Oh, well--nostalgia just doesn't seem the same as it used to!
Don Ravey
Article 12142 of alt.usage.english:
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,sci.lang
From: JAREA@ukcc.uky.edu
Subject: Re: Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta alphabets: revised
Organization: The University of Kentucky
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 00:32:18 GMT
In article
dravey@netcom.com (Donald Ravey) writes:
>
>Brian Kelk (bck1@cl.cam.ac.uk) wrote:
>
>: The ARRL (American Radio Relay League) version:
>
>: Adam Baker Charlie David Edward Frank George Henry Ida John
>: king Lewis Mary Nancy Otto Peter queen Robert Susan Thomas
>: union Victor William x-ray young zebra
>
>: [This one seems to have undergone quite a lot of evolution.
>: Entries also cited: cast, hypo, inter, negat, over, prep ]
>
>As a ham radio operator for over 45 years (W6DBZ), permit me to add
>some recollections, though I can't document these. First of all, the
>"young" cited above from ARRL seems wrong.
>
>Don Ravey
The entire alphabet starting Adam, through Young to Zebra is exactly
the version giveen on p 521 of the ARRL _The Radio Amateur's Handbook_
25th edition (1948) [price $2.00!]
My War Department Basic Field Manual (Restricted) 21 February 1944
lists Affirm, Inter, Negat, Option, Prep with asterisks beside them
and in parentheses, and below the alphabet says "*Names in parentheses
will be used when the U.S. Navy General Signal Book is used." I.e.,
in place of Army: Able, Item, Nan, Oboe and Peter. Actually us Air
corpse types used Inter, Negat, Over and Prep normally, as well as
Hypo instead of How.
The next chart contains Zero Wun Too Thuh-ree Fo-wer Fi-yiv Six
Seven Ate Niner.
Ki semenat ispinaza, non andet iskultsu!
J. A. Rea jarea@ukcc.uky.edu
GA PLS OM and 73
Article 12315 of alt.usage.english:
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,sci.lang
From: ktappe@infonode.ingr.com (J. Kurt Tappe)
Subject: Re: Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta alphabets: revised
Keywords: alphabets
Organization: Intergraph Corporation, Huntsville, AL.
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 00:56:12 GMT
bck1@cl.cam.ac.uk (Brian Kelk) writes:
>Here is a collection of alphabets of the Alpha Bravo
>Charlie Delta kind, as used for spelling things out over
>radio links.
>...
>able baker charlie dog easy fox george how item jig king love
>mike nan oboe peter queen roger sugar tare uncle victor william
>x-ray yoke zebra
I've seen (heard) this one used by air-traffic controllers and
pilots. Could there be such a thing as an international aircraft
standard that happens to echo the morse code version?
-Kurt Tappe
Article 12678 of alt.usage.english:
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,sci.lang
Subject: Re: Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta alphabets: revised
From: jane@latcs2.lat.oz.au (Jane Philcox)
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 04:33:36 GMT
Organization: Comp Sci, La Trobe Uni, Australia
In article pd@x.co.uk (Paul Davey) writes:
>>>>>> "jkt" == J. Kurt Tappe writes:
>>able baker charlie ...
>jkt> I've seen (heard) this one used by air-traffic controllers and
>jkt> pilots. Could there be such a thing as an international aircraft
>jkt> standard that happens to echo the morse code version?
>Surely they use the NATO standard, Alpha, Bravo ...
We do. And have done for the last 25 years, to my personal knowledge. I
believe Able Baker to have disappeared from use about 30 years ago, but that's
just an impression, not knowledge.
Regards, Jane.
--
My pedantry is your scholarship,
his reasonable accuracy,
her irreducible minimum of education,
and someone else's ignorance. [Fowler: Modern English Usage]
Article 12705 of alt.usage.english:
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,sci.lang
From: mudgett@bose.com (Mark Mudgett)
Subject: Re: Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta alphabets: revised
Keywords: Alfa Bravo Charlie
Organization: Bose Corporation
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 15:02:43 GMT
> (Able Baker Charlie ... )
>I've seen (heard) this one used by air-traffic controllers and
>pilots. Could there be such a thing as an international aircraft
>standard that happens to echo the morse code version?
Yes, there is an international standard for aviation use.
The following list of twenty-six words is known as the phonetic alphabet
and is approved for use in air-traffic control communications
by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Alfa Bravo Charlie Delta Echo Foxtrot Golf Hotel India
Juliett Kilo Lima Mike November Oscar Papa Quebec Romeo
Sierra Tango Uniform Victor Whiskey Xray Yankee Zulu
This phonetic alphabet is also approved for use in the United States
by the Federal Aviation Administation (FAA).
Many pilots use an older alphabet (Able Baker Charlie ...)
