This is good one. By this definition, I'd say it could be both. The same would be true of something like LOL, which is often pronounced as both el oh el and "lawl."
[deleted] ยท 84 points ยท Posted at 05:35:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Don't be a pedant. If you typed it you heard it in your head, or whoever reads it says it in their head. So it's whatever it's being pronounced as still.
Pedantry is such a strange thing to accuse a person of in a derogatory manner, it's literally equivalent to accusing someone of being overly percipient or detail-oriented or even scrupulous, why should we punish people with observant qualities?
Fun fact: vision correction via laser eye surgery is called LASIK, which means Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis. Kind of an embedded acronym, because LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Acronymception?
extraeme ยท 82 points ยท Posted at 06:20:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm going to go get Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis eye surgery done.
Wow, when I first saw the notification thing, I thought you were just being reflective, like โisnโt Reddit a beautiful place to have these discussions?โ But right on with that acronym!
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 13:23:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
My favorite ones, probably because itโs rare you see clever humor coming from Germany, are the EINE and ZWEI ones.
EINE (which means one in German) stands for EINE Is Not Emacs. The next generation of this was called ZWEI (meaning two in German) which stands for ZWEI Was EINE Initially.
BLTM8192 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:09:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So basically Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation assisted in situ keratomileusis
Nobody would ever call it this, but to fully expand ArgBP2, it would be Abelson kinase related gene Binding Protein 2.
And then there's Mitogen Activated Pathway Kinase (MAPK), which gets phosphorylated by MAPK Kinase (MAPKK), which gets phosphorylated by MAPKK Kinase (MAPKKK), which gets phosphorylated by MAPKKK Kinase (MAPKKKK, or MAP4K).
I write VHDL code at work which stands for VHSIC Hardware Description Language. Which stands for Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language. Needless to say, we call it VHDL.
XeRoFoRm ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:11:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
How do we know it's not actually pronounced as Aaaayyy? Wouldn't that make it an initialism since when saying "Ay", you're pronouncing it as a letter and not as a word? Unless there's an actual word pronounced as "Ay" that I'm not realizing.
At this point, it's just a colloquialism to call them all acronyms, and not really "misuse". Sort of like how people use "metaphor" for any sort of analogy, and "simile" is only a word you use in English class.
Fudge89 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:47:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh shit. So what is the โTriple A?โ Where does that pronunciation fall?? Iโm only asking this because I donโt want do get started with the โQuintuple A.โ I donโt think I have security clearance to even mention them. Sorry NSA. Ah fuck.
"Excuse me, but that's actually called an initialism just to let you know. Wouldn't want you to go around looking like a dumbass spouting nonsense after all, I'm only here to help."
Helmic ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 07:43:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Especially since the "correct" way to say it is somewhat antiquated and doesn't follow what the actual usage is.
I've always said it like "Black Ops". I always assumed it meant operator... Or something along the lines of that.
HElGHTS ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:10:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Since it's a single word (operations), it's an abbreviation. If it were 2 words, it would be acronym assuming you said it as a single syllable (or an initialism if you said it as two).
I just Googled what OP stands for and multiple sources are saying "Original Poster". So I guess it would be an acronym to those who are saying "Op" as a word but for those who say "O-P" it would be an initialism.
HElGHTS ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:10:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Well yes, for OP in the forum sense. I was referring to the word Ops. I now see that the person I replied to wasn't talking about the actual Ops that I went on to explain. Oops.
Yeah, that's what I found through Googling it. Guess I never bothered to before for some reason. Never really thought about it. So I guess it is sort of both acronym and initialism then, depending on how you pronounce it. The technical way according to most is O-P but I guess even in thought/reading I am lazy and prefer the slightly shorter Op format.
If it's an acronym, I think of a server administrator. If it's an initialism, I think of "original poster"
HElGHTS ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:17:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
For operator though, there's not usually capitalization involved with abbreviations. Maybe as a username you'd use Title Case to build something like SysOp. Give the flash drive to the op. Etc.
I love backronyms. When the full name only really tells you that someone really wanted that word as their acronym, and the full name tends to border on ridiculous.
Super_Pan ยท 27 points ยท Posted at 03:42:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I think my favorite part about this is that the creator could have picked any letter at all. But somewhere, somehow, something convinced him to pick G.
Also, it's interesting to see words like LASER and SCUBA change from initialisms to acronyms to then being a completely normal set of words in people's vocabulary
ZylonBane ยท 16 points ยท Posted at 04:54:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I think SCBA was a commonly used initialism before the underwater version was made. I don't doubt that it was one for a while before getting more mainstream.
HElGHTS ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:22:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's still commonly used in non-water applications like firefighting. The underwater version is just more of a household word because it's a recreational activity, unlike firefighting.
True. Guess you could think it replaced SCBA fron my comment, but all I meant was I'm pretty sure it predated it. Seeing as I assume SCUBA evolved from it, I'm guessing originally they just added a U to the initialism.
Originally YAML was said to mean Yet Another Markup Language,[10] referencing its purpose as a markup language with the yet another construct, but it was then repurposed as YAML Ain't Markup Language, a recursive acronym, to distinguish its purpose as data-oriented, rather than document markup.
A Lovely Lesson, Indeed! Developing Other Ideas Sometimes Builds A Clever Kinda Riddle. Only Now, You Must Decipher Unexpectedly Devious Enigmas...... ;)
nasa258e ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:33:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Amber was a girl's name. How is it a acronym
Ptr4570 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:53:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Hence, it being a backronym: America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response.
Now I want to know why some initialisms are not pronounced as a word, even though they can be, such as S.A.T. (Scholastic Aptitude Test). I've never heard anyone call them sat, I've just heard the initials.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 17:58:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Up until 2010. According to Wiki: Starting with the premiere of the short-lived program FNMTV in 2008, MTV started using a revised and chopped down version of its original logo during most of its on-air programming. It became MTV's official logo on February 8, 2010 and officially debuted on its website.[122] The channel's full name "Music Television" was officially dropped,[123] with the revised logo largely the same as the original logo, but without the initialism, the bottom of the "M" being cropped and the "V" in "TV" being branched off.[123] This change was most likely made to reflect MTV's more prominent focus on reality and comedy programming and less on music-related programming. However, much like the original logo, the new logo was designed to be filled in with a seemingly unlimited variety of images. It is used worldwide, but not everywhere existentially.
kronaz ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:47:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
such as S.A.T. (Scholastic Aptitude Test). I've never heard anyone call them sat, I've just heard the initials.
That seems kind of obvious. If you pronounce "S.A.T." as "sat", it becomes a homophone for... well... "sat". "I sat my S.A.T.s" might become confusing if you say it as "I sat my sats". :)
EDIT: There seems to be some controversy about this phrase, so I did some research. I found an American college web page titled "Information on sitting the SAT", a blog page that helps "students who decide to sit for one or more SAT subject tests" (admittedly, there's a "for" in there, but it refers to "sitting" in the context of taking a test), and another website that refers to "your first test sitting". I know what I've heard: some people do sit (or sit for) their S.A.T.s. If that phrase is not used in your local area, that doesn't mean it's not used elsewhere.
[deleted] ยท 62 points ยท Posted at 03:34:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Who the fuck says that they sat their SATโs? Who says they โsatโ their anything? Who is using โsatโ like that?
It's much, much more common in British English than American English. The only time I hear it used in American English is for the professions (e.g., the bar or CPA exams).
[deleted] ยท -4 points ยท Posted at 04:11:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I know the difference. These people are talking about sitting their S.A.T.s, like they sit any other test. And, in the past tense, they "sat their S.A.T.s". Also, in context, it's clear that they're talking about taking the test, not putting it down (setting it).
I did some research. I found an American college web page titled "Information on sitting the SAT", a blog page that helps "students who decide to sit for one or more SAT subject tests" (admittedly, there's a "for" in there, but it refers to "sitting" in the context of taking a test), and another website that refers to "your first test sitting". I know what I've heard: some people do sit (or sit for) their S.A.T.s. If that phrase is not used in your local area, that doesn't mean it's not used elsewhere.
capincus ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:05:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No he's hearing sat as sat, because "sitting an exam" is a common phrase.
It's usually for exams a little higher up (e.g. "I sat for the bar exam last month."), but this is a fairly common usage even in American English. British English even more so
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:47:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm Australian and have heard it dozens of times from American TV shows.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:19:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Can anyone (not necessarily you) show me a single example of this phrasing being used on American TV? Because Iโve watched countless hours of American TV and have never heard this phrasing before.
I never noticed it, but I quit most TV a few years back.
hutcho66 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:19:20 on February 18, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You've probably heard it in Aussie or British shows, not American. Definition 14: https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/sit. Specifically mentions Australia, NZ and Britain.
mecrow ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:17:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Well I'm British and I've heard it plenty, so I can confirm the other half of his statement.
Edit: Why the downvotes? I only meant to say that that the final statement was correct, but I couldn't comment on the rest.
mecrow ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 21:31:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No, I only associate it with an exam, but that's the topic here. There may be a use that's slipped my mind. I personally wouldn't say "I sat for the bar exam" like mentioned earlier, I would just say "I sat the bar exam".
"For my S.A.T.s, they sat me down."
would be a better example but it's still weird.
snkn179 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:48:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You don't sit tests? It's either 'sit' or 'take' for tests, both pretty equally used in my experience.
