A B737 FLC COMPLAINT OF APCH CTLR WORKLOAD THAT CREATED A POTENTIAL CONFLICT WITH TURNS AND A DSCNT TO AVOID TFC ASSIGNED TO THE SAME RWY AT PHX; AZ.

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CHKED ON WITH PHX APCH AND TOLD TO EXPECT RWY 26R. A 300 DEG HDG WAS GIVEN TO US AND A SPD REDUCTION TO 220 KTS. AFTER A FEW MINS; APCH TOLD US TO FLY A 350 DEG HDG FOR LIFE FLT TFC. FREQ WAS VERY BUSY WITH 1 CTLR WORKING THE VISUAL APCHS TO BOTH PARALLEL RWYS AND WHAT SEEMED TO BE THE SUDDEN ADDITION OF A SECOND LIFE FLT ACFT. WE RECEIVED CLRNC TO EXPEDITE OUR DSCNT. WE EXTENDED GEAR AND FLAPS TO COMPLY. CTLR THEN GAVE US A 290 DEG HDG AND CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 26R. WE COMPLIED AND AS WE APCHED THE LOC COURSE FOR RWY 26R WE RECEIVED A TFC ALERT ON OUR TCASII. THE FO VISUALLY ACQUIRED THE ACFT -- A LIFE FLT ACFT. WE THEN RECEIVED A TCASII RA TO DSND; WHICH WE COMPLIED WITH AS WE TURNED TO THE L. WE IMMEDIATELY ASKED THE CTLR WHICH RWY WE WERE CLRED FOR. HE REPLIED 'RWY 26L; CONTACT THE TWR 120.9.' I TOLD HIM HE SAID RWY 26R INITIALLY AND THEN WE SWITCHED TO TWR AND WERE CLRED TO LAND; WHICH WAS UNEVENTFUL. BOTH THE FO AND I AND THE JUMP SEAT RIDER ALL HEARD THE CTLR SAY RWY 26R. WE ASSUMED HE JUST MISSPOKE IN THE CONFUSION OF THE LIFE FLT ACFT ARRS. PHX CTLRS FREQUENTLY ASSIGN ONE RWY ON INITIAL CONTACT AND THEN CHANGE IT AT THE LAST MIN JUST AS WE ARE MAKING THE LAST TURN TO JOIN FINAL APCH. EITHER THEY SHOULD ASSIGN A RWY AND STICK TO IT OR ASSIGN NO RWY AND ASSIGN IT AT THE LAST VECTOR TO FINAL -- NOT BOTH. THERE SHOULD ALSO BE MORE SPECIFIC OR ATTN-GETTING PHRASEOLOGY DESIGNED AND USED WHEN A CLRNC TO A RWY OTHER THAN THE ORIGINAL RWY IS GIVEN. 1 CTLR WORKING ALL ACFT ON FINAL IS ALSO STUPID. THERE IS JUST TOO MUCH TFC FOR 1 CTLR TO BE CLRING ACFT FOR VISUAL APCHS USING 2 DIFFERENT BUT SIMILAR SOUNDING RWYS AND 2 STREAMS OF ACFT FROM DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. I TELEPHONED APCH CTL AFTER LNDG AND THEY REPLIED THAT THERE WAS NO PROB AND THAT EVERYTHING WORKED OUT OK.