Either they learned it in the military, or they are pretending.
Controllers are quite consistent, they use the ICAO version.
>And I cannot find anything PHONETIC about it. The title for this set
>of words is not "International Phonetic Alphabet" but it does have the
>word "Phonetic" in it (I've forgotten the actual title). Calling a
>group of code names a phonetic alphabet is wrong.
phonetic alphabet
"Any of various systems of code words for identifying letters
in voice communication."
(American Heritage Dictionary 3rd Ed.)
It is known popularly among pilots and controllers as the "International
Phonetic Alphabet", but in official documents of the FAA it is called
a "phonetic alphabet" (lower case) or the ICAO phonetic alphabet.
The real International Phonetic Alphabet is something quit different.
>>Not only that, but the spelling of the first word should be "Alfa".
>Wow. Where did you learn to spell? Alpha is exactly correct. There is no such
>word as Alfa. Let's not confuse phonetics with spelling.
Wow. "Alfa" is exactly correct. The word is in the dictionary.
I learned to spell this word in aviation training.
The dictionary backs me up:
alfa
"A word used in communications to represent the letter _A_." Also ALFA
(Random House Dictionary 2nd Ed.)
And a note about capitalization ...
These words are almost always capitalized when used in print.
Although Random House uses the spellings "alfa" and "ALFA", "Alfa" is most
common in print. "Alpha" is also common, perhaps more common than "Alfa".
These code words are designed for _spoken_ communication, and the correct
spelling is usually not an issue.
A recent posting that carefully spelled "... golf, hotel, India ..."
showed the signs of a compulsive speller (:-). In this context,
"India" is not a proper noun, it is a code word. Capitalization should be
consistent: all words in this alphabet should be capitalized the same way.
The official pronunciations of these words are not necessarily
the same as the stanndard Engligh pronunciations of the words:
Victor is "vik-tah"
Quebec is "keh-bek"
|| Mark C. Mudgett Telephone: (508) 879-1916 ext 6945 ||
|| Bose Corporation, MS 15D Internet: mudgett@bose.com ||
|| The Mountain Fax: (508) 879-4806 ||
|| Framingham MA 01701-9168 ||
--
|| Mark C. Mudgett Telephone: (508) 879-1916 ext 6945 ||
|| Bose Corporation, MS 15D Internet: mudgett@bose.com ||
|| The Mountain Fax: (508) 879-4806 ||
|| Framingham MA 01701-9168 ||
Article 15084 of alt.usage.english:
From: ar121@yfn.ysu.edu (Carl Porter)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
Subject: Phonetic alphabet
Date: 3 Nov 1993 20:07:49 GMT
Organization: St. Elizabeth Hospital, Youngstown, OH
The "Able, baker, charlie,...zebra" phonetic alphabet was in standard
useage in the USAF (and elsewhere) until the early '50's-when I was in.
There was an abrupt, official change to the "Alpha, bravo...zed" because,
it was said, this was to be the new international standard. Apparently
the former didn't translate too well in certain countries. This caused
a minor disruption in our communications, but we were young and changeable.
--
=================================================================
Supporting Hillbilly Pride(tm) Carl Porter, Knoxville, Tenn.
The gov't is my nanny, I shall not want for much, etc.
================================================================
Article 15180 of alt.usage.english:
From: bam@hermes.mod.uk (Brian A. Mellor)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,soc.culture.british,uk.misc
Subject: Re: Phonetic alphabet
Date: 9 Nov 1993 09:38:46 GMT
Organization: Defence Research Agency
In article <1993Nov8.162527.16056@bard.cray.com>, btd@bard.uk.cray.com (Bryan T Dongray) writes:
|> Carl Porter (ar121@yfn.ysu.edu) [3 Nov 1993 20:07:49 GMT] wrote:
|>
|> > The "Able, baker, charlie,...zebra" phonetic alphabet was in standard
|> > useage in the USAF (and elsewhere) until the early '50's-when I was in.
|> > There was an abrupt, official change to the "Alpha, bravo...zed" because,
|> > it was said, this was to be the new international standard. Apparently
|> > the former didn't translate too well in certain countries. This caused
|> > a minor disruption in our communications, but we were young and changeable.
|>
|> I have just checked with a friend and the UK police have:
|> Alpha
|> Bravo
|> Charlie
.
.
.
.
|> Yankee
|> Zulu
My recollection was that able, baker etc was the UK version, the US using
something similar to the alpha, bravo etc. The new form was mostly the US with a
few of the words changed for international use. I believe our military was not
too happy.
The Alpha - Zulu form is enshrined as the ICAO alphabet (International Civil
Aviation Organisation ?). I can't track down the reference source for this at
present, other than that it is `common knowledge'. As English is the international
communication language, the alphabet does not have to be translated into other
languages.
