Questions tagged [initialisms]
An initialism is an abbreviation which consists of the initial components of a phrase or word, and which is mainly pronounced by spelling the initialism aloud.
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NASA: pronunciation /ˈnæsə/
Why is the 1958 acronym NASA pronounced /ˈnæsə/?
Generally, the rule goes
Stressed vowel + consonant + vowel = vowel's name + consonant + schwa
Thus, we get NATO /ˈneɪt̬oʊ/.
Howver, NASA ...
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How to pronounce name initials?
Initialisms are usually late-stressed, e.g., CIA /ˌsiaɪˈeɪ/, or mph /ˌempiːˈeɪtʃ/
However, I don't know how to pronounce initials from personal names, such as
J.K. Rowling
J.R.R. Tolkien
O.J. Simpson....
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Pronunciation of initialisms from early-stressed compounds
Orange juice is early-stressed, but initialisms are usually late-stressed (e.g., CIA /ˌsiaɪˈeɪ/), so how is OJ pronounced?
Compare knockout /ˈnɒk aʊt/ and KO /ˌkeɪ ˈəʊ/
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What are good ways to write the past tense of DOS (Denial Of Service)? [duplicate]
In computer security, the initialism or three letter acronym "DOS" often stands for "Denial of Service", as in a "DOS attack".
Sometimes it is used as a verb: "One ...
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Term for a word based on an initialism
I recently came across the word 'geeb', a pronunciation and "wordification" of 'GB', itself an initialism of 'gravity bong'. It reminded me of 'okay', which has a similar relationship with '...
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Why do we say some initialisms and acronyms as words but not others? [duplicate]
Initialisms and acronyms with vowels can be said as single words. Is there any coherent pattern or convention determining the choice? VIP? LOL? DIY? WAG? For example?
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Rules regarding a portmanteau that includes an initialism [closed]
Are there rules for creating a portmanteau using an initialism and part of a word?
Examples:
ATM + empathy = ATMpathy
SOS + espionage = SOSpionage
Are there existing examples of this? Should they ...
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What's the correct way to write our names? [closed]
Most people who live in my locality write their names with initials at the
end. Usually these initials are abbreviations of long family names, like
Joseph Alex TP, where TP stands for ...
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VTOL Hybrid Initialism/Acronym?
VTOL, for "Vertical Takeoff and Landing" I have usually heard pronounced as "Vee-Tol", Cambridge link
That got me wondering on what kind of word this is. As I understand it, an ...
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Pluralising abbreviations ending in S
From general Googling, I understand it is correct to add an 's' (lower case) if pluralising abbreviations ending in 'S' and this makes sense. However, I am surprised to have so far found no instances ...
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Can an abbreviation of a verb be classified as a nominalisation?
For example, in the abbreviation for the fictional organisation "SCP Foundation", "SCP" is short for "Secure, Contain, Protect."
Would this classify the term "SCP&...
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What’s the term for an acronym that refers to another acronym?
For example, AIM stands for AOL Instant Messenger, and AOL stands for American OnLine.
This isn’t quite the same thing as a recursive acronym, which refers to itself. Maybe the term is nested acronym?
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Is an acronym/initialism ever pluralized in its parenthetical introduction?
For example, if the first use of RDA occurs as follows:
"Recommended daily allowances (RDAs) are established by nutritionists after some kind of research...."
Should the parenthetical ...
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Are "i.e." and "e.g." initialisms?
I was told that abbreviations consist of initialisms (FBI, a.k.a.†), acronyms (NATO, ), and shortened words (ad, bike).
† Thanks to Pete Kirkham for correcting me: for most people a.k.a. is an ...
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"UID" (unique identifier) - half abbreviation, half initialism. What it is? [duplicate]
According to Your Dictionary¹:
Abbreviations: St. for Street and Saint, Mr. for mister
Acronyms: radar for radio detection and ranging
Initialisms: aka for also known as, FBI for Federal Bureau of ...
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