Edit: After thinking a bit, I probably use 'sit' more for academic tests or exams (e.g. I sat my final exam) whereas I would use 'take' in other cases (e.g. I took an eye test)
I've never used sat for a test. That makes me think you just sat there and didn't actually take the test.
snkn179 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:12:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
According to this, sitting an exam is apparently more common in the UK and Australia (I'm Aussie so it makes sense), and taking an exam is more common in the US.
Reapsta ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:08:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm sitting an exam until I have sat the exam.
snkn179 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:39:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Lol I'm the same guy you posted the earlier comment to.
People taking the MCAT will almost always say they are โreadingโ. Very strange, I never got a good explanation. Considering theyโre aspiring doctors, itโs probably pretense and haughtiness.
Plenty of people in other english speaking countries do. Especially those that use British English. Open your eyes and don't be so rude.
"Sit an exam" is much more frequent in British English, as is the construction "sat [subject]" in the past tense ("He sat his chemistry this morning") if the context provides it's an exam.
"Take/took an exam" is far more common in American English. "Sat for an exam" is not unusual but not very common in American English.
I know what I've heard: some people do sit (or sit for) their S.A.T.s. If that phrase is not used in your local area, that doesn't mean it's not used elsewhere.
The wiki says the distinction is not clear cut, pointing out that some dictionaries allow synonymous definitions. Initialism happens to be older than acronym, and less popular, hence the not so strict differentiation.
I come on Reddit to laugh, sometimes to cry, sometimes to love. Other times to make love. But never, have I thought I'd LEARN on Reddit. But today, I was learned good.
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:50:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thereโs a brand of wine called โAcronymโ. The label has a bunch of initialisms on it. I like to down the whole bottle and laugh my ass off about how smart I am.
Just checked; fuckers changed the label so itโs not as funny anymore.
Well since "literally" now means "figuratively" because it's been used incorrectly so much, I'm going to keep calling initialisms "acronyms" by the same logic.
AusGeno ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:38:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Cmon man two wrongs donโt make a WhiteyMcKnight.
But seriously, I've learned that it's not about right and wrong, it's just how language evolves. When the dictionary no longer reflects what most English speakers mean when they use a word, it's time to stop fighting it and update the dictionary.
Starklet ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:00:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That's what this sub is for...?
arcosta ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:06:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Normally this would be correct and NASSA would be how it was spelled to sound like the version we use.
I think one of the reasons is because short 'A' as in 'Nat' sound is inherantly easier to say because a long 'A' as in 'Nate' requires more movement of the tongue.
Phoebe does make more sense I'll start saying that instead of feebeye. Plus you know those agents adore Joey and hate Phoebe so it's bound to annoy them.
So then whatโs the word for an abbreviation that you donโt pronounce as a real word, yet neither pronounce as its letters, but pronounce it for its intended effect?
Ex: reading TIL as โToday I Learnedโ instead of โtillโ or Tee-eye-ell?โ
sizziano ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 04:35:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
bit1101 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:18:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That was initialism, where its read as letters. FriendlyCows just invented initialation for titles that are initialised but still read as the original title. I second this word - initialation.
There are a few acronyms I don't even think about. They do an instant translation into their full word counterpart. E.g. "omw" I see that as "on my way."
Oh shit though. So is there a word to use when an "acronym/initialism" is said using each of the words that make it up like saying "today I learned" when seeing TIL? #meta?
Reapsta ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:14:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That limit is 3 minutes. If you submit a comment and make an edit within 3 minutes of post time it wonโt show an edit has been made. Also known as the ninja edit.
I was looking to see if Reddit made a note about if and when something was edited, because clearly the post was nonsenses unless initially meant to be a joke. I didnโt know there was an edit start, TIL I Learned (TIL I learned what a recursive acronym was).
Am I the only one who reads itโs as โtoday I learnedโ even when I see the acronym? Whatโs that called?
[deleted] ยท 86 points ยท Posted at 03:25:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
wacrover ยท 114 points ยท Posted at 04:08:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I always knew I'd change the world someday. What I didn't know was what a divide I'd create.
2mice ยท 22 points ยท Posted at 04:45:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
a real life mod just showing up casually. oh what a day!!!
wacrover ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 05:09:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Founding mod, no less!
[deleted] ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 05:06:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Youโve doomed us all
Natotamot ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 04:23:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I always say 'Today I learned' in my head when I see that and most things like that here on Reddit.
Especially all the 'I am not a ____' shorthands.
zimmie41 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:02:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Whenever I see IANAL, I always say, I also anal. Then I lol.
SEphotog ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 04:25:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Itโs like the shower thought on front page today that mentions how we all say the words โwhat the f***โ to ourselves when typing โwtfโ, but mostly say โL - O - Lโ to ourselves when writing โlolโ. We donโt say โlaugh out loudโ to ourselves.
The exception is this one awful, arrogant, obnoxious guy I dated who said โlolโ (rhymes with โdollโ). Gosh, he was a dick. And he thought he knew EEEEverything because he Reddited half the day away, but never double checked any of his sources. Ugh. That didnโt last long!
sizziano ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 04:36:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You don't have to censor what the fuck on reddit.
SEphotog ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:38:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Some subs donโt love it, but as soon as I posted it here, I realized Iโd get this comment.
[deleted] ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 05:03:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Most subs are ok with swearing. Unless you are being a cunt with really bad ones like racism or sexism
edrt_ ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 07:24:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah fuck those that are not. Unless we are talking about cunts that sport terms like coon or the likes.
I always say Today I Learned in my head and To Long Didnโt Read and Hold My Beer ....
Dslk8 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:19:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL what TL;DR means having always wondered but been too lazy to ask/google. I was content with โThe low downโ despite the erroneous semicolon and extra R! Thanks!
For this particular example I say "today I learned" in my head but I can relate with what you're saying with acronyms/initialisms like ily or ilu. For some reason in my head I say something like "I luh you."
I say โtoday I learnedโ for TIL but also โay em ayโ for AMA. I think the difference for me is just that when I first saw TIL I knew it meant โtoday I learnedโ but when I first say AMA I didnโt so I kind of just thought of it as โay em ay.โ Also, I think it depends on which thing is faster to say/read.
Being British, I should say "today I learnt" in my head.
However, I succumbed long ago to the insidious machinations of Reddit, and have joined my international friends in mentally sounding out "today I learned".
However, I succumbt long ago to the insidious machinations of Reddit, and have joint my international friends in mentally sounding out "today I learned".
Fixt that for you, m8
[deleted] ยท 24 points ยท Posted at 03:24:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No, "I learnt a lot today" is correct. "Learnt" is literally the same as "learned". Same goes for spelt / spelled, dwelt / dwelled. It's only the US that used the "ed" variants exclusively
TechGoat ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:07:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That's how I felt when I discovered most people refer to LP's as "let's play" instead of the original somethingawful "Let us Play" (or Lets Play) due to the group democratic decision making of the earliest LP's.
The current video focused LP's can keep the let's play name but the original meaning of LP in an online discussed video game context is to start a game with online screenshots, asking fellow forum members for input on what actions to take next in the game.
Kodlaken ยท -4 points ยท Posted at 03:38:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Just wanted to point it out, because it bothers me. Calling yourself British is so unbelievably vague it has no meaning at all. When I see people call themselves British I just assume they mean they are English, so why not just say you are English?
Until there is one culture and/or language across the entire nation, you cannot call yourself British and expect it to convey some kind of meaning. The UK is made up of 4 different countries, each with their own distinct culture and so calling yourself British could mean anyone from 4 of those countries, making the term basically meaningless.
Imagine you ask someone where they were born and they tell you they are from Asia, that is super helpful isn't it?
[deleted] ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 03:55:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Kodlaken ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:36:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If you think that an Englishman and a Scotsman are just as different as a Californian and a Texan, then I think you are incredibly ignorant. You are comparing 2 cultures that have went through thousands of years of invasions and culture mixing to one culture, taken from 2 different locations, that originated from the culture you are comparing it against. Do you see how they might be a wee bit different?
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:56:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Kodlaken ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:03:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
All I am saying is that the difference between a Scotsman and an Englishman is vastly greater than the difference between a Californian and a Texan, they might be very different for all I know, but there is simply no way they are as culturally different as 2 cultures that have had thousands of years to develop and form into what they are now. California and Texas do not have their own language for example, they just speak English. Yeah England and Scotland both speak English, but looking back into the history books reveal that the people before us didn't share the same language.
As an American, I have to agree with Kodlaken. At least about his assertion that California and Texas arenโt that different, and I think thereโs more difference between say, Wales and Northern Ireland. But not being from UK Iโm not sure about that. If you compared Alaska and Georgia you may have more of a case. Thatโs about as different as I can imagine.
pugz88 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:52:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Britons or British refers to the Celtic people of the southern most regions of the UK so pretty obvious where he's from also most people from the other UK nations identify themselves as not being British and as welsh or Scottish or Irish so I wouldn't say its particularly vague.
Kodlaken ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:10:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yes, and during the same time that the Britons inhabited England, the Picts inhabited Scotland but you don't see people from Scotland calling themselves Picts and Scots do you? Surely British refers to the island and not the people that lived on it.
pugz88 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:19:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ha no I have never met a scot that identified as a Picts but also never met a scot, Irish or welsh person that would identify as British nor would I ever put them in that baskets really seems to offend them. So I do understand your point but I think calling yourself British does does imply you're from England and not another part of the UK.
pajam ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:11:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I don't know... It's inconsistent for me too.For TIL, I pronounce it as an initialism, "tee eye ell." But for something like ELI5, I pronounce it out fully, "explain like I'm five"
I definitely ready it is TIL I learned when I read it because why not make it recursive. That or itโs a remnant or school where people remind me of what I learned.
