Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
By Barbara McAllister
Word of the Day: Radio
Sun, tires, atom bombs and wireless transmissions share a Latin root. The root word originates from the Latin “radius,” meaning shaft, ray or beam. The sun radiates rays of light, atomic bombs are made with radium, an element that beams dangerous alpha particles. Radial ply tires are so-called because the cords run at right angles to the circumference like shafts or spokes. Radios were originally called a wireless telegraph, and used radiotelegraphy or beams of sound.
Radios were invented in the late 1800s as a means of wireless transmission. There is some dispute whether it was Guglielmo Marconi or Nikola Tesla who first invented it, but the device became vital technology in World War I and World War II. The military could use radios to communicate across long distances and with ships at sea. This spawned the NATO phonetic alphabet used in transmissions today. It was created to avoid oral miscommunication with easily confused sounds between people of different countries, accents and pronunciations working together. In 1956, the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, known as the NATO phonetic alphabet, became an international standard. It is used today in law enforcement, military and aviation, as any pilot, serviceman, policeman or TV watcher knows. For example, S and F or D and T, easily confused, are Sierra Foxtrot and Delta Tango over airwaves, making the sounds easily distinguished. Whether doing global business or ordering pizza, the phonetic alphabet comes in handy. For a fun highlight of how bizarre the English language can be, there’s The Worst Alphabet Book Ever, a twisted children’s book and delight for word nerds. (2018, Sourcebooks Explore) Its alphabet uses examples like P for pterodactyl, G for gnat and K for knot. It’s a tsunami of pseudo phonetic lessons.
