Analyzing the use of personal pronouns in aeronautical communications through CORPAC (corpus of pilot and air traffic controller communications)

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the use of personal pronouns in aeronautical communications based on CORPAC, a specialized corpus. Pronouns can play an important role in multitasking communicative scenarios such as the one featured in aviation and therefore it is of paramount importance that identities be clearly set in operations. In light of Neville’s (2004) study about cockpit’s identities, this investigation addresses the frequency and patterns of usage of personal pronouns - especially I, we and you, using corpus linguistic tools. The corpus exploration provides evidence that such pronouns are indeed very frequently used, despite official orientations that do not recommend their use in order to avoid problems such as ambiguity. The examination reveals consistent and interpretable patterns associated to Neville’s (2004) assumptions and has significant implications for training and testing purposes in the field of Aeronautical English.