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Talk:Acronym

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

See http://www.xrefer.com/entry/591114 .

re ... in contradiction to the normal English rule for abbreviations, what rule are you talking about? I'm very tempted to delete this reference. Eclecticology, Monday, June 17, 2002

I kept that bit when I refactored today, but I don't know either. -- Tarquin

It means what it says: in English, the normal rule for making abbreviations is to use only the first letter of each word, and to ignore 'short words' such as prepositions and conjunctions. Matthew Woodcraft

Some issues:

• quasar: the bolded letters do not match the acronym. Any idea?
• Unesco, snafu: both entries in the 'pedia are capitalized. Which form is correct? - Olivier

Quasar isn't an acronym, it's more of a portmanteau: quasi-stellar radio source. UNESCO seems to think of itself as capitalized if its website means anything. Snafu and fubar are acronymic in origin, but like radar I've never seen them capitalized; both appear lowercased in the American Heritage Dictionary. Anyone got sources that show differently? --Brion

Is there a generic term for the words like: acronym, initialism, portmanteau ... ? - Olivier

There are a lot of people, including me, who would disagree that the definition of acronym includes only pronounceable words. Insisting on a definition of acronym that excludes initialisms seems like unnecessary bias. --Nohat 00:17 20 Jun 2003 (UTC)

http://www.bartleby.com/65/ab/abbrevia.html quotes the The Columbia Encyclopedia by saying:

• "Acronyms are combinations of the first letters/syllables in a group of words to form a new grouping of letters that can be pronounced as a word."

• "a word (as NATO, radar, or snafu) formed from the initial letter or letters of each of the successive parts or major parts of a compound term"

• "A word formed from the initial letters of a name, such as WAC for Women's Army Corps, or by combining initial letters or parts of a series of words, such as radar for radio detecting and ranging."

• "word formed from initial letters of other words (e.g. laser, NATO)"

• "an abbreviation consisting of the first letters of each word in the name of something, pronounced as a word: AIDS is an acronym for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome"

• "a word formed by combining the initial letters or parts of a series of words in a longer phrase, such as scuba for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus"

Second, the article does mention that defining acronym as only being of the type like NATO is supported by some interpretations of dictionary definitions. However, limiting an article's content to only cover a restrictive dictionary definition is not the point of Wikipedia. Many words have meanings that are not covered in dictionaries but are covered in Wikipedia articles.

Moreover, usage of the broader definition of acronym is overwhelming. "Acronym Lists" invariably contain all types of acronyms, with the exception of a few lists compiled by pedants. Additionally, none of the definitions given above explicitly exclude acronyms like IBM; any perceived exclusion would be implied by use of the word 'word' and all examples' being of the NATO type.

Last, usage of a word in context is a far better measure than a dictionary definition of whether it means something in particular or not. Lexicographers mostly just try to capture the usage they have seen, not prescribe how a word should be used. Absence of a particular definition of a word is not necessarily tantamount to condemning such usage.

It should also be noted that most of the definitions given above would exclude acronyms like radar because they include non-initial letters, but no one has argued that they shouldn't be considered acronyms.

http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutwords/TLA?view= says:

• "The expression TLA does indeed stand for 'three letter acronym', and is itself an acronym of three letters." (Note: TLA is not pronounced /tlA/.)

http://www.ucc.ie/cgi-bin/acronym says:

• "An acronym is a label formed from the beginnings of words (Greek: acro [head] and nym [word]) -- or very rarely, from letters in the middle of words. There is no requirement that an acronym be pronounceable as a normal word (this is a curious myth perpetuated by American dictionaries): IBM is just as much an acronym as LASER."

The "Google Glossary" at http://labs.google.com/glossary says:

• "Find definitions for words, phrases and acronyms. Examples: lymph node, DMZ, [...], CORBA, [...], ADSL, [...], EBITDA, [...], MPAA, Pocket PC, DTP, COGS," (terms and phrases elided)

http://www.wordsmyth.net/live/home.php?script=search&matchent=V-J+Day&matchtype=exact says:

• "V-J Day. Pronunciation vi je de Definition 1. [...] (acronym for "victory in Japan")." (irrelevant portion of definition elided)

--Nohat 22:35 20 Jun 2003 (UTC)

Ha sanyone else noticed "false acronym syndrome" - the tendency of some companies to encourage everyone to write their names in capitals, as if they were acronyms. For example, ALSTOM and the new MINI? Andy G 04:01, 18 Jan 2004 (UTC)

How to Get on Radio Talk Shows All Across America w/o Leaving Home		This Broad's Life: The Raucous, Riveting Autobiography of the Most Outrageous Radio Talk-Show Host in America Today		You Can't Say That : Common Sense From America's Number One Gay Radio Talk Show Host		How to Get On Radio Talk Shows All Across America
Talk Show Selects 1999: A Guide to the Nation's Most Influential Television and Radio Talk Shows		Talk Show Selects 1998: A Guide to the Nation's Most Influential Television and Radio Talk Shows (1998 Edition)		Talk Show Yearbook 2000: A Guide to the Nation's Most Influential Television and Radio Talk Shows (Talk Show Selects, 2000)		Conduct a National Radio Talk Show Tour Without Leaving Your Home or Office...Without Paying a Cent for Air Time (How to Make People Buy Whatever You)