Flag semaphore
Flag semaphore (from the
Contemporary semaphore flag system
The current flag semaphore system uses two short poles with square flags, which a signal person holds in different positions to signal letters of the alphabet and numbers. The signaller holds one pole in each hand, and extends each arm in one of eight possible directions. Except for in the rest position, the flags do not overlap. The flags are colored differently based on whether the signals are sent by sea or by land. At sea, the flags are colored red and yellow (the Oscar flag), while on land, they are white and blue (the Papa flag). Flags are not required; their purpose is to make the characters more obvious.[citation needed]
Characters
The following 30 semaphore characters are presented as they would appear when facing the signalperson:
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A or 1
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B or 2
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C or 3
Acknowledge / Correct -
D or 4
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E or 5
Error (if signaled 8 times) -
F or 6
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G or 7
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H or 8
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I or 9
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J
Letters to follow -
K or 0
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L
-
M
-
N
-
O
-
P
-
Q
-
R
-
S
-
T
-
U
-
V
-
W
-
X
-
Y
-
Z
-
Rest / Space
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Numerals (#)
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Error / Attention
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Cancel / Annul
Disregard previous signal
Numbers can be signaled by first signaling "Numerals". Letters can be signaled by first signaling "J".[citation needed]
The sender uses the "Attention" signal to request permission to begin a transmission. The receiver uses a "Ready to receive" signal not shown above to grant permission to begin the transmission. The receiver raises both flags vertical overhead and then drops them to the rest position, once only, to grant permission to send. The sender ends the transmission with the "Ready to receive" signal. The receiver can reply with the "Attention" signal. At this point, sender and receiver change places.
Origin
Flag semaphore originated in 1866 as a handheld version of the
Japanese semaphore
The Japanese merchant marine and armed services have adapted the flag semaphore system to the Japanese language.[5] Because their writing system involves a syllabary of about twice the number of characters in the Latin alphabet, most characters take two displays of the flags to complete; others need three and a few only one. The flags are specified as a solid white rectangle for the left hand and a solid red one for the right. The display motions chosen are not like the "rotary dial" system used for the Latin alphabet letters and numbers; rather, the displays represent the angles of the brush strokes used in writing in the katakana syllabary and in the order drawn. For example, the character for "O" [オ], which is drawn first with a horizontal line from left to right, then a vertical one from top to bottom, and finally a slant between the two; follows that form and order of the arm extensions. It is the right arm, holding the red flag, which moves as a pen would, but in mirror image so that the observer sees the pattern normally. As in telegraphy, the katakana syllabary is the one used to write down the messages as they are received. Also, the Japanese system presents the number 0 by moving flags in a circle, and those from 1 through 9 using a sort of the "rotary dial" system, but different from that used for European languages.
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Practical use in communication
Semaphore flags are also sometimes used as means of communication in the mountains where oral or electronic communication is difficult to perform. Although they do not carry flags, the
Along with Morse code, flag semaphore is currently used by the US Navy and also continues to be a subject of study and training for young people of Scouts. In a satirical nod to the flag semaphore's enduring use into the age of the Internet, on April Fools' Day 2007 the Internet Engineering Task Force standards organization outlined the Semaphore Flag Signaling System, a method of transmitting Internet traffic via a chain of flag semaphore operators.[9]
Use in popular culture
The album cover for the Beatles' 1965 album Help! was originally to have portrayed the four band members spelling "help" in semaphore, but the result was deemed aesthetically unpleasing, and their arms were instead positioned in a meaningless but aesthetically pleasing arrangement.[10]
In the 1960s poet Hannah Weiner composed poems using flag semaphore and the International Code of Signals,[11] including a version of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet titled "R+J."[12] In 1968, These works were performed by off-duty U.S. Coast Guard signalers in Central Park.[13]
The second episode in the second series of Monty Python's Flying Circus depicted the Emily Brontë novel Wuthering Heights enacted in semaphore.
The
See also
References
- ^ "semaphore, n.". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ "History of Semaphore" (PDF). Royal Navy Communications Branch Museum/Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
- ^ Alexander J. Field, "French optical telegraphy, 1795–1855: Hardware, software, administration", Technology and Culture, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 315–347, April 1994.
- ^ Signals at Sea, Information sheet no 104, Library and Information Services, The National Museum: Royal Navy: Portsmouth, accessed and archived 26 October 2019.
- ^ a b "The Flag Signalling System in Japan". 22 July 2011. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "Ocean City Beach Patrol Semaphore Alphabet" (PDF). Oceancitymd.gov.
- ^ Bayley, Stephen (6 April 2008). "Fifty years on, the CND logo is the ultimate design for life". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 April 2008.
- ^ Kathryn Westcott (20 March 2008). "World's best-known protest symbol turns 50". BBC News.
He [Gerald Holtom] considered using a Christian cross motif but, instead, settled on using letters from the semaphore – or flag-signalling – alphabet, super-imposing N (uclear) on D (isarmament) and placing them within a circle symbolising Earth.
- .
- ISBN 978-1-59226-176-5.
- JSTOR 20598863. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ISBN 9780940170032.
- ^ "Various Artists: The Language of Things". Public Art Fund. Retrieved 2 January 2024.