Either way, I think itโs a problem I donโt plan on fixing.
๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ NICE STROKE JOKE LOL โYOURE SPELLING WAS SHIT AND YIU COMMENT WAS A MEANDERING MESS, AM I HAVING A STROKEโ LOL ?!?!??! ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ. /s
K3R3G3 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 06:06:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"T-I-L" would have been a not weird way to type that.
Arkusum ยท 918 points ยท Posted at 01:41:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Or you can just call them all acronyms and still be correct. ยฏ\_(ใ)_/ยฏ
The distinction is not well-maintained... Dictionaries do not make this distinction because writers in general do not... Initialism, an older word than acronym, seems to be too little known to the general public to serve as the customary term...
Exactly, it's a distinction that serves no functional purpose for the language, so it's no surprise it isn't commonly known or used.
As much as I love being pedantic, things like this serve no purpose outside of it being sort if interesting, and can be ignored.
As apposed to the distinction of not using the word "literally" incorrectly, which I personally think is important because there isn't another way to contextualizes the literal against the figurative.
Edit: Woopsie, it's apposed to be "opposed"
Also yeah, I don't honestly care as much about the "literally" thing and I am fully aware aware of the fact that it's been used with hyperbole for a long time.
I'm just making the point that there is a reason people care about that distinction and not other ones such as this.
z6joker9 ยท 156 points ยท Posted at 03:47:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
pedantic
as apposed to
Hmmmm.
tree_jayy ยท 56 points ยท Posted at 03:59:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Functionally it matters for grammar rules. One doesn't say "the NASA" but "the CIA" is correct. This distinction relies upon the difference between initialisms and acronyms.
"The NASA" just sounds weird, there's nothing grammatically incorrect about it. Also, the distinction between initialisms and acronyms (like every other word is) is totally made up. The natural evolution of language led us to say the FBI but not the NASA. Those grammatical "rules" also aren't set in stone. Case in point: lots of people say the DAG (deputy attorney general) as a word but add "the" to the beginning of it.
capincus ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:09:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
They don't need to have names for a pretty rare but also very intuitive grammar rule to still work. Makes for a clunkier grammatical rule when you write it out but that seems like an extremely minor inconvenience.
Sure, one doesn't say it, but that's purely out of habit. Grammatically, it's incorrect to omit the article, it's just something we've all decided to ignore. It's immediately obvious if you expand the acronym - it's always written out as "The National Aeronautics and Space Agency", and omitting the article sounds horribly wrong.
badken ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 05:33:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You almost had me nodding along there until you literally turned into a filthy prescriptivist.
Language changes. All the time. It is as futile to fight it as it is to fight the tides.
literally -> Actually, really, not using any modifier
figuratively -> Metaphorically and basically
None of these distinctions are important unless people can't understand you when you mix them up and/or you can't say it some other way. (except maybe in science or law where things must always have unambiguous definitions)
I didn't realize people say ups and not U-P-S when talking about the shipping company.
SEphotog ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:29:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ditto. I remember my mom telling me how to say it as โyou pi essโ when I was in kindergarten, and I felt so dumb that I never forgot it. (She didnโt correct me in a mean way at all; Iโve just always been an anxious perfectionist, which fortunately is going away with age).
KaiHein ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:34:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I don't know that I would say people say it that way or just this one strange person on the internet does. I started it more as a joke and then it just stuck due to it removing a couple syllables (until I have to explain what I just said and then it becomes much longer).
Linguists might agree, but reddit loves the shit out of some prescriptivism. Data is always plural, octopodes is the currect plural of octopus, "could care less" means you care a lot, [the current thread], etc. But on the other hand, "confuse" is replaced by "conflate" even when it doesn't make sense because, I guess, it sounds cooler. This is a silly place.
ShuRugal ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 14:38:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
In everyday speech maybe itโs not important, but donโt you think itโs important to maintain certain distinctions so we avoid confusion in actual scientific literature?
Sure, but which of those applies to scientific literature? If you publish a paper using "data" as a singular, it's not like your contemporaries will be mystified.
I guess, let those who edit and publish scientific literature decide what's acceptable, but there's not really any reason those rules should carry over into other forums (actually it's fora).
fora haha neat. I dunno I guess I just like this stuff.
582739172 ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 06:01:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The entire field of English academic linguistics
Fixed that for you. Meanwhile, academic linguistics in almost literally every single other major language on the planet support prescriptivism. English is relatively unique there, so portraying prescriptivism as an inherently closed debate with no merit because English academics do is more than "a bit misleading", as you say.
Helmic ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 08:04:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do you have a source for that? While prescriptivism has had a lot of backlash for being taught at school (and being taught wrong), it's not really an either/or situation as the above poster showed. Some words like "literally" do actually have consequences when it's unclear whether something is figurative hyperbole or a, well, literal statement of truth with extra emphasis on the truth. Other bits of English like the singular they has come into prominent use to fill a much-needed gap in the English language for a gender-neutral pronoun that can be applied to people, especially when the prescriptivist definition runs hatefully counter to the recognition and rights of transgender people.
There's also the problem that English has had that's somewhat unique is that our spelling lags behind our pronunciation, with many words like debt sounding nothing like how they're spelled, along with a litany of other problems in the language that were intentionally introduced by, well, assholes with a particular idea of what English should be like. There is history there that has predisposed a lot of people to attack prescriptivism for the harm it has historically caused (such as the forced usage of "he" as both a masculine and gender neutral pronoun, which conveniently makes it ambiguous whether women are included). I don't know much about the linguistic history of other languages, but I do know that in English at least the history of more harsh prescriptivism has had some severe problems and has led to a lot of extra baggage that should have died out ages ago. That's not the same as saying no attempts should be made to standardize the language or correct people who are using words incorrectly, but our language is changing rapidly and clinging to the rules of opinionated dead people isn't going to serve our needs. Taking the approach your middle school style guide took is just impractical.
Cue a 1000% rise in pretentious conversations tomorrow when someone says/texts an acronym. Like when people quibble over Greek and Latin suffixes, most recently octopuses VS octopodes.
When you have to scroll this far down to find someone pointing out the TIL is bullshit, the world makes no sense to me.
[deleted] ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 04:09:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Nyrin ยท -7 points ยท Posted at 04:32:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's difficult to believe that many people are wrong? That is hard to believe.
I find the notion of making language an object of direct democracy to be a catastrophically awful idea. It's an absolute race to the bottom. There's a very reasonable argument to be made against prescriptivism for the sake of prescriptivism, but completely discarding the existence of rules on the sole basis of "most people don't follow them" seems folly to me.
Of course, individuals can freely choose to ignore the rules. And people reviewing resumes can freely choose not to.
Most people use every word in a certain way, guess the dictionary is obsolete now, innit? Regardless, if most people are using a word incorrectly, that's called "most people are using a word incorrectly", not "let's change the rules to accommodate wanton stupidity!". If everyone wielded language with the same blithe disregard for meaning as you do then we wouldn't be able to communicate at all, see where I'm coming from? Language works because everyone understands it, everyone understands it because they know every word has concrete meaning attached to it, this prevents misinterpretation. Words are like tools, if they don't perform a necessary function then there wouldn't be a need for the word in the first place.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 18:40:06 on February 21, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I donโt understand. The way I read your comment abbreviations include abbreviations, and my editor brain just divided by zero.
I could be mistaken, but abbreviation is the umbrella under which acronym and initialism live. If you want one word to rule them all for word shortening, itโs โabbreviation.โ
โAll types of shortened words and phrases are technically abbreviations, but we generally use this term to denote shortened words.โ
I was simply saying to begin with that, if we are looking for an overarching word, itโs not โacronym.โ Itโs โabbreviation,โ because all forms of shortened words are technically considered abbreviations, and that includes acronyms and initialisms, since we are taking words and shortening (i.e., abbreviating) them.
wPatriot is referring to [abbreviations which are neither]. They didn't leave out a comma to refer to a description of abbreviations. They were talking about the abbreviations which are neither acronyms nor initialisms, in contrast to referring to those two groupings specifically, and not other abbreviations that don't fit.
โAll types of shortened words and phrases are technically abbreviations, but we generally use this term to denote shortened words.โ
I was simply saying to begin with that, if we are looking for an overarching word, itโs not โacronym.โ Itโs โabbreviation,โ because all forms of shortened words are technically considered abbreviations, and that includes acronyms and initialisms, since we are taking words and shortening (i.e., abbreviating) them.
Acronym is a perfectly valid 'overarching word' for a distinction that is not generally made anymore because that is how it has come to be used. These words also being included in another, larger category does not rule out acronym.
wPatriot ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:09:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Stress was supposed to be on "which are neither", meaning neither acronyms nor initialisms.
I'm not trying to say you're wrong per se, just that when you go from acronym (to mean acronyms and initialisms) to abbreviation, you lose some precision and that isn't ideal either.
tree_jayy ยท -7 points ยท Posted at 03:58:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
_Axel ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:12:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Okay, for all the flack I catch being โmurican in the soccer subreddits โ- โsnezzโ is absurd. No more making fun of me for calling it a jersey instead of a shirt...
We used to say "Ess-Ness" sometimes, like pronounce the first letter as itself and attach it to the original name. Mostly we said "Super Nintendo" though.
Oh NES Ive heard and makes much more sense, but Ive only heard SNES as an acronym... S n e s is 4x as many syllables, man! Never noticed the z being pronounced, although you are correct. I guess we say that for the same reason we put a Z in laser perhaps?
