ABSTRACT
Auditory warnings can be thought of as a specific type of alarm, although the terms “auditory warning” and “alarm” are not entirely synonymous. “Alarm” may be thought of as the generic term for all forms of sounds which attract attention, Including animal calls, burglar and car alarms, equipment alarms and so on. Auditory warnings are sounds which attract attention, but for the specific purpose of providing additional support and information in potentially dangerous situations. They can be more specifically construed as attention-getting sounds that can, when well designed, both attract attention and inform the hearer so that s/he will then take appropriate action. “Auditory warning” can also be construed to include speech warnings, although these are excluded from this article as detailed discussion of intelligibility and comprehensibility are required. Other terms such as “alerts” and “attensons” (attention-getting sound) are used but there is no universally agreed terminology.
