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The Korean Association for the Study of English Language and Linguistics
[ Article ]
Korea Journal of English Language and Linguistics - Vol. 26, No. 0, pp.968-987
ISSN: 1598-1398 (Print) 2586-7474 (Online)
Print publication date 31 Aug 2026
Received 28 May 2026 Revised 16 Jul 2026 Accepted 18 Jul 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15738/kjell.26..202608.968

Beyond Routine Phraseology: Developing an Instructional Content Framework for Emergency Aviation English

Youn-hee Kim
Visiting Professor, Division of General English University of Seoul Changgong Building, 4-222, University of Seoul 163 Seoulsiripdaero, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, Korea, Tel: +82-2-6490-5227 kimyh@uos.ac.kr


© 2026 KASELL All rights reserved
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Despite the centrality of English to aviation safety, current Aviation English instruction remains largely confined to routine radiotelephony and standardized phraseology, leaving the distinct communicative demands of emergency situations inadequately addressed. This study develops a structured instructional content framework for emergency Aviation English grounded in a systematic communicative classification of emergency situations. Using a developmental research design, the study analyzes ICAO and FAA regulatory documents, Aviation English literature, and authentic pilot-controller communication data, classifying emergency situations into seven categories according to the communicative functions, linguistic resources, and interactional strategies they require. Building on this communicative analysis, the study develops a four-stage instructional framework comprising Vocabulary and Pronunciation, Communication Protocol, Practice Activities, and Scenario-Based Simulation, designed for implementation across diverse technology-mediated learning environments. As a design and development study, the framework establishes a communicatively grounded instructional foundation for future implementation and empirical evaluation.

Keywords:

Aviation English, emergency communication, pilot-controller interaction, technology-mediated learning, instructional content framework

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2023S1A5A8078791).

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