Side note, I do find it funny that someone downvoted me for answering a question.
It just sounds better fully pronounced. It's like a model number. I also hate when they abbreviate droid numbers too though. I understand Luke calling him R2 but don't spell it Artoo.
ShuRugal ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 14:42:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
See, Thripio? That detoo' was too long, and now we artoo late to help.
Supposedly the the acronym (phonetic, rhyming with hat-hat) pronunciation was officially preferred as of 2010, but they're used interchangeably in Rebels, which is canon, so everything's okay.
An email blast to Lucasfilmโs public relations department provided the definitive verdict. The official pronunciation for AT-AT is the phonetic one, as in it rhymes with โhat hat.โ
I say you can say at-at, you can say A-T-A-T, and you can say walker. I'm for all three. ... That's canon because in the show I have Imperials say walkers, I have them say at-at, and I have them say A-T-A-T.
Supposedly the the acronym (phonetic, rhyming with hat-hat) pronunciation was officially preferred as of 2010, but they're used interchangeably in Rebels, which is canon, so everything's okay.
neoslith ยท -6 points ยท Posted at 03:39:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's atat. All the marketing for toys, and even in the film, they call them atat's, not "A.T.-A.T.'s."
Dultsboi ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 03:57:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
At no point in the Star Wars films do the refer to AT-AT as either. Theyโre simply referred as an โimperial walkerโ
I don't remember the term ever being used in the movies. As far as I know, they only call them Imperial walkers. It didn't occur to me to check the toy commercials...
chzplz ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:49:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
For the agents, not the agency.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:21:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I used to have this NES (pronounced enn ee ess) game called RBI baseball. Despite that my cousin and I pronounced each letter in NES, we still shortened RBI baseball to "ribbee."
karl_w_w ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 05:59:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So is ASSFAGGOTS.
Prodrockt ยท 18 points ยท Posted at 03:26:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The older I get the less I care about these pedantic gripes. English is a living language and rules are arbitrary and changeable. Literally or figuratively is the other one I hear all the time. Fuck it, say what makes you happy.
[deleted] ยท 17 points ยท Posted at 04:23:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"Just use language however you feel like" is all well and good until I literally (yes, literally) can't understand what a person is saying, because their spelling, grammar, and word choice are all so haphazard.
So long as the purpose of a shared language is to communicate ideas, then prescriptivism will have some merit.
Your comment is as relavent as it is irreverent. But it hinges on the reading comprehension of a site that I assume is mostly Russian bots at this point.
To be clear there isn't a census that this is right. Some dictionaries say they're distinct things with no overlap in either direction while others say initialisms are a subset of acronyms.
So to some sources both FBI and NASA would be acronyms but only FBI would be an initialism.
Sounds good to me. Just going to google it first to make sure that......oh my motherfucki.......
[deleted] ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:35:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
fucking furry
Korberos ยท 27 points ยท Posted at 03:30:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Just in case someone jumps in here with the stupid "giraffics" argument: There is no rule in the English language which states or implies that an acronym's pronunciation must follow the specific letter forms of the words it takes its letters from, and in fact many acronyms we use all the time would sound much different if that was a rule.
So the only acceptable reason to say gif with a hard g is "I want to because it feels right to me.". There's no logical reason for it to be a hard g other than that people want it to or because that's what they thought it was.
Don't pretend the pronunciation of the g in graphics matters.
[deleted] ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 04:39:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Korberos ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 04:50:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yet all day every day I see people reversing these two words in usage, and if ever corrected, they lash out in anger and continue using the words incorrectly instead of accepting the correction and changing their behavior.
Well I, for one, am thankful for the correction, and I've just applied it to my comment.
This always throws me off since most possessives use an apostrophe.
We should start using a new symbol to distinguish between possessives and contractions. We have a huge Unicode set to work with now.
Edit: I think we should use ๐ฅง for contractions from now on.
I๐ฅงm sure that it๐ฅงs only a matter o๐ฅง time before it๐ฅงll catch on.
[deleted] ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:18:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You can't really preach to people that the pronunciation of the g in "gif" doesn't matter when the entire pith of your comment is surrounding the idea that the pronunciation of the g in "gif" matters. Also, the fact that you posted your comment in anticipation doesn't supercede any form of logic.
Korberos ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:24:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
the entire pith of your comment is surrounding the idea that the pronunciation of the g in "gif" matters.
You have clearly misunderstood my comment, as I did not make that implication at all.
Also, the fact that you posted your comment in anticipation doesn't supercede any form of logic.
Not too concerned, since as I already explained, the "giraffics" argument doesn't have any form of logic to it.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:52:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If the pronunciation of the g didn't matter to you, I feel like you wouldn't have been all riled up, making a long comment about it.
Korberos ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 19:54:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That's a big, incorrect assumption you've got there. You don't need to be riled up to make a long comment...
[deleted] ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 20:05:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Eh, Caesar is "supposed" to be pronounced Kaiser. But if you say Julius Kaiser was emperor of Rome, you will get a lot of funny looks.
The only true rule in English is, its a democracy, and when enough people pick way something should be said, any previous rule to the contrary is edited.
Korberos ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:26:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Technically speaking, "Caesar" is a bad example, since Caesar is an English word formed as a representation of ฮฮฮฮฃฮฮก and they are separate words. ฮฮฮฮฃฮฮก is greek/latin and pronounced "Kaisar" while "Caesar" is English and is technically a new term entirely (referring to the man more than the position), much like how "panini" was an Italian word which meant sandwiches but in English we now have the word "panini" which is singular and refers to a specific kind of sandwich.
Back to the point though, the democratic rule allows for multiple pronunciations. That's why both soft-g and hard-g pronunciations of gif are correct today.
Just in case someone jumps in here with the stupid "giraffics" argument: There is no rule in the English language which states or implies that an acronym's pronunciation must follow the specific letter forms of the words it takes its letters from, and in fact many acronyms we use all the time would sound much different if that was a rule.
This is a matter of common sense, but still there are too many people who give such arguments, specially here on Reddit. Just proves the point again: "common sense is not that common"
xsvspd81 ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 03:46:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is probably the best argument I've heard for this. Thank you.
Fwiw, I pronounce it "Jif", like the peanut butter.
Given that it's the current year, I've started pronouncing it "WebM"
Korberos ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 03:54:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yes, that is the way the original creator of the format intended it. It is unfortunate that there was ever any confusion over it, because now there's such a split over the pronunciation people actually get in fights over it.
With that said, language develops as people use it, and if half of the world says it with a hard g and half with a soft, then by the rules of most languages, it can be pronounced either way because the way people pronounce something becomes the way it is pronounced.
No one says gif. It sounds like gift. Jif is unquestionably superior because of its inability to cause confusion
Korberos ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:22:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
They would actually all say GIF. It's just that some would say it with a soft G and some with a hard G.
I'm almost certain if you polled people
Yes I believe you are certain. That's quite different from you being right, though.
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:52:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Korberos ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:55:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm sure you'll provide some evidence for your claim at some point. I'll just wait :)
Tsorovar ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 04:44:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yes, that is the way the original creator of the format intended it. It is unfortunate that there was ever any confusion over it, because now there's such a split over the pronunciation people actually get in fights over it.
There's no confusion. The creator intended one thing, but he neglected to tell anyone for more than 20 years, while GIFs became well known. Pronounced with a hard g. If you want to dictate pronunciation, you need to get in early. Otherwise you lose both the opportunity and the right.
Korberos ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:47:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Your argument implies that the overwhelming majority pronounce it with a hard g and that is demonstrably false. It is different by region and cultural grouping, and could be estimated to be evenly split between people pronouncing with a hard g and those pronouncing with a soft g...
[deleted] ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 05:11:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Korberos ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 06:35:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You just demonstrated it was false. An overwhelming majority is one in which the majority is so large, the minority is not able to render a significant resistance.
If a poll needs to be taken at all...
If this discussion even has to take place...
If there are entire sites dedicated to arguments on both sides...
...then obviously there isn't an overwhelming majority on either side.
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 18:52:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Korberos ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 18:54:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Mashable only polled 30,000 people, in 191 countries. That's only ~150 people per country. That amount of people in the study can't possible produce a result that can be called conclusive... so no, I don't think I need to change my statement.
[deleted] ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 19:04:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Korberos ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 19:14:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted] ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 19:22:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Korberos ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:25:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You bash a 30,000 strong poll as not being good enough and then bring up a 1000 strong poll? That's really grasping at straws.
You're being ridiculous, purposely ignoring that I presented the second poll not as a serious piece of evidence, but as a show of the fact that polls which don't have a large enough user base aren't really evidence.
Furthermore, you've still completely failed to demonstrate the other person's statement was false, despite claiming it was "demonstrably" false. Yes, the idea of an "overwhelming majority" is demonstrably false, but "overwhelming majority" were your own words, not his, so you've only disproved your own straw man.
He said there was no confusion... tell me why this fucking conversation is even happening if there was no confusion in the world over the pronunciation of gif. Tell me that claim isn't demonstrably false. Try. If you actually go back and read what I wrote, I never said that he used the term overwhelming, only that his claim (that there was no confusion) implied an overwhelming majority, and that the claim was demonstrably false.
If you can't see that was 100% correct by the fact this conversation, and all polls included in it, exist... then you're a moron.
TechGoat ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:17:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Be honest, you're a jif-sayer too aintcha ;-) it's always the folks who bring up what the format creator calls it!
