From: Brian.Kelk@cl.cam.ac.uk Phonetic Alphabets (Alpha Bravo etc) There is a widely known alphabet Alpha Bravo ... Yankee Zulu. Such alphabets are variously known as phonetic alphabets, radio alphabets and spelling alphabets. This collection currently includes alphabets for the following languages: English, French, German, Dutch, Flemish, Italian, Rumantsch, Slovak, Polish, Hungarian, Swedish, Finnish, Russian and Chinese. This posting supersedes the one of 28th February. My thanks to the many contributors, not all of whom are acknowledged below. I can make no guarantee of accuracy of this information; indeed please send me any corrections or additions. In my capacity as the editor of this collection I have no objection to the further electronic distribution of this posting in full in circumstances where it is likely to be of interest. Comments in square brackets are my own. Brian Kelk bck1@cl.cam.ac.uk 25 April 1994 ***** ENGLISH ***** The NATO phonetic alphabet: Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta Echo Foxtrot Golf Hotel India Juliet Kilo Lima Mike November Oscar Papa Quebec Romeo Sierra Tango Uniform Victor Whiskey Xray Yankee Zulu [The same alphabet, modulo Alfa and Juliett, is approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization and the FAA. The International Telecommunication Union Phonetics list has: Alfa, Juliette, Oscar/Oskar, Victor/Viktor. Dates from about 1956. UK police use Indigo instead of India (?)] Telecom B: Alfred Benjamin Charles David Edward Frederick George Harry Isaac Jack King London Mary Nellie Oliver Peter Queen Robert Samuel Tommy Uncle Victor William Xray Yellow Zebra [Found in Swedish, Dutch, Hungarian telephone directories. A Swiss directory has: Andrew Charlie Lussy Queenie Sugar] British A: Amsterdam Baltimore Casablanca Denmark Edison Florida Gallipoli Havana Italia Jerusalem Kilogramme Liverpool Madagascar New_York Oslo Paris Quebec Roma Santiago Tripoli Uppsala Valencia Washington Xantippe Yokohama Zurich [An 'international' alphabet in a Dutch telephone directory has: Danemark. A 'French' alphabet in a Hungarian directory has: Cassablanka Danemark Que'bec Upsala Zu"rich] Used by New York Police Department: Adam Boy Charlie David Eddie Frank George Henry Ida John King Larry Mary Nancy O.. Peter Queen Robert Sam Thomas Union Victor William X-ray Yankee Zebra Used by police in Nassau County, Long Island, New York: Adam Boston Chicago Denver Edward Frank George Henry Ida John King Lincoln Mary Nancy Ocean Peter Queen Robert Sam Thomas Union Victor William X-ray Young Zebra Used by police in San Diego, California: Adam Boy Charles David Edward Frank George Henry Ida John King Lincoln Mary Nora Ocean Paul Queen Robert Sam Tom Unit Victor William Xray Yellow Zebra Used by police in Hutchinson, Kansas: Adam Boy Charles David Edward Frank George Henry Ida John King Lincoln Mary Nora Ocean Paul Q.. Robert Sam Tom Union Victor William X-ray Yankee Zebra Sometimes used by radio hams (unofficial): America Boston Canada Denmark England France Germany Honolulu India Japan Kilowatt London Mexico Norway Ontario or Ocean Pacific Quebec Radio Santiago or Spain Tokyo United Victoria Washington Xray Yokohama Zanzibar [Much variation: Amsterdam, Brazil, Baltimore, Chile, Finland, Greece, Guatemala etc] The ARRL (American Radio Relay League) alphabet (1948): Adam Baker Charlie David Edward Frank George Henry Ida John king Lewis Mary Nancy Otto Peter queen Robert Susan Thomas union Victor William x-ray young zebra [Nowadays the ARRL