Re: Abbreviations and Acronyms

On Thu, 14 Oct 1999, Ryan Fischer wrote:

>No, these aren't wrong.  The difference in abbreviations and acronyms is
>acronyms are a pronounceable form made by a combination of letters.  For
>instance, SCUBA is an acronym while IBM is an abbreviation.  

Well, you see why I am confused... Because, in that case, what do the spec
mean by this:
"Note that abbreviations and acronyms often have idiosyncratic
pronunciations. For example, while "IRS" and "BBC" are typically
pronounced letter by letter, "NATO" and "UNESCO" are pronounced
phonetically. Still other abbreviated forms (e.g., "URI" and "SQL") are
spelled out by some people and pronounced as words by other people. When
necessary, authors should use style sheets to specify the pronunciation of
an abbreviated form."

Clearly, it states that what you just said isn't the distinction? The spec
says "F.B.I." is an acronym, but it isn't a pronounceable form?
(Don't say it is the periods, it is often written as FBI)

Best,

Kjetil
-- 
Kjetil Kjernsmo
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E-mail: kjetikj@astro.uio.no                                - Piet Hein
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Received on Thursday, 14 October 1999 13:47:03 UTC