Index820 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 07:48:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Okay, but for us to know how you pronounced it, the spelling needed to change to jif. If you want it jif, then use those letters... Otherwise it's gonna be gif.
Korberos ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:16:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Should we change the alcohol to be named "jin"?
Index820 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 13:30:55 on February 18, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But the pronunciation of the g in graphics is why it feels right to me!
And because I rarely assume soft gs unless I already know they're there, so I've been calling it gif with a hard g long before I knew some people call it jif with a soft g.
karl_w_w ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:47:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
On that reasoning you've been saying laser and jpeg wrong all your life.
And maybe NASA. The first statement was mostly a joke though. I didn't intend for it to actually be taken as an argument.
I guess if we were still in the establishment phase of the pronunciation, I guess I'd probably lean towards towards laser with an "a" sound like amplification. As for jpeg, that has one of those silly "ph"s there, which p can't do on it's own so maybe jfeg? Actually, maybe we should just scrap "ph" entirely...
Unfortunately, they were already established before I had say in it.
Korberos ยท -4 points ยท Posted at 04:23:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No one calls it jif. Some call it gif with a soft g, some with a hard g. Either way, they're saying gif.
A soft g sound like a j, so calling it gif with a soft g is calling it jif. That or you're using a very different pronunciation for soft g than I'm familiar with.
Korberos ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:53:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Saying "soft g" instead of writing jif is an important distinction, because it represents a recognition that there is nothing less valid about one pronunciation of g versus another (both revolving around the pronunciation of gif, and in general).
Arguing "gif vs jif" lends an unfair and uneven bias toward the hard-g argument because it directly implies that a g can't sound like a soft-g, by implying that if it does, it would be a j.
So when I discuss this, I make sure that's very clear. No one is calling it jif. They are calling it gif with a soft g.
There, I fixed it. You seem oddly heated about such a little thing. Are you really that mad about me pronouncing it differently than you?
Korberos ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:45:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I am legitimately not heated at all. If you re-read my comments, you'll notice I'm not even arguing against it being pronounced with a hard g. I'm only arguing against the commonly used argument of it having to be a hard g because of the pronunciation of graphics, because it's a stupid argument.
The word is able to be pronounced either way, and honestly people should just stop arguing over it. But if they're going to argue over it, I'm just saying... use accurate and fair arguments.
The thing about GIF is that it's an acronym whose first word is "graphical." I don't care what the creators think. It's pronounced GIF, hard G. "Jif" wouldn't make sense at all.
They literally only decided to make "jif" correct to be contrary. GUI has always been produced "gooey." There's a precedent, as it were, for the specific field they're in. It literally makes no sense based on the way English works.
To be clear, I'm not saying that one makes any more sense than the other.
"Gif" with a hard g is just as sensical as "gif" with a soft g and vice versa. People are going to be just as likely to initially read it as one or the other, because "gi-" words with soft g's and hard g's are pretty much even in English. Something like "GEOS," despite also starting with "graphical," is obviously going to be more frequently read with a soft g, because "geo" with a soft g is far more common, but it's pretty much a tossup with something like "GIF."
efitz11 ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 03:44:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If you look up acronym rules, you'll see their pronounciations are formed by using the acronym as a new English word. The pronounciations of the underlying words do not affect the pronounciation of the new acronym at all.
Yes, I'm aware that many rules in English are abstract. That's one of them. It's still GIF to me, always will be.
111uhh1 ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 04:14:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Hope you don't say "scubba" with those principles.
pajam ยท -4 points ยท Posted at 04:21:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I tried to pull a bunch of similar example acronyms like that, but they are all vowel sounds, which inevitably are forced to change when put into other syllables within the acronym. I've never found an example that shows this with a consonant. The only similar one is jpeg (instead of j-pheg), but that is to be expected since acronyms only use the first letter.
rynlnk ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:49:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
How I say it in conversation depends on context and importance that it actually gets done as soon as possible. it's the acronym usually, but if it really needs to get done as soon as possible I'll say the initialism out to stress that.
Hate to tell you. It's been pronounced jif from the beginning. The whole debate only started a few years ago. From the mid 90's on it's been the same, only recently have contrarions tried to say the contrary. You're trying to stir the pot in the dumbest way possible. Even the creators of the gif format disagree with you.
...except I'm not trying to stir the pot, and literally commented about how the creators say "jif." I've never downvoted a comment so fast. Congratulations, you win the parrot award.
Also, they can say it however they want. They're computer nerds, not English majors.
TechGoat ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:21:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
grenideer ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 03:49:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
*According to SOME dictionaries.
I liked this paragraph at the end:
There is no special term for abbreviations whose pronunciation involves the combination of letter names and words or word-like pronunciations of strings of letters, such as JPEG /หdสeษชpษษก/ and MS-DOS /หษmษsหdษs/. There is also some disagreement as to what to call abbreviations that some speakers pronounce as letters and others pronounce as a word. For example, the terms URL and IRA can be pronounced as individual letters: /หjuหหษหrหษl/ and /หaษชหษหrหeษช/, respectively; or as a single word: /ษหrl/ and /หaษชrษ/, respectively.
But being technically right is the best kind of right!
karl_w_w ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 05:56:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Why would he have to start with "technically"? The correction is "actually that's an initialism" and anyone who says "that's just a technicality" is making an excuse for being wrong.
z6joker9 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:55:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Because they would be making an excuse for being wrong. We commonly accept that FBI is an acronym, even if technically it is initialism.
rxg ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 03:27:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But it's called an acronym because that's what people call it. I've never heard anyone use the word "initialism" in my entire life. The words that people actually use in conversation takes precedence over some factoid in a book.
candycv30 ยท -2 points ยท Posted at 04:59:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
There are many people that believe in God. Most people, even. Just because a lot of people believe in something doesn't logically prove that something is correct.
rxg ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 05:08:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You're right, believing in God doesn't make it true. But if you utter a word and people understand what you mean, then what has been effectively communicated is what the word means. When people say "acronym" in everyday conversation, everybody understands that they are referring to a series of letters which represents a series of words. If communication is successful, it can't be "wrong". The use and evolution of language has always been and will always be determined by the people using it, not some book, set or rules or some random person on reddit.
Edit: And while you personally may not agree with this cavalier way of thinking about language, this is exactly how humans throughout history have always treated language. They use, invent and modify words and meaning on the fly and the words evolve and grow throughout communities and spread across continents, and the only thing that determines what is correct is whether or not it is effectively communicating ideas.
I wasn't going for pedantic. I was trying to say that just because loads of people do something isn't a proof in logic, as the comment was trying to convey. The comment I responded to used a personal perspective
I've never heard anyone use the word "initialism" in my entire life
And used that unique experience to attest as to why the statement was false. It's not a good point in debating a fact. The statement doesn't even indicate how many people with which the commenter has conversed, so we don't even know, as the reader, how many people and how much exposure to the word was even possible.
I was saying that just because OP has never heard it, doesn't prove that it is not the way. Just as proving God's existence simply by saying, "everyone I know believes in god," or "I've never met anyone that doesn't believe in God" isn't a sound argument as a proof.
I don't know what fedorism is. So I'll allow it, and I won't contest it until further research.
I have had this argument before. Having worked for government entities in the DOD and DOE realms, I have been subjected to an enormous number of both acronyms and initialisms, and let me tell you how many people use acronym incorrectly... TRIGGERED!
It's also an initialism when the abreviation is done by using the first letter. FBI vs NaSA.
It's why we say "You-Ehn" (UN, United Nations) and not the "Uhn".
Hooray... We finally had the grammar Nazis shut down in their own self-imposed "paradise" when along comes op giving them more ammunition. What were you thinking!?
Nihil94 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:46:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I have been having this argument with my family for years. acronym/initialism/abbreviation are not interchangeable words
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 16:52:52 on February 18, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What if you say "Effa bee eye"?
Hup234 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:01:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Maybe now it is but when enough ignoramuses start calling initialisms "acronyms", it becomes "official" and now you're wrong and the unwashed are right. Some examples?
If everyone refers to FBI as an acronym and understands it stands for something else is it not then appropriate to say FBI is an acronym. Noone knows what the fuck an initialism is. Language evolves.
Nobody knows what an initialism is? You know what initials are, donโt you? How hard is it to figure out โinitialismโ? Itโs self-explanatory.
Language does evolve, but itโs sad when it only changes because people canโt be bothered to put two secondsโ worth of thought into how to use perfectly good words properly.
while_e ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:33:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I learned this about a year ago, and felt that wtf moment of "how have i not know this". I then continued to use "acronym" as both, because a) its not worth explaining to absolutely everyone, and b) why does the difference even exist other than just the desire to define and categorise ?
Why do we have thousands (maybe millions โ I didnโt actually check) of different nouns, instead of just calling everything โitโ? Because of the desire to define and categorize.
while_e ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:22:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Lol, slightly different. Why would i or anyone actually care to make the distinction between abbreviation and innitialism though? Like what would be the purpose in a convo? In contrast its very helpful to have thousands of distinct nouns..
kromp10 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 00:10:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The funny thing is, I learned this but forgot the word initialism because I havenโt heard it used as often as acronym outside of a classroom. Thanks for reminding me! I totally forgot!
You mean a real sounding word because NASA wasn't a word when it was founded and nasa technically isn't a word by itself (i nasa you nasa we nasa she nasa he nasa they nasaed come on OP its basic nasaology)
ensum ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:36:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโm assuming you actually want to know what an abbreviation is, in relation to this thread at least so Iโm going to offer an ans. There, thatโs an abbreviation.
