history - Why use the word "copy" in "do you copy that"?


I notice "do you copy that?" is used in movies to ask for confirmation in telephone/interphone conversation.


I only know copy means make things duplicated, so why use it in "do you copy that"? Is there a history about it?



Answer



This comes from military, amateur and CB radio communication


"Do you copy?" or "Copy that!" is likely from when a message had to be written down to be shown to a superior officer


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_procedure



Some words with specialized meanings are used in radio communication throughout the English-speaking world, and in international radio communications, where English is the lingua franca.


Affirmative — Yes
Negative — No
Reading you Five / Loud and clear — I understand what you say 5x5.
Over — I have finished talking and I am listening for your reply. Short for "Over to you."
Out — I have finished talking to you and do not expect a reply.
Clear — I have finished talking to you and will be shutting my radio off.
Roger — Information received/understood.
Copy — Mostly used to acknowledge received information. [May also mean Repeat back to me the information I just gave you. ed.]
Wilco — Will comply (after receiving new directions).
Go ahead or Send your traffic — Send your transmission.
Say again — Please repeat your last message (Repeat is not used as it is a specific command when calling for artillery fire)
Break — Signals a pause during a long transmission to open the channel for other transmissions, especially for allowing any potential emergency traffic to get through.
Break-Break — Signals to all listeners on the frequency, the message to follow is priority.



http://www.dyerlabs.com/communications/procedural_codes.html



Copy probably originally referred to writing or typing a received message, but now has is essentially the same as 'Reading you ...'.



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