Re: UserFriendly.org: Truth in Acronyms

["David Lodge" <dave () cirt net>]

On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 10:48:59 -0000, <Valdis.Kletnieks () vt edu> wrote:
> > DMCA is *not* an acronym. It's an abbreviation. An acronym can be
> > pronounced (like radar, laser and NATO). DMCA cannot be pronounced
> > (easily: DAM-ca? DUM-ca?) ergo it is not an acronym...
> Feeding 'define:acronym' to Google finds this:
> word formed from the initial letters of a series of words. (eg, IEEE is  
> an acronym for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).
> www.lib.vt.edu/help/instruct/glossary.html

And of course, everything on the Internet is factually accurate?

Referring to printed media: The Oxford Guide to Style is pretty much the  
essential book for English writing (being the style guide of Oxford  
University, though it still advocates the evil Oxford Comma). This defines:
"Acronyms are formed from the initial letters of words (SALT, Nazi,  
radar), the results being pronounced as words themselves."

(This is one of those arguments held by grammarians constantly, just like  
whether prepositions are acceptable at the end of a sentence (they are) or  
whether it is okay to split infinitives (it is))

> Note that if there was an absolute requirement
> for words to be pronounceable, Worcestershire
> would be ruled illegal due to having an incorrect number of syllables,  
> and any
> loanword of Welsh origin would be taken out back and shot... ;)

This is side stepping the original point, but the UK is replete with place  
names like this, e.g.: Loughborough (Luf-bra), Berkshire (Barkshire),  
Leicester (Les-ta),  
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch, ad nauseam.

Pedant point held :-) (Though I agree firmly with you about words of Welsh  
origin!)

dave
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