And I learned a long time ago that if you point out the difference to someone, they'll just roll their eyes at you and still get it wrong in the future.
I've corrected people about this a few times. People don't appreciate being corrected about this. I love this tidbit, but it does not help you make friends.
HFS TIL the same thing too. I was watching all eyes on me. When Tupac says โthug lifeโ is an acronym... Iโm like wait... is it? And i looked it up.
chumppi ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:53:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
FFFFFBI
ImCarpet ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:53:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Then what is the NC double A? no one really says NCAA like it should be an initialism but you're saying NC double A.????
JLevin11 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:53:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Also, UFO was originally created as an acronym and not an initialism. So itโs technically supposed to be pronounced YUU-FO or something along those lines
Waqsaac ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:54:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So... is OP an acronym or an initialism?
uhlayna ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:55:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
German actually distinguishes between the two types of word creation. One what is here called an acronym and one what is here called an initialism. There is also a mixed form though...
august86 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:56:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
For some reason that I am not quite sure of, this is significant... Thank you!
YJCH0I ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:56:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Tbh they're not really "known" as initialisms - laymen would simply call them abbreviations. Hell, Reddit's post editor sees the plural of it as a typo even.
To further this, if the word in question is turned into an acronym after the fact it becomes known as a "backronym". For example, TIME magazine. Originally TIME didn't stand for anything but eventually it was turned into a backronym, becoming "The International Magazine of Events".
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I'm not happy to have come across this new info, so I will continue to refer to FBI, MLB, NHL, etc as acronyms, just like I continue to pronounce "GIF" with a hard "g."
bsgman ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:17:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm definitely gonna correct the next person I hear use this wrong, and I'm also definitely gonna act like it's common knowledge. Who's with me? Be honest...
I learned this on Reddit a couple of years back, so this is a repost. I have been using it ever since. It's surprising to me how many people are NOT on Reddit and don't know the difference between the two words.
Rhomega2 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:26:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What about both. I've heard some people refer to the IRS as Iris.
Thank you so much for this. I have tried to explain acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms ad nauseum. If someone tries to pull a wikipedia argument against this, point them to the NY Times Manual of Style and Usage.
Never even heard of initialism before. And I personally like reading almost as much as I like video games so it totally blew my mind that they are two totally different things. I just always considered them acronyms. The US school system really needs some work... Iโve got a fucking college degree and feel like I donโt know jack shit...
sawdeanz ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:36:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
and a sentence composed of two independent clauses isn't supposed to be separated by a comma.... so what? there's tons of technicalities nobody follows.
LPT - To avoid countless arguments just refer to them as acronyms regardless of how they're said.
Edit: Bonus LPT - To avoid being liked and having friends, always clarify that an initialism has been mistaken for an acronym by stating "Well actually, I think you'll find that...." followed by correction
Reapsta ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:08:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I prefer lol.
Buromid ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:46:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Man OP posts something I already knew, and they get ~30K upvotes. I tell my coworkers when they get it wrong and no one wants to be my lab partner!
Drafo7 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:47:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is there a word for something that's spelled with initials but spoken as the full name? I always say TIL as Today I Learned, I mean it's only one more syllable.
La-de ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:48:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm in the military. This changes everything.
alohaoy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:52:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I learned this literally yesterday in my linguistics class. I could have posted this and been on the front page! ...but I didnโt
rusy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:53:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The title of this TIL is totally wrong. What you should have learned is
some dictionaries and usage commentators define acronym to mean an abbreviation that is pronounced as a word,[18] in contrast to an initialism (or alphabetism)โโโan abbreviation formed from a string of initials (and possibly pronounced as individual letters).
some
SOME
Talory09 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:54:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I worked for a company whose CEO called an acronym a crostic. Like an acrostic but with a missing letter, because you know, abbreviations and things.
I didn't hold a lot of respect for that idiot.
Stiboon ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:55:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fuck, this one of my favorite things to point out when someone has it wrong. Now Iโm going to get โOh I Reddit too, bro.โ as a reply.
m00tmike ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:55:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm reading a book wherein someone calls LEO (Law Enforcement Officer) an anagram, and someone corrects him saying it's an acronym. The other characters responded by calling that guy a nerd. I scoffed, as a real nerd would have known the term initialism. Then I realized that I was that nerd and felt bad.
So that means that an abbreviation for one person can be an initialism for another. I know someone who would argue TIL is an initialism (I call it an abbreviation).
KrtekJim ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:11:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Am I really the only person who is pedantic enough to care that "ex." is not an English abbreviation for "for example"? It's "e.g."
I'd even settle for "ex. gr." if you're a time traveller from antiquity. But "ex." can sod right off.
The only thing worse is backronyms (sic? Most likely... sorry). Those are the terms companies or individuals make up after the fact to make what theyโre doing fit into the acronym.
Think of PECOTA, which has a baseball-relevant โmeaningโ but is named after an actual very perfectly replacement-level player.
With the plethora of acronyms at my job, I can't wait to share this with everyone! And then I'll continue to assure my position as the pedantic douchebag. Why does nobody want to hang out with me...
The wikipedia article you linked to pretty much says that this is a minority opinion. The first paragraph introducing this opinions ends with โThe rest of this article uses acronym for both types of abbreviationโ.
Vareshen ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:54:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Lol
Boojaman ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:54:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But wait; NASA isnโt a real word... We pronounce it as a word, sure - but you canโt use it in a conversation for anything other than the initialism intends... should this read โwhen you pronounce the abbreviation as if it was a real wordโ?
36nil ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:06:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Donโt like to nit pick as this is a nice post, but since when is โex.โ an abbreviation of โfor exampleโ though? People just be making new shit up all over the shop
vpsj ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:06:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
GIF should be an initialism to kill all the ambiguity.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:08:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Sorry to interrupt, but just in case cops are reading. A special fuck u. And there is always one dipshit who thinks they are not one of them. You are. Fuck you too. BTW it was nice having my arrest record gone bye bye. I was not guilty, but fuck u again for being shitbags with u never being wrong. I know.... u are always right. Most citizens cant afford to say suk a dik.
Some languages are written such that you know which type it is. In Swedish, you would type acronyms like Nasa, Saab and Ikea, and initialisms like FBI, CIA and USA.
There are actually six categories, you luddites...
Initialism - A set of initials taken from multiple words, pronounced as letters. (ex: FBI)
Acronym - A set of initials taken from multiple words, pronounced as a word. (ex: NASA)
Initiacrym - A set of initials taken from multiple words, pronounced partially as a word and partially as a group of letters. (ex: CD-ROM)
Abbreviation - A shortened form of a word, pronounced as a word. (ex: Professor -> Prof)
Acronyviation - A combined set of initials and word fragments taken from multiple words, pronounced as a word. (ex: MESSENGER spacecraft)
Abbrevalism - A shortened form of a word, pronounced as a set of letters. (ex: Lieutenant -> LT)
...and so on. That's not even conclusive - the Wikipedia page on acronyms lists 13 categories. Thirteen!
The English language doesn't have enough words to accurately capture the true variance of abbreviations/acronyms/initialisms/whatever, and nobody has enough patience to be corrected on this arbitrary and useless bit of spelling trivia every time they want to order a BLT or set up a WOW raid.
Honestly, fuck it. Language is based on intent. Everybody knows what you mean when you say "acronym" and few know "initialism". Even my phone's dictionary didn't recognize that word
Although my high school English may be failing me here, is there not also a distinction between and acronym and abbreviation? So an acronym is where the word is shortened by the first letters of a combination of words (like NASA or GIF) whereas an abbreviation is just a shortened pronounced version of a longer word? (Such as writing out Dr instead of Doctor)
TIL you can take a post from last week and repost it again without shame
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:27:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Interestingly enough, this can vary depending on language. Example being University of California, Los Angeles aka UCLA. In English it's initialism, in Spanish it's an acronym pronounced OOKLAH.
Since damn near everybody didn't know this, and the vast majority of people never will... Would the definition change naturally as our speech changes? Like at this point, FBI IS an acronym, since all think it is.
Iโm glad to know this because frankly Iโve never even heard of initialism up until now. My whole life has been a lie. Starting with the cake, and now this?
Pro-tip: Never bring up this distinction outside of an academic setting or when trying to be pedantic on the internet, because the entire room will just look at you like you're an asshole.
I.e. and e.g. are both Latin abbreviations. E.g. stands for exempli gratia and means โfor example.โ I.e. is the abbreviation for id est and means โin other words.โ Remember that E is for example (e.g.) and that I and E are the first letters of in essence, an alternative English translation of i.e
Rustii87 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:59:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I learnt this on penn and tellers bullshit program. The few times I have had the chance to correct someone I have felt like a damn genius!!!
I got this in question form when I recently played trivia pursuit with my SO. Did not get a piece of the pie on that one
Krabice ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:13:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
To be honest, anyone who makes that distinction is a hipocrit. The sole reason for using acronyms is that it rolls off the tongue. I can say FBI as an ancronym, but it doesn't sound good, so you call it an initialism, but initialism doesn't roll off the tongue either. It's a horrible word for something that could be called an acronym aswell, or if you want a new name just call it a lett, as in letter, but abbreviated.
Photographer here. I've always pronounced the term ISO as "eye-ess-oh" (initialism) since that is how I learned it in the mid-nineties.
That is, until recently. I've been hearing the term ISO (International Organization for Standardization) being thrown around as "ice-oh". And it just bugs me the fuck out. I didn't know why until now.