Working For The Common Good
Brian
Article 15184 of alt.usage.english:
From: pd@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Peter Durham)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,soc.culture.british,uk.misc
Subject: Re: Phonetic alphabet
Date: 9 Nov 1993 15:43:50 +0100
Organization: Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton
In <2bnof6INNdu8@signal.dra.hmg.gb> bam@hermes.mod.uk (Brian A. Mellor) writes:
** stuff deleted **
>My recollection was that able, baker etc was the UK version, the US using
>something similar to the alpha, bravo etc. The new form was mostly the US with a
I thought the British changed during the war, to reduce confusion. The
classification of documents was also changed (eg 'Most Secret' -> 'Top
Secret').
Peter
Article 15247 of alt.usage.english:
From: bam@hermes.mod.uk (Brian A. Mellor)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,soc.culture.british,uk.misc
Subject: Re: Phonetic alphabet
Date: 9 Nov 1993 16:05:29 GMT
Organization: Defence Research Agency
In article <2boab6$8ho@marr.ecs.soton.ac.uk>, pd@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Peter Durham) writes:
|> In <2bnof6INNdu8@signal.dra.hmg.gb> bam@hermes.mod.uk (Brian A. Mellor) writes:
|>
|> ** stuff deleted **
|>
|> >My recollection was that able, baker etc was the UK version, the US using
|> >something similar to the alpha, bravo etc. The new form was mostly the US with a
|>
|> I thought the British changed during the war, to reduce confusion. The
|> classification of documents was also changed (eg 'Most Secret' -> 'Top
|> Secret').
|>
|> Peter
I agree that it was around 42 -43, but wasn't too sure. Thanks for the
confirmation. I guess the ICAO format was agreed in the 50s and would have
included the Indigo to India change.
Cheers
Brian
Article 34295 of rec.radio.amateur.misc:
From: stoll@OCF.Berkeley.EDU (Cliff Stoll)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Phonetic Alphabets
Date: 17 Mar 1994 21:04:43 GMT
Organization: U.C. Berkeley Open Computing Facility
I found these posted to a bbs, so I checked 'em & added references.
Enjoy!
Cliff Stoll K7TA
(please don't send me e-mail for a while, my mailbox overfloweth)
Phonetic Alphabet for World War II:
[source: ARRL 1945 Handbook pg 359 "Used by Armed services of USA & GB"]
Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, Fox, George, How, Item,
Jig, King, Love, Mike, Nan, Oboe, Peter, Queen, Roger,
Sugar, Tare, Uncle, Victor, William, Xray, Yoke, Zebra.
Phonetic Alphabet for NATO: [source??]
Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Gold, Hotel, India,
Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo,
Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, Xray, Yankee, Zulu.
Phonetic Alphabet for ITU: [from ARRL '93 Handbook, pg 37-7]
(same as that NATO list except "Golf" instead of "Gold"
Article 39819 of rec.radio.amateur.misc:
From: kirk@neptune.gsfc.nasa.gov (Robert Kirk)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: RFI re: words for alphabet
Date: 24 Jun 1994 18:34:52 GMT
Organization: NASA
Keywords: radio words alphabet
In article <2uesqd$j9q@b11.b11.ingr.com> nsparker@ingr.com (Nick Parker) writes:
>Does anyone have a listing of the word equivalents for the alphabet
>(alpha=a, bravo=b, etc) they could post or email?
>
charlie
delta
echo
foxtrot
golf
hotel
india
juliette
kilo
mike
november
oscar
papa
quebec (pronounced 'kay-bec)
romeo
sierra
tango
uniform
victor
whiskey
x-ray
yankee
zulu
or, the old way
able
baker
charlie
dog
easy
fox
george
how
item
jig
king
love
mike
nan
oboe
peter
queen
roger
sugar
tare
uncle
victor
william
x-ray
yoke
zebra
if I remember right?
Article 29329 of alt.usage.english:
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,sci.lang,rec.radio.amateur.misc
From: phb@syseng1.melpar.esys.com (Paul H. Bock)
Subject: Re: Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta: phonetic alphabets (repost)
Keywords: alphabets
Organization: E-Systems, Melpar Division
Date: Wed, 7 Sep 1994 21:16:10 GMT
Brian.Kelk@cl.cam.ac.uk writes:
>***** ENGLISH *****
>The NATO phonetic alphabet (as per the Cambridge Encyclopedia
>of Language under Seaspeak):
>Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta Echo Foxtrot Golf Hotel India
>Juliet Kilo Lima Mike November Oscar Papa Quebec Romeo
>Sierra Tango Uniform Victor Whiskey Xray Yankee Zulu
As a side note, when this alphabet first came out in the
late 1950's or early 1960's to replace the then-in-general-use
"ABLE-BAKER-CHARLIE, etc., C was COCOA and M was METRO. I
remember it because my Dad (who was a pilot) chided me that I'd
have to learn a new set of phonetics. Apparently, COCOA and
METRO didn't last long and CHARLIE and MIKE were re-hired... :-)
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
o------------o------------o
| |
Paul H. Bock, Jr. K4MSG |_| "Doin' it the ol'
Principal Systems Engineer | | fashioned way..."
