Indeed a very rewarding thread.
First time I was in the US (time building on light twins) I was puzzled by the "taxi into position and hold" phrase. Which position?
"The whole point of standard R/T phraseology is just that - to allow pilots with a less than perfect command of the language to cope by knowing and understanding a set of standard phrases."
I consider myself to be fluent in english and I still get confused. Especially when the norwegians call and say "inbound ZOL" for example. Is that direct?
Standard phrases are there to avoid confusion. We don't use the word take-off unless a clearance to take-off has been issued. Up to that point it's departure.
We need pilots in good command of the language and that adhere to standard phrases. Any other combination is a compromise that affects safety.
/LnS