Communicative language ability in Maritime English: Concept, significance, and assessment.

Abstract

The English language is the lingua franca in the maritime industry - being proficient in English in maritime transport communication is a precursor to safety. The paper aims to explore Maritime English specificities, seafarers' language competence needs and evaluation solutions, and the significance of the concept of communicative language ability in Maritime English as well as to present the assessment instrument and its application in sea communication tasks. The model of communicative language ability with its competences and their significance in the maritime context are presented. This model is valuable for designing an instrument to measure speaking ability in an oral communication task. The instrument Communicative Language Ability Scale (CLAS) and its application in Maritime English communication tasks are analyzed. The implementation of CLAS in English for specific purposes context, which is the crux of Maritime English, showed that the instrument is valid, reliable, and internally consistent. The vocabulary (Standard Maritime Communication Phrases), pragmatic competence, communication strategies, and nonverbal communication factors are of paramount importance in Maritime English communication use.