RE: Use of ACRONYM

>> An acronym is an abbreviation made from the first letter or first few

letters of multiple words *and producing a pronounceable new word.* MADD

is an acronym, CSS is not. ... CSS is a type of abbreviation consisting
of initials. <<

True, CSS is a type of abbreviation consisting of initials. More
specifically, according to the Columbia Guide to Standard American
English <http://www.bartleby.com/68/88/3288.html>, it is a type of
acronym called an initialism:

"Initialisms are acronyms of a special kind, abbreviations made up of
the initial letters of a phrase: BTU for British Thermal Unit; E.R.A.
for Equal Rights Amendment or Earned Run Average. We pronounce
initialisms only by saying the names of the letters, not as though they
are words."

The rule I follow when marking up abbreviations is that they are marked
up as <ABBR>s when they are pronounced as the words they abbreviate
("etc.") and as <ACRONYM>s when they are acronyms pronounced as new
words ("RADAR") or initialisms that are pronounced letter by letter
("FBI").

Just thought I'd pour more fuel on the fire ...


Guy M. Fisher

Cleveland, Ohio
guyfisher(at)email.com

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