Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
, which CANSO supports.
English answer:
either "initiative" or "harmonisation and coordination of efforts"
Added to glossary by
Charles Davis
Aug 28, 2013 18:18
10 yrs ago
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English term
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, which CANSO supports.
English
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IATA documentation
Does the pronoun "which" refer to "initiative" or "efforts" or to the whole sentence?
"The 1st edition of the Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP, Doc 10004, refer A38-WP/92) provides a strategic planning framework for Regional Aviation Safety Groups (RASGs), States and industry to ensure the harmonization and coordination of efforts aimed at improving aviation safety. Given the many safety initiatives and programmes that do already exist and are being planned, cooperative and collaborative approaches are essential to success. In this sense, the 1st edition of the GASP as a high-level policy document is a welcome initiative for ensuring harmonisation and coordination of efforts, ***which CANSO supports***."
"The 1st edition of the Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP, Doc 10004, refer A38-WP/92) provides a strategic planning framework for Regional Aviation Safety Groups (RASGs), States and industry to ensure the harmonization and coordination of efforts aimed at improving aviation safety. Given the many safety initiatives and programmes that do already exist and are being planned, cooperative and collaborative approaches are essential to success. In this sense, the 1st edition of the GASP as a high-level policy document is a welcome initiative for ensuring harmonisation and coordination of efforts, ***which CANSO supports***."
Change log
Sep 2, 2013 10:45: Charles Davis Created KOG entry
Responses
+1
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Selected
either "initiative" or "harmonisation and coordination of efforts"
I think it must be one of these two, but it's really impossible to tell which.
There are several precedings nouns or noun clauses that "which might refer to". Apart from the two I've mentioned, there are also "efforts", which is the noun immediately preceding "which", and the entire clause "the 1st edition of the GASP [...] is a welcome initiative [...]". However, although both of these are syntactically possible, I think they can be ruled out on semantic grounds. It seems unlikely that the meaning is that CANSO supports efforts or that it welcomes the fact that GASP is a welcome initiative. The former seems too vague as well as too obvious, and the latter doesn't really make sense.
Nor do I think that the antecedent of which can be the 1st edition of GASP, for syntactic reasons. Of course, it is clearly true that CANSO supports the 1st edition of GASP, but formally speaking "which" cannot be taken to refer the subject of the preceding clause.
So I think the choice is between "initiative" (and by extension the whole noun phrase "initiative for ensuring harmonisation and coordination of efforts"), or the noun phrase "harmonisation and coordination of efforts". Either of these is syntatically possible and both make good sense as things CANSO might support. But I think it's impossible to say which is meant.
Resorting to other evidence, perhaps the following, from CANSO's "Update Americas" newletter, suggests that it refers to "harmonisation and coordination of efforts", since this is one of their declared aims:
"The Committee is concentrating to ensure harmonisation and coordination of safety efforts aimed at reducing aviation risks in the region."
http://www.canso.org/cms/streambin.aspx?requestid=2C15D5B6-E...
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Note added at 2 hrs (2013-08-28 21:16:37 GMT)
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Pardon the typing errors above: line 1 of the second paragraph should of course read: "There are several preceding nouns or noun clauses that "which" might refer to."
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Note added at 3 hrs (2013-08-28 21:19:08 GMT)
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But then, of course, if it supports harmonisation and coordination of efforts, it will naturally also support an initiative for ensuring harmonisation and coordination of efforts. It really can be read either way.
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Note added at 3 hrs (2013-08-28 21:30:36 GMT)
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One marginal factor which might indicate that "which" refers to "harmonisation and ccordination of efforts" is that it has already said that the document is a welcome initiative (welcome to CANSO, presumably), and if the meaning is "a welcome initiative, which CANSO supports", it is effectively saying the same thing twice. I'm inclined to think that the implicit meaning is: CANSO supports harmonisation and coordination of efforts, and it therefore welcomes this initiative for ensuring them.
There are several precedings nouns or noun clauses that "which might refer to". Apart from the two I've mentioned, there are also "efforts", which is the noun immediately preceding "which", and the entire clause "the 1st edition of the GASP [...] is a welcome initiative [...]". However, although both of these are syntactically possible, I think they can be ruled out on semantic grounds. It seems unlikely that the meaning is that CANSO supports efforts or that it welcomes the fact that GASP is a welcome initiative. The former seems too vague as well as too obvious, and the latter doesn't really make sense.
Nor do I think that the antecedent of which can be the 1st edition of GASP, for syntactic reasons. Of course, it is clearly true that CANSO supports the 1st edition of GASP, but formally speaking "which" cannot be taken to refer the subject of the preceding clause.
So I think the choice is between "initiative" (and by extension the whole noun phrase "initiative for ensuring harmonisation and coordination of efforts"), or the noun phrase "harmonisation and coordination of efforts". Either of these is syntatically possible and both make good sense as things CANSO might support. But I think it's impossible to say which is meant.
Resorting to other evidence, perhaps the following, from CANSO's "Update Americas" newletter, suggests that it refers to "harmonisation and coordination of efforts", since this is one of their declared aims:
"The Committee is concentrating to ensure harmonisation and coordination of safety efforts aimed at reducing aviation risks in the region."
http://www.canso.org/cms/streambin.aspx?requestid=2C15D5B6-E...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2013-08-28 21:16:37 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Pardon the typing errors above: line 1 of the second paragraph should of course read: "There are several preceding nouns or noun clauses that "which" might refer to."
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2013-08-28 21:19:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
But then, of course, if it supports harmonisation and coordination of efforts, it will naturally also support an initiative for ensuring harmonisation and coordination of efforts. It really can be read either way.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2013-08-28 21:30:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
One marginal factor which might indicate that "which" refers to "harmonisation and ccordination of efforts" is that it has already said that the document is a welcome initiative (welcome to CANSO, presumably), and if the meaning is "a welcome initiative, which CANSO supports", it is effectively saying the same thing twice. I'm inclined to think that the implicit meaning is: CANSO supports harmonisation and coordination of efforts, and it therefore welcomes this initiative for ensuring them.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you very much. Charles!"
48 mins
cynthiatesser
Italy
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the 1st edition of the GASP
I think "which" refers to the 1st edition of the GASP, a project supported by CANSO
+1
2 hrs
Mia Wilson
United Kingdom
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it currently refers to the initative
This is a non-restrictive clause, which means it is providing additional information that does not change the meaning of the sentence. As it is currently, "which" refers to the initiative mentioned in the final sentence.
If the author wanted to refer to the first edition of the GASP, it would be written like this:
"In this sense, the 1st edition of the GASP as a high-level policy document, which CANSO supports, is a welcome initiative for ensuring harmonisation and coordination of efforts."
If the author wanted to refer to the first edition of the GASP, it would be written like this:
"In this sense, the 1st edition of the GASP as a high-level policy document, which CANSO supports, is a welcome initiative for ensuring harmonisation and coordination of efforts."
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