RE: A FAQ or an FAQ?

Subject: RE: A FAQ or an FAQ?
From: David Hawkins <david -dot- hawkins -at- citrix -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2001 15:48:21 -0400

An acronym is, by definition, an abbreviation that you pronounce as a word,
such as "RADAR". See Webster's New World, 3rd College ed.

If you say something is an "acronym," you mean it to be pronounced as a
word.

An abbreviation or "initialism," as some say it, is an abbreviation of a
phrase formed from the first letters of the words, with the letters
pronounced individually, such as FBI, CIA, and so on.

Acronyms are designated by their creators, because someone wants a
catchy-sounding word for their organization. Unless that is the specific
intent, avoid making words out of abbreviations, or expect it to strike some
people as exceedingly weird (and weird sounding) -- Fack (FAQ), Smee (SME),
Scuzzy (SCSI).



-----Original Message-----
From: Christensen, Kent [mailto:lkchris -at- sandia -dot- gov]
Subject: RE: A FAQ or an FAQ?


Maybe I'm too old, but I almost always pronounce the letters of acronyms.

<snip>

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