Intercomprehension Approaches to Building Up Listening Skills in Maritime English

Abstract

Nowadays, with the introduction of multilingual crews and the loss of universal forms of communication, the importance of English as the 'lingua franca' of the sea has become paramount. In the aftermath of Intermar (a European Cooperation Programme under Key Action 2 of the Transversal Programme), this paper showcases part of the project's final result - online custom-designed courses for Intercomprehension (a 'natural' form of communication based on mutual understanding) and Maritime English. The ultimate goal of this project was to create of consortium of 18 institutions including European maritime colleges, both merchant marine and naval, as well as universities with a language training component; among which Mircea cel Batran Naval Academy of Constanta where the Intermar course was piloted during December 2012 and March 2013 with positive feedback from students. The course modules contain task-based learning materials, many set in a maritime context, with Teachers' guidelines that are also available as well as assessment tools (tests) that are provided to evaluate the learner during the entire process and at the end of each language module. Several activities within the learning/teaching modules focus on the identification of communication problems resulting from the pronunciation/production of English words/sounds by non-native speakers or other obstacles to communication such as volume, speed, rhythm, intonation, different accents, etc. in an effort to minimize misunderstanding both at sea and ashore. This paper will actually revolve around the presentation of the above-mentioned activities based on IC and oral reception strategies, and their relevance for a successful communication.