Re: Proposed definitions of acronym and abbreviation - UPDATED

Based on conversations at the Team B call and further discussion with 
John, here are updated definitions for abbreviation and acronym.  Noticed 
that I have changed to use the less restrictive definition of acronym. Are 
these ready to be proposed to the entire WG?

abbreviation -The shortened form of a word.  For example, "est." may be 
the abbreviation for the English words "established" or "estimate."  "Cie" 
is the abbreviation for the French word "compagnie" (company).   

acronym - A word made from the initial letters of a name that contains 
several words.  For example, NOAA is a word made from the initial letters 
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United 
States. SNCF is a French acronym that contains the initial letters of the 
Societe National des Chemins de Fer, the French national railroad.   All 
acronyms are abbreviations. 

Note: Some English language  sources require that acronyms form a word 
that is spoken as syllables while others accept any grouping of the 
initial letters of words as an acronym.  WCAG 2.0 uses the latter, less 
restrictive definition. 





Becky Gibson
Web Accessibility Architect
                                                       
IBM Emerging Internet Technologies
5 Technology Park Drive
Westford, MA 01886
Voice: 978 399-6101; t/l 333-6101
Email: gibsonb@us.ibm.com

Received on Thursday, 15 September 2005 15:48:16 UTC