Oh, and yes I am aware that before cameras used ISO, ASA (American Standardization Association) was the standard of film sensitivity.
As is DIN (Deutsche Industry Norm).
i needed to look up an article, the librarian asked what journal. The journal was PNAS... i decided to say "P- nass." I giggled for what felt like an eternity :(
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:18:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's funny, I was listening to George Carlin rant about this on his audiobook.
TIL that I've been pronouncing NASA as En-Ay-Es-Ay and FBI as Fubby and nobody told me it was wrong
zombient ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:38:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
โAn acronym is not just any set of initials. It applies only to those that are pronounced as words. MADD, DARE, NATO, and UNICEF are acronyms. FBI, CIA, and KGB are not. Theyโre just pricks.โ -George Carlin
I get that this is accurate... but Iโm like 100% certain i will never actually ever say โinitialismโ. I know ill just have to explain myself every time i did and its just not worth it.
But i keep it in mind just incase i meet the queen or somethin.
So what is it called when the initials are neither spelled out or pronounced as a word? For instance the American Automobile Association is often called "Triple-A".
I don't consider acronyms to be abbreviations. An abbreviation to me is a short for a word like: Mrs., Mr., Ms., etc. and .lb. An acronym is a group of letters where each one stands for a word. Some acronyms you pronounce as a word (NASA, SCUBA). Some (initialisms) you pronounce each letter (FBI, WTF). For both cases, when you feel the need to explain what each letter stands for, you pronounce the word each letter stands for instead.
As for whether you put a period after each letter of an acronym, that's flexible.
Yes, and for the love of God people, acronyms are NOT necessarily pronounced like the words they're contrived from. If you pronounce gif with a soft g that's fine, but stop using the argument that it should be a soft g because it stands for "graphic".
edit: got hard and soft mixed up
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 15:15:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The title is total garbage. Very confusing. It's an abbreviation when the string of letters is pronounced as a single word. When you say each individual letter then it's an initialism.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:56:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Which is why people sound stupid when they argue over how to pronounce "gif." The letters don't have to retain the same pronunciation as the words they represent.
Thanks my whole life I've wondered. But been to scared to ask. All this time I just kept my mouth closed. Now I'm free.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:07:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
fuhbee
Sal6826 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:14:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโve never even heard of initialism, thanks for the lesson
dave_890 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:38:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"NASA" isn't a "real" word; it's also an initialism.
Now, something like "HARP" for "High-Altitude Research Project" is an acronym, because "harp" existed before the project.
More recently, there is House Resolution 4980: "The Preventing Allocation of Resources for Absurd Defense Expenditures Act or the PARADE Act."
Oznog99 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:59:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I work at a small tech startup whose name is NOT an acronym nor initialism.
Yet someone dictated the 6-letter name shall always be capitalized... for some sort of emphasis. So it's formatted like an acronym but the letters don't stand for anything.
scoil44 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 17:44:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
according to some dictionaries...
zandy2z ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 18:39:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This isn't an often accepted term, but I really like the proposal of "anacronym" - an acronym that is so commonly understood on its own that people have largely forgotten that it's an acronym (or, for that matter, what it stands for). Ex: laser, scuba, radar
Yep, and you can go one step further and call it a True Acronym when the word is not only pronounceable, like SCUBA or LASER, but is also a dictionary word, like USA PATRIOT Act, which supposedly stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act.
Congress loves this crap.
Hat tip to the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill, aka COLBERT, which NASA named after the comedian.
daedric ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 23:42:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I was stuck in traffic one day when I was thinking about the rules around the pronunciation of initialisms in the phonejacker universe and I realized it's pretty simple:
Insert a 'u' between each letter, and end with a 'e' unless it ends in 'S'.
Yeah. Now try getting someone to A. care and B. change what they call an "acronym." I've known this for years but A. Is hard to pull off. Never been successful.
daniesza ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:56:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Actually NASA isnโt a real word..... and acronym is when the letters are pronounceable as if it were a word and initialism is when the letters are pronounced as letters.
beansnap ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:58:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I've been called a liar for saying this :(
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:15:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
no, it is categorically not the correct definition
I think what you're trying to say is that the definition is correct, but in terms of common usage, it's acceptable to just call everything acronyms
the two things are very different, see for example words like "youse", and using who when you're meant to say whom. you're still wrong, but people will know what you mean so it doesn't matter (except for "youse", because that is bogan/redneck as hell)
i guess that just means your dumb. thought it was obvious
xWoIf ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:32:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This was honestly pet peeve of mine when people would keep calling initialisms acronyms. Though with that said, I was always searching for the term for the other variety(initialism), so thatโs pretty sweet
z_baron ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:37:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Man, this post got me real fucked up a couple years ago. I was eating lunch with some co-workers when I dropped this facto after an acronym had been used in conversation. My superior of Indian decent replied that she did indeed know that already. Without any consideration of tact, I promptly declared 'oh I forgot that you went to college.' She had three degrees. I don't think she ever voluntarily spoke to me again. I'll always remember my first micro-aggression.
"An acronym is not just any set of initials. It applies only to those that are pronounced as words. MADD, DARE, NATO, and UNICEF are acronyms. FBI, CIA, and KGB are not. Theyโre just pricks." -George Carlin
It appears as though most people would disagree with you on that one. You're entitled to your opinion though, however shitty it may be. Have a good one.
The show that surprisingly popular, RuPaul's Drag Race. It's actually interesting how so many people (read: teens) really like the show and talk about it, especially with the whole climate of Trump and everything else.
Oh, I thought you like were 40. Yeah, everybody loves it. The generational gap is really widening. But RuPaul was around 12 years ago, the show itself premiered in 2009 although it wasn't really mainstream popular until like 2 years ago tops. It was trending on twitter in the US and Europe (even though it hadn't actually come out here yet and it was 4am), I'm surprised you haven't heard of it
NASA is an acronym, because you read it like a single word. You don't pronounce it as N.A.S.A., letter by letter. SCUBA is another good common acronym. Government agencies are good at initialisms - FBI, CIA, NSA, and so forth. All read out letter by letter.
Yea the distinction is silly, I've always called them the fibbie. To do with vowels making NASA sound right for English ears, whereas an f-b sounds difficult to make and doesn't sound natural.
I've been trying to correct people on this for years when it comes up. I don't know why people don't know this.
Hey, while we are on the subject of incorrect uses, "peruse" means exactly the opposite of what you think. Unless, of course, you think it means to study intently and with great care. In which case, you're right.
I propose a new acronym: BIAK, meaning But I Already Know, as in But I already know that words mean what people use them to mean, not what some authority figure defines them as. When you say "it's only called", you are obviously making a factually wrong statement: people call "FBI" and "FYI" acronyms all the time. If you want to make a factual statement, you could say, "TIL that, strictly speaking, the word "acronym" refers only to abbreviations that are pronounced as if they were a word."
But this raises the question of how you distinguish between a strict-sense acronym and initialism. For example, I call HTML "hatemail", and HTTPS "hot tips", but nobody else does. And it would seem that Nixon's Committee to Re-elect the President was an initialization until some wag decided to call it CREEP, and it caught on cause he clearly was.
And what about "F.U."? It's neither: people don't say "FU", so it's not an acronym. But to be an initialization, it should, strictly speaking, be "FY", not "FU". I guess, come to think of it, it's not really "F.U." (unless it's Frank Underwood's cufflinks), it's really "F. you", which looks terrible in print.
Snarlynx ยท -2 points ยท Posted at 01:50:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I remember proving my AP English teacher wrong about this. Highlight of my classroom time that year.
Edit: I see we have some AP English teachers here.
DbowlGA ยท -13 points ยท Posted at 00:14:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
For having my mind blown over something like this? Maybe.
mqduck ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:24:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Your mind was blown by a narrower definition of "acronym" used only by pedants? Heck, your own link says:
The distinction is not well-maintained. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage: "A number of commentators ... believe that acronyms can be differentiated from other abbreviations in being pronounceable as words. Dictionaries, however, do not make this distinction because writers in general do not. ... Initialism, an older word than acronym, seems to be too little known to the general public to serve as the customary term standing in contrast with acronym in a narrow sense." About the use of acronym to only mean those pronounced as words, Fowler's Modern English Usage (3rd ed.) states: "The limitations of the term being not widely known to the general public, acronym is also often applied to abbreviations that are familiar but are not pronounceable as words. ... Such terms are also called initialisms."
While grammatically they always teach you "an" only goes before a vowel, that's not actually accurate. It's just as "correct" to put "an" before a word that has a vowel sound, such as you stated here.
"I'm an FBI agent" is grammatically correct, but so is "I'm a FBI agent."
It depends on the sound you make at the beginning of the word. For example, you would say 'he's a NASA employee" but you would also say "he's an FBI agent". NASA, when spoken as a word, starts with a consonant sound, whereas FBI when spoken as an initialism starts with a vowel sound (eff).
If you're going to lie about something, at least make it something that's harder to verify. Search this subreddit for "initialism," and sort by new. The last time this was posted was well over a year ago.
Saved comment
tylerpestell ยท 420 points ยท Posted at 02:15:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What about ASAP? I have heard it pronounced as a word and spelled out in conversations.
CletusVanDamnit ยท 272 points ยท Posted at 03:35:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is good one. By this definition, I'd say it could be both. The same would be true of something like LOL, which is often pronounced as both el oh el and "lawl."