endorses the NATO/ICAO alphabet] Allied Services 1945: Able Baker Charlie Dog Edward Fox George How Item Jig King Love Mike Nan Oboe Peter Queen Roger Sugar Tape Uncle Victor William X-ray Yoke Zebra From a book entitled "The Complete Morse Instructor..." (1944): able baker charlie dog easy fox george how item jig king love mike nan oboe peter queen roger sugar tare uncle victor william x-ray yoke zebra [The same alphabet is described as "Used by Armed services of USA & GB" in the ARRL 1945 Handbook. Entries cited in variants of this alphabet: affirm, cast, hypo, inter, negat, option, over, prep] Western Union: Adams Boston Chicago Denver Easy Frank George Henry Ida John King Lincoln Mary New_York Ocean Peter Queen Roger Sugar Thomas Union Victor William X-ray Young Zero British Army 1927: Ack Beer Charlie Don Edward Freddy George Harry Ink Johnnie King London Monkey Nuts Orange Pip Queen Robert Sugar Toc Uncle Vic William X-ray Yorker Zebra Royal Navy 1917: Apples Butter Charlie Duff Edward Freddy George Harry Ink Johnnie King London Monkey Nuts Orange Pudding Queenie Robert Sugar Tommy Uncle Vinegar Willie Xerxes Yellow Zebra U.S. Army 1916: Able Buy Cast Dock Easy Fox George Have Item Jig King Love Mike Nap Opal Pup Quack Rush Sail Tape Unit Vice Watch X-ray Yoke Zed ***** FRENCH ***** Contributor: Erik Tjong Kim Sang anatole bernard c'ecile denise 'emile fran5cois g'erard henri isidore jean kl'eber louis marcel nicole oscar pierre quital robert suzanne th'er`ese ursule victor wagon xavier yvonne zo'e Contributor: Rudolf Lais (Swiss telephone directory) Anna Berthe Ce'cile Daniel Emile Franc,ois Gustave Henri Ida Jeanne Kilo Louise Marie Nicolas Olga Paul Quittance Robert Suzanne The're`se Ulysse Victor William Xavier Yvonne Zurich ***** GERMAN ***** Contributor: mrosa@eso.org (Michael Rosa) Anton Berta Caesar Dora Emil Friedrich Gustav Heinrich Ida Julius Karl Ludwig Martha Nordpol Otto Paula Quelle Richard Siegfried Theodor Ulrich Viktor Wilhelm Xanthippe Ypsilon Zeppelin Umlaut: A"rger O"dipus U"bel More recent replacements: Konrad Zacharias Contributor: Erik Tjong Kim Sang anton bertha c"asar dora emil friederich gustav heinrich ida julius kaufmann ludwig martha nordpol otto paula quelle richard samuel theodor ulrich viktor wilhelm xanthippe ypsilon zacharias "a "arger ch charlotte "o "okonom sch schule "u "ubermut Contributor: Rudolf Lais (Swiss telephone directory) Anna Bertha Caesar Daniel Emil Friedrich Gustav Heinrich Ida Jakob Kaiser Leopold Marie Niklaus Otto Peter Quelle Rosa Sophie Theodor Ulrich Viktor Wilhelm Xaver Yverdon Zuerich Contributor: Christof A Neumann (issued by Deutsche Bundespost) Anton Bertha Caesar Dora Emil Friedrich Gustav Heinrich Ida Jakob Konrad Ludwig Martha Nordpol Otto Paula Quelle Richard Siegfried Theodor Ulrich Viktor Wilhelm Xantippe Ypsilon Zeppelin sch Schule Contributor: Steve Dunham Anton Berta Caesar Dora Emil Friedrich Gustav Heinrich Ida Johann Kaufmann Ludwig Martha Nordpol Otto Paula quer Richard Siegfried Theodor Ulrich Viktor Wilhelm Xaver Ypsilon Zeppelin ss Eszett Contributor: Anno Siegel Arno Borvaselin Coburg-Gotha Doria Ernst Friedrichsroda Gomorrha Herrenzimmer Ida Jawohl_Odol Kolberg_Ost Leonidas Motor Nora Oekonom Per_Motorrad Quohnsdorf_bei_Forst Revolver Sabine Tod Uniform Verbrennungstod Weltnordpol Xolabaphon York_Yellowstone Zoroaster oe Oekonomie ue Ueberkonto [This alphabet provides mnemonics for Morse code: a syllable corresponds to a dash if it contains 'o', a dot otherwise.] ***** DUTCH and FLEMISH ***** Contributor: Erik Tjong Kim Sang Dutch Flemish a anna arthur b bernhard brussel c cornelis carolina d dirk desire e eduard emiel f ferdinand frederik g gerard gustaaf h hendrik hendrik i izaak isidoor j jan jozef k karel kilogram l lodewijk leopold m marie maria n nico napoleon o otto oscar p pieter piano q quotient qualite r rudolf robert s simon sofie t teunis telefoon u utrecht ursula v victor victor w willem waterloo x xantippe xavier ij ijmuiden - y ypsilon yvonne z zaandam zola ***** ITALIAN ***** Contributor: ebuie@sed.csc.com (Elizabeth Buie) ebuie@starlab.csc.com Ancona, Bologna, Como, Domodossola, Empoli, Firenze, Genova, Hacca, Imola, Jolly, Kappa, Livorno, Milano, Napoli, Otranto, Pisa/Palermo, Quartomiglio, Roma, Savona/Siena, Torino, Udine, Venezia, Wagner, Xilofono, York, Zara Contributor: Rudolf Lais (Swiss telephone directory) Anna Battista Carol Davide Ernesto Federico Giovanni acca Isidoro i_lungo cappa Luigi Maria Nicola Olga Pietro Quintino Rodolfo Susanna Teresa Umberto Vittorio vu_doppia ics ipsilon Zurigo ***** RUMANTSCH ***** Contributor: Rudolf Lais (Swiss telephone directory) Anna Berta Carla Dora Emil Flurin Guido Hugo Ida Judit Kilo Luisa Maria Nesa Otto Paula Quirin Rita Silvia Toni Ursin Victor Willi Xaver Yvonne Zita ***** SLOVAK ***** Contributor: Martin Votruba (telephone directory) Adam, Boz~ena, Cyril, C~adca, Da'vid, D~umbier, Emil, Frantis~ek, Gusta'v, Helena, CHrudim, Ivan, Karol, Ludvi'k, L~ubochn~a, Ma'ria, Norbert, N~ - Nitra, Oto, Peter, Quido, Rudolf, Sva"topluk, S~imon, Toma's~, T~ - Tepla', Urban, Va'clav, W - dvojite' ve', Xaver, Ypsilon, Zuzana, Z~ofia ***** POLISH ***** Contributor: Michal Jankowski (Warsaw telephone directory) Adam Barbara Celina Danuta Ewa Franciszek Genowefa Henryk Irena Jadwiga Karol Leon L/ukasz Maria Natalia Olga Pawel/ Roman Stanisl/aw Tadeusz Urszula Wl/adysl/aw Xantypa Ygrek Zygmunt ***** HUNGARIAN ***** (telephone directory) Andra's Be'la Cecil Do'ra Eleme'r Ferenc Gizella Hajnalka Istva'n Ja'nos Katalin Luca Ma'tya's Na'ndor Olga Piroska Queen Ro'bert Sarolta Ti'mea Ubul Vilmos Walter Xe'nia Ypsilon Zolta'n ***** SWEDISH ***** Contributors: simon@dront.nada.kth.se (Simon Tardell) Jonas Wallgren Adam, Bertil, Cesar, David, Erik, Filip, Gustav, Helge, Ivar, Johan, Kalle, Ludvig, Martin, Niklas, Olof, Petter, Quintus, Rudolf, Sigurd, Tore, Urban, Viktor, Wilhelm, Xerxes, Yngve, Z{ta, ]ke, [rlig, \sten where { is a with dots ] A with ring [ A with dots \ O with dots NB that W does not belong to the Swedish alphabet (it is merely considered a graphical variant of V). ***** FINNISH ***** Contributor: Jukka Rahkonen Aarne Bertta Celsius Daavid Eemeli Faarao Gideon Heikki Iivari Jussi Kalle Lauri Matti Niilo Otto Paavo Kuu Risto Sakari Tyyne Urho Ville Viski [ks{ Yrj| Tseta ]ke [iti \ljy Uppercase Lowercase ] } a with circle (Swedish) [ { a with dots \ | o with dots ***** RUSSIAN ***** Contributor: tom@systemtechnik.tu-ilmenau.de (Thomas Planke) Aleksej Boris Vasilij Grigorij Dmitrij Elena Zhenja Zoya Ivan Ivan_Kratkij Kilowatt Leonid Maria Nikolai Olga Pavel Roman Sergej Tatjana Uljana Fjodor Hariton Zaplja Chelovek Shura Schuka Tviordiy_Znak Igrek Miagkiy_Znak Emilija Yuri Jakow ***** CHINESE ***** The Chinese armed forces use the following in connection with Romanised Mandarin: Aiya Boli Ciqi Desheng Egu Fuzhuang Geming Heping I: Yifu J.. Keren Leguan Mofan Nali Ouyang Polang Q.. Riguang Sixiang Tebie U: Weida V: Wudao W: Wuzhuang X.. Yisheng Zidian ***** END ***** Brian Kelk Cambridge U.K. bck1@cl.cam.ac.uk