Language for the Radio Amateur.
An excellent illustration of the usage of the English language sent to
me by an observant girl whilst in Scotland; read, inwardly digest and subsequently
understand!
- LANGUAGE FOR AND BY THE RADIO AMATEUR.
To assist the Radio Amateur and also people interested or merely curious in the language used on the bands, here are a few examples in English of the use of that language. We begin with the short description of the more commonly-used "Q-codes" which are intended for C.W. (morse telegraphy) usage but are also used when speaking by very many amateur operators:-
Q-Code: Interpretation: ------ -------------- QRA Locator grid definition. QRG The exact frequency. QRK The readability of signals. QRL Busy. Frequency busy. Working. QRM Manually-generated interference. QRN Naturally-generated atmospherics. QRO Increased or High power. QRP Decreased or Low power. QRS C.W. reduced speed. QRT Stopping transmissions, station OFF. QRV Ready / listening on the band. QRX Standing by, or waiting. QRZ Asking who was calling. QSA Strength of signals: use the S-grades. QSB Signal fading. QSL Reception or contact confirmation. QSO A contact; the contact in progress. QSY Transmission frequency or frequency change. QTH Station location, compass lat/long or place name. QTR The current exact time, properly in G.M.T.Incidentally - you think English is easy?? Well it is, really, it just takes a little thought to get used to. Naturally, if you have a callsign with a "G" (GM = Scotland, GD = Manx, EI = Ireland, GI = Northern Ireland, GW = Wales) prefix or another in that multinational series you may find it somewhat easier in the beginning!!! However some illustration and questioning is in order, so therefore a subset of such is presented below, beginning with some differing meanings and pronunciations. So here are a score (twenty...) example statements:-
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time
to present the present to her.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present. ( <-- Well I wouldn't
exactly buck my duties in the presence of a beautiful female.)
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow. (<--Clever pig!)
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail in.
18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
Let's face it - English is said to be a crazy language by some people. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger (not even a radio amateur although some hams do eat them); neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are 'candies' while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce (although they sometimes grouse!) and hammers don't ham?
( <-- Actually, in my experience they do on the stage!)
If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One
goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem
crazy that you can make amends but not one amend?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats
vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Some people think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum
for the verbally insane. I mean, in what language do people recite at a play
and play at a recital? Or ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Or have noses
that run and feet that smell?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a
wise guy are opposites?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a
language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill
in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm goes off by going on.
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the
creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That
is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are
out, they are invisible. (<-- But not effectively inaudible, as evidenced by foul exclamations voiced when one hits a toe on one of them...)
PS. - Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick'? ( <-- Because a Mercedes is quicker than a Buick!)
You lovers (of Amateur Radio and the English language in it of course) might enjoy this too:
There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other
two-letter word, and that is 'UP.'
It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the
list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? (<-- No comment... perhaps it depends upon what you were dreaming of before?!)
At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? ( <-- Because someone likes their own voice and their own agenda?)
Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is
it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?
We call UP our friends. ( <-- Or, call ON them when you need something).
And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the
leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.
We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.
People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and
think UP excuses.
To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special. ( <-- Yet it'd also be very special if you were a lady UP to UNdressing with me...)
A drain must be opened UP if it is stopped UP.
We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.
We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP! ( <-- Yes, it's a right mess-UP!)
To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the
dictionary.
In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can
add UP to about thirty definitions.
If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP
is used. ( <-- So what are you waiting for? Get DOWN to it then!)
It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may
wind UP with a hundred or more.
When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. (<-- I say it looks like it'll be getting damned wet!)
When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP.
When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.
When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.
One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP,
for now my time is UP, so........it is time to shut UP!
Now it's UP to you what you do with this information. ( <-- Just don't get UPpity at me for bringing it to your attention!)
73's and 88's as appropriate, de PA2TG.
You can E-mail the
author of these pages (Trevor Gale) by using
this link, or by sending mail to tgale@tgale.net on the Dutch Internet
service provider XS4ALL. 