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Star Army Phonetic Alphabet

Wes

Wes

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I was thinking about what words the Star Army would use for its phonetic alphabet. I decided that it might be best to use iconic Yamataian words and names. I included several empresses.

Here's my suggestion:

Aether
Battery
Celia
Daisy
Eucharis
Frontier
Galaxy
Himiko
Imperial
Jiyuu
Katsuko
Legion
Mindy
Neko
Orbit
Palace
Quantum
Rank-pin
Sakura
Taiie
Uniform
Victory
Weapon
Xiuluria
Yamatai
Zesuaium

What do you guys think?
 
I'd stick to Whisky Tango Foxtrot for the same reasons you want nekos to have five fingers by default.

If you go for that, I feel it's a double-standard, and I'd ask you to change your mind about nekos to have them have four fingers by default.
 
Went with all women instead, and kept it shorter, more like LEO than NATO. Two syllables to win! Also figuring that the Neps had one in Trade before that the GSA would have borrowed.

A-ko, Blake, Carla, Dana, Erin, Franny, Gina, Helen, Ida, Jill, Katie, Lucy, Mary, Nora, Olive, Pyrrha, Queen, Ruby, Sara, Tami, Umi, Vera, Weiss, X-Ray, Yui, Zelda.
 
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I think, if you're going to have one, it makes sense. On the other hand, unless you plan to make that list readily available with a quick click from nearly anywhere, it's going to be difficult to get some people to use them.
 
Rhysis echoes something I was thinking too. I'm hoping they won't be mandatory, as I'll want no part with them. In fact, even if they end up optional, that being in the wiki might confuse some of my more wiki aware player in using them and causing a divide there.

Suffice to say, I'm not very fond of the idea.
 
Rubi and Yui sound pretty similar

As do Sara and Dana

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As for Wes,

Xiuluria <- I wouldn't know how to pronounce that from looking at it (Zee-ooloo-ria?)

Zesuaium <- And I think I've actually heard this pronounced a few different ways.

Eucharis <- You-car-is, really makes it sound like a U word rather than an E word. Embrace would be my suggestion, though it kinda has the same problem... ee maybe? That is perhaps the most E word on the Stararmy glossary.

Rank-pin <- Minor quabbles with this word. I feel like in a rush you might say "Rank, Pin" instead of "rankpin". You might as well just say 'Rank' since I feel like it gets the point across better. Also, why not 'Rodriguez?' Sure it is longer, harder to say, and not very Yamatai, but it is just about the most R word that exists. Just try and say "Rodriguez" without making 2 R sounds. If you do it right can roll the R and get a ton of R sounds in there.

'Rrrodrrriguez.'

Just rolls off the tongue.

Mindy/Daisy <- I think these are common enough armors that you run the risk of confusing Mindy as in M with Mindy as in "LOOK! A MINDY!"


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I think I like the list of things better than the litany of names. It is a bit more distinct in the head, and the words sound more different so you're less likely to be misunderstood.

And now that I'm home and can post for realzies:

 
Random Nekovalkyrja: "What the hell is Quebec??"
 
Wes said:
Random Nekovalkyrja: "What the hell is Quebec??"
Click to expand...
Honestly, this is why I'm surprised nobody ever suggested copying the NATO phonetic, but simply swapping out any Earth-specific terms (basically just India, November (now), Quebec, and maybe Yankee). November would obviously be Nekovalkyrja, Yankee would be Yamatai, India could be Iroma or something, and just find a Q-word somewhere in the setting. Keep the rest of the NATO alphabet, and boom, you've got something that most people should be able to remember.
 
Gabriel said:
Honestly, this is why I'm surprised nobody ever suggested copying the NATO phonetic, but simply swapping out any Earth-specific terms (basically just India, November (now), Quebec, and maybe Yankee). November would obviously be Nekovalkyrja, Yankee would be Yamatai, India could be Iroma or something, and just find a Q-word somewhere in the setting. Keep the rest of the NATO alphabet, and boom, you've got something that most people should be able to remember.
Click to expand...
Because anyone not a veteran or geek wouldn't know it anyway. I only half know it.

I based it on LAPD alphabet because I use that at work and the words are faster to say.
 
I don't think the Star Army would need this, since most personnel are Nekos who can easily receive non-verbal transmissions, and other characters are more likely to have workarounds as well as higher-quality audio, so there's less need to compensate. It might be fun, just to create a modern day aviation-equivalent feel, but I'd be more interested in seeing communications protocols that make use of the tech that isn't common in the real world.

Where the tech is pretty low and gritty, like with Freespacers, I imagine there could be some very fun (and clashing!) idiosyncratic systems like this just for basic radio, though.
 
Good point. The phonetic alphabet only exists to ensure accurate transmission over low-quality, static-filled communication lines. Absent those, I think you're right.
 
@HAMnJAM used Avatar for "A" and I really liked that. What is the ultimate decision on this, though, @Wes? Mind if I wikify whatever the official phonetic alphabet is?
 
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