The Poetry in Radio Telephony Communications
“Brevity is the soul of wit.” This is one of the famous statements made by William Shakespeare, the famous English Poet from the 16th Century, which in layman terms means that one can say a lot more by using the minimum of language to convey something. Of course, most of us, (I know I was certainly one of them in this instance), struggled at school with trying to decipher this form of English language from his Century when tasked to study a set workbook written by this accomplished author himself. On the contrary, I do however believe in my later years that William was in fact onto something in his mode of expression, and that this form of application to communications should be the motto of any radio operator today, in any Industry. Let`s explain further…
In any chosen English literature play book, such as Othello and Macbeth for example, you will note that William Shakespeare`s art in communication, `hidden in interpretation` within the many statements associated to his works, (in both written and theatrical form), could most certainly be compared to radio telephony and the application thereof. Herewith follows a list of three such noteworthy comparisons:
- Shakespeare most often wrote in blank verse – (blank meaning that it doesn't rhyme). In radio telephony (RT) communication`s no form of rhyme exists.
- Shakespeare used soliloquy to formulate expression in his writings. A soliloquy is used to allow a character to communicate his or her thoughts without any form of misunderstanding directly to the audience. In radio telephony it is imperative that communication is directed to the intended party, or parties on frequency using the published terminologies to express what is being said.
- Shakespeare`s writing and arts was compiled specifically to grasp the attention of the listener or viewer, (the latter depending on whether you were reading his works or watching a play performance that was aligned to his creativity). In radio telephony the concept of communication on frequency is to attract the attention of the listener, thereby ensuring that they are focused on the content of your transmission.
Many people have asked whether the society from that era really communicated in that manner? Shakespeare wrote dramatic works, and the dialogue was manipulated to suit the stage. His characters' language therefore did not always reflect how real people would have spoken. Let us compare that to the language of radio telephony. If you had to speak normal English on frequency between parties, there is a good chance that ambiguity, confusion and misinterpretation could unfortunately become the order of the day leading to untold consequences. Radio Telephony both in developed, and communication form, has been `manipulated` to meet the needs of online communication with the purpose of avoiding these types of issues just mentioned from occurring.
If William Shakespeare had known his remarkable talent for expression would create a whole new fascinating world of RT communication on frequency centuries later, would he have considered patenting his approach and style to the English language? The answer to this question will never be known, however what is guaranteed is that radio telephony communication on frequency is a very unique style of `poetry` that needs to be expressed and applied in a manner that is intended to gain the same appreciation and response from the listener, just as it continues to do so with Shakespeare`s works till present day.
- Dylan Kemlo