FLT CREW OF B737-700 ON CIVET STAR TO LAX; MISINTERP APCH CTLR'S ABBREVIATED ASSIGNMENT OF RWY 25L AS A VECTOR 25 DEGS L OF COURSE. RPTRS CITE NON STANDARD PHRASEOLOGY.

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THE CTR CTLR KEPT US HIGH FOR TFC AHEAD AND BELOW. THEN ISSUED LOWER AND A HDOF TO SOCAL. SOCAL: CROSS GRAMM AT FL190. COMPANY: WE ARE DOING OUR BEST; WE GOT A LATE DSCNT FROM CTR. SOCAL: REDUCE TO 250 KTS. COMPANY: 250 SPD; WE WILL BE UNABLE FL190 AT GRAMM. SOCAL: 25L FOR TFC. COMPANY: 25L. SOCAL: DSND VIA THE CIVET 5 PROFILE. COMPANY: DSND VIA CIVET 5; WE ARE ON AN ASSIGNED HDG; DO YOU WANT US BACK ON THE ARR? SOCAL: YOU WERE NOT GIVEN A HDG TURN R DIRECT TO LUVYN. COMPANY: REPEAT THE FIX. SOCAL: L-U-V-Y-N RWY 25L. THE CONTEXT OF THE COMS AT THE TIME OF THE ERROR WERE TO AVOID TFC/MAINTAIN SEPARATION WITH TFC DIRECTLY AHEAD AND BELOW. WE DID NOT FOLLOW THE CHANGE OF SUBJECT IN THE CONVERSATION TO RWY ASSIGNMENT BECAUSE SOCAL DID NOT USE THE WORDS 'EXPECT' OR 'RWY' IN THE INSTRUCTIONS. ALSO; WE DID NOT USE THE WORD 'TURN TO' OR 'HDG' IN OUR READBACK. BOTH ATC AND PLTS ABBREVIATE COMS WHEN THE FREQ IS CONGESTED. FORMAL PRECISE COMS PREVENT THE MAJORITY OF MISCOMS; HOWEVER; THIS DOES CONSUME MORE 'AIR TIME.' THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO AVOID THIS ERROR WAS FOR THE CTLR TO USE PROPER PHRASEOLOGY; WHICH HE DID NOT. I WILL ONCE AGAIN EMPHASIZE THIS FOR MYSELF AND MY CREW.