pbock@melpar.esys.com |_| (well, almost)
_______ | |
| | __________ ____O_O____
`*' | | Rice-box | | Ye Olde |
\( )/ |__| (IC-735) |-----| Tuner |
/( )\ |__________| |___________|
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Article 29352 of alt.usage.english:
From: kirk@neptune.gsfc.nasa.gov (Robert Kirk)
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,sci.lang,rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta: phonetic alphabets (repost)
Date: 8 Sep 1994 13:07:56 GMT
Organization: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center -- Greenbelt, Maryland USA
Keywords: alphabets
In article <34l63s$jqj@lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk> Brian.Kelk@cl.cam.ac.uk writes:
>
>
> Phonetic Alphabets (Alpha Bravo etc)
>
>There is a widely known alphabet Alpha Bravo ... Yankee Zulu.
>Such alphabets are variously known as phonetic alphabets,
>radio alphabets and spelling alphabets. This collection
>currently includes alphabets for the following languages:
>
> English, French, German, Dutch, Flemish, Italian,
> Rumantsch, Slovak, Polish, Hungarian, Swedish,
> Finnish, Russian and Chinese.
>
>This posting is a repeat of the one of 23rd July.
>
.....
>
>From a book entitled "The Complete Morse Instructor..." (1944):
>
>able baker charlie dog easy fox george how item jig king
>love mike nan oboe peter queen roger sugar tare uncle victor
>william x-ray yoke zebra
The above alphabet was the official US military, or at least
US Navy, alphabet in use at the time of the changeover to the
current NATO alphabet now used by the military. I learned it
my first year in 1955, and then immediately in the latter
part of 1955 had to learn the new version which is still used.
(That new NATO version used ALFA and not ALPHA.)
Incidently, william, x-ray, yoke, and zebra lived on, and may
still be in use, in the Navy as classifications for the various
classes of damage control readiness on ships on the theory,
I guess, that the condition was a term and not a phonetic
abbreviation. Why rewrite all those manuals? Then again, they
never did worry about issuing new instructions. Maybe it was
so the old timers would have something to reminisce about, like
CW.
Bob Kirk
N3OZB
>
>[The same alphabet is described as "Used by Armed services of
> USA & GB" in the ARRL 1945 Handbook. Entries cited in variants
> of this alphabet: affirm, cast, hypo, inter, negat, option,
> over, prep]
...
+ Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 14:16:25 +1000
+ From: "John Alcorn, VK2JWA"
+ Subject: Re: US Army Air Corps Phonetic alphabet used in ETO
. . .
+ Up until early 1941 the US Army, Navy and other services used different
+ phonetics.
+ They were mostly similar but were not the same and each service
+ jealously guarded their own version and would not agree on a common
+ version.
+
+ The service chiefs could see problems with this in the inevitable
+ involvement in WW2.
+ The chief signals representatives of all services were "invited" to a
+ conference at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where they
+ were put in a "lock in" with all the necessary references and material,
+ dictionaries, pads etc.
+
+ They were told that they would be fed etc. but that the door would be
+ otherwise locked
+ and that no one could leave until they had derived and agreed upon a
+ common phonetic alphabet to be used for all services. This they
+ eventually did.
+
+ This is the Joint Army/Navy (JAN) phonetic alphabet used when the US
+ entered WW2.
+
+ Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, Fox, George, How, Item, Jig,
+ King, Love, Mike, Nan, Oboe, Peter, Queen, Roger, Sail, Tare,
+ Uncle, Victor, William, X-Ray, Yoke, Zebra.
+
+ This they used but it differed from the other allies, principally
+ British, and so some confusion was caused. A common alphabet had to be
+ adopted. This was derived and came into force on the 1st January, 1943.
+
+ It was the same as that above with a few changes which were -
+
+ Golf, Sugar, Zed. 'Zed' became 'Zebra' in 1945.
. . .
+ --
+ John W.Alcorn, VK2JWA Ph.: +61 02-66215217
+ 33 Spring St. Email : jalcorn@nor.com.au
+ LISMORE, NSW. 2480. http://www.nor.com.au/community/sarc/phonetic.htm
+ Australia.
+ Location: Grid QG61QE 28.90 deg South, 153.10 deg East
+
+ "Radiotelegraph and Radiotelephone Codes, Prowords and Abbreviations"