I tackle social issues a lot, but Im going to mention a pet peeve - TopicsExpress



          

I tackle social issues a lot, but Im going to mention a pet peeve of mine that is possibly merely an example of my somewhat pedantic nature, but it just bugs me. Here it is: An acronym is a pronounceable word derived from the initials of other words or fragments of other words in combination. Initials alone, when read out, letter for letter, are not acronyms. I hear smart people whom I admire make this mistake (Brent Bambury of Day 6 is the last person I like who did made this error). Heres a list of acronyms: NASA, Radar, laser, NATO, WASP. Here are some initializations that are often called acronyms, but are not: RSVP, LGBT, CBC, BYOB, BYOV, DIY. The distinction is clear: if youre just saying the individual letters, its not an acronym. My initials (TJM) are just initials; my brothers initials (CAM) are just initials if you read them out, but could be an acronym, technically, since a pronounceable word is formable. [Pedantic Rant Over]
Posted on: Wed, 09 Apr 2014 17:06:01 +0000

Recently Viewed Topics




© 2015