[deleted] ยท 84 points ยท Posted at 05:35:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Dewy_Wanna_Go_There ยท 29 points ยท Posted at 06:49:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
SOI SOI SOI
gravitas-deficiency ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 16:13:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
COME OVER
Dewy_Wanna_Go_There ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 20:09:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
hahahaha
mysticdickstick ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 00:06:25 on February 18, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Faddoo faddoo faddoo faddoo
CivilMonger ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:53:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
https://youtu.be/boh92DrYEWs
devils_playthang ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 06:19:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Roff-ull-cop-ter
JFConz ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 11:42:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
n. 1. flight vehicle made of joy int. 2. expression of laughter for robots, teenagers, and other internet dwellers
IgpayAtenlay ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:03:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Stone, stone, REDSTOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNEEEEEEE!
arthurktripp ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 05:41:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโve always figured the nature of this abbreviation requires that it be said as a word. Fewer syllables, less time to get your point across.
postdochell ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 06:01:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
ThorTheMastiff ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 09:57:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Where do you live? I've never heard "lawl" before. Gotta be a regional thing.
CletusVanDamnit ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 12:48:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No, it's not a regional thing.
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:00:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
workphoneredditacct ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:21:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thatโs madness. Sounds like Supermanโs brother.
TheFalseProphet666 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:44:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Like SQL and GUI
but if you say ess cue el or gooey then you're wrong
Zambito1 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:58:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I say both ess cue el and gooey :(
workphoneredditacct ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:21:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Or rhyming with roll. Thatโs how Iโve heard it.
ManWhoSmokes ยท 37 points ยท Posted at 04:20:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's whatever your pronouncing it as at the time
[deleted] ยท -5 points ยท Posted at 05:24:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Phedericus ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 05:56:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
i think that technically
A.S.A.P is an initialism ASAP is an acronym
lancebaldwin ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 08:20:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Don't be a pedant. If you typed it you heard it in your head, or whoever reads it says it in their head. So it's whatever it's being pronounced as still.
speehcrm1 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 18:35:11 on February 20, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Pedantry is such a strange thing to accuse a person of in a derogatory manner, it's literally equivalent to accusing someone of being overly percipient or detail-oriented or even scrupulous, why should we punish people with observant qualities?
lancebaldwin ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:19:46 on February 20, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No, he was being an asshole for no reason. As I typed in my comment you're still pronouncing it, just not out loud.
MarthPlayer3 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:46:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's an abbreviation.
ManWhoSmokes ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 08:52:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's however the reader pronounced it in their head.
bbev913 ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 04:26:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wouldn't it depend on how you pronounce it?
ThatDamnRaccoon ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:21:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Or A$AP for that matter
blalkr ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:24:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
As a single word for me, definitely. It's supposed to abbreviate the phrase as much as possible, makes sense to pronounce it as 'asap'.
K3R3G3 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:07:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Acronytialism
airbreather ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:54:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That's a portmanteau
Ragnar_D ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:11:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
For me it depends on the urgency. I might just say asap as like a "Hey, can we get this done asap, I got better shit to do"
If I'm trying to emphasize it I'll say "(...)A. S. A. P"
Sphinx2K ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 15:33:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
As is the same with how different people say LOL.. lol
Mithrawndo ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:19:54 on February 18, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The best modern example is S/NES, which is an acronym in British English and an initialism in US english.
Demon_Prongles ยท 364 points ยท Posted at 04:15:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fun fact: vision correction via laser eye surgery is called LASIK, which means Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis. Kind of an embedded acronym, because LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Acronymception?
extraeme ยท 82 points ยท Posted at 06:20:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm going to go get Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis eye surgery done.
Demon_Prongles ยท 27 points ยท Posted at 07:58:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Have a safe pew pew!
heltwig ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 10:14:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Godspeed!
daleadil ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 20:47:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Or, as I like to call it, LASERASIK.
ajmartin527 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:06:13 on February 28, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
In German they say this backwards, itโs KISARESAL
boomerangotan ยท 64 points ยท Posted at 05:49:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If you like that, check out recursive acronyms.
ceilingscorpion ยท 16 points ยท Posted at 07:00:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
GNU stands for GNU not Unix
TenshiS ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 07:26:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
How insecure do you have to be to differentiate yourself from the competition in your own product's name?
InfanticideAquifer ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:49:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is GNU actually a product, being open source freeware and all?
TenshiS ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 07:57:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
As far as I know, "product" doesn't mean it has a price tag. It basically just stands for a tangible asset, usually the product of some sort of labor.
Kwantuum ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 18:24:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
GNU is not a product, it's a collection of products, them being open source doesn't change that though.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 15:11:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Cola_and_Cigarettes ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 16:16:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
GNU is not.
Demon_Prongles ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 10:27:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Woah, now I want to start making up recursive acronyms.
beleg_tal ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 12:52:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Reddit Exists for Discussing and Debating Interesting Things
Demon_Prongles ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 20:06:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wow, when I first saw the notification thing, I thought you were just being reflective, like โisnโt Reddit a beautiful place to have these discussions?โ But right on with that acronym!
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 13:23:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Phphphphphphphp...
ajmartin527 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:19:00 on February 28, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
My favorite ones, probably because itโs rare you see clever humor coming from Germany, are the EINE and ZWEI ones.
EINE (which means one in German) stands for EINE Is Not Emacs. The next generation of this was called ZWEI (meaning two in German) which stands for ZWEI Was EINE Initially.
BLTM8192 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:09:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So basically Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation assisted in situ keratomileusis
Demon_Prongles ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 08:02:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah, but the grammar doesnโt really gel in that order imo. Laser itself is a noun, but that falls apart when... decontracted?
Dslk8 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:40:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is really cool... I wonder if there are any other examples of this.
Kuato2012 ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 06:22:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Biology is full of them.
Abelson kinase = Abl
Abl-related gene = Arg
Arg Binding Protein 2 = ArgBP2
Nobody would ever call it this, but to fully expand ArgBP2, it would be Abelson kinase related gene Binding Protein 2.
And then there's Mitogen Activated Pathway Kinase (MAPK), which gets phosphorylated by MAPK Kinase (MAPKK), which gets phosphorylated by MAPKK Kinase (MAPKKK), which gets phosphorylated by MAPKKK Kinase (MAPKKKK, or MAP4K).
sanddust0 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 11:58:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I write VHDL code at work which stands for VHSIC Hardware Description Language. Which stands for Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language. Needless to say, we call it VHDL.
Demon_Prongles ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 15:56:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do you guys say each letter or try to sound it out? โVhhhddleโ โViddle? Veedle? Vahdel?โ
sanddust0 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 17:56:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's an initialism! Though I'm reconsidering changing now, V.H.D.L or vehdel?
pantman_ ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 13:01:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
thatโs so meta
ShuRugal ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 14:21:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
DAGR: Defense Advanced GPS Receiver
MATV: MRAP ATV: Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected All -Terrain Vehicle
BostonRich ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 19:14:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Take us to acronym warp speed Mr Sulu.
luke_in_the_sky ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 19:51:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
These acronyms that became words are called anacronyms.
http://grammarist.com/usage/acronym-vs-anacronym/
Demon_Prongles ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 20:14:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh thatโs neat to know, I wonder if there are many more anacronyms in our language. TIL scuba was one!
luke_in_the_sky ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 20:46:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Radar, sonar, AIDS, COBOL, snafu.
URL, ASCII, ISO, ISIL are becoming anacronyms as they are so ingrained in common language that its original spelled-out meaning is unknown to many.
Worth to mention the backronyms: when a word is converted into an acronym even though originally it was not an acronym. Examples:
The Amber Alert was named after Amber Hagerman, but now it means America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response.
The ISS treadmill is named Colbert after Stephen Colbert, but they say it means Combined Operational Load-Bearing External Resistance Treadmill.
AusGeno ยท 10767 points ยท Posted at 00:51:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
OP I appreciate you, I didnโt know the difference between an acronym and an initialism so thank you.
StridAst ยท 4514 points ยท Posted at 02:00:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Seriously! The misuse is constant, so we clearly need to notify the American Association Against Acronym Abuse! Also known as the AAAAA...
Cimroa ยท 1624 points ยท Posted at 02:26:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
How dare you do this to me.
dollycommutation ยท 1139 points ยท Posted at 03:25:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
โI canโt believe youโve done this.โ
Edit: By popular request.
yerboiboba ยท 303 points ยท Posted at 03:30:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You forgot the "Oh, fuck..."
RedFyl ยท 170 points ยท Posted at 03:38:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Hello everyone, iโm here today to talk aboutโฆ
ZeroLAN ยท 157 points ยท Posted at 03:40:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
smacks op
Cotnip ยท 133 points ยท Posted at 04:01:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"Oh Fuck..."
[deleted] ยท 135 points ยท Posted at 04:06:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
kiddfrank ยท 47 points ยท Posted at 04:25:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is why I love reddit
Kicooi ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:01:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
/thread
ajmartin527 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:03:24 on February 28, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
gotta love when you get the reference
[deleted] ยท -4 points ยท Posted at 05:03:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
daonewithnoteef ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 05:55:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
smacks op harder
MoSqueezin ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 06:08:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh fuck
Arsany_Osama ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 06:12:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I can't believe you've done this
HotgunColdheart ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 06:27:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is why I love reddit
NotDellinger ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 07:21:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Because they know about a video? Or because they repeat it in multiple comments every time it's brought up?
ultimatemanan97 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:52:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
we did it reddit!
alexisftw ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:08:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"oh hi mark"
NukeML ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:54:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
There you go
existeverywhere ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:19:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is Jared from state farm
Zaggie ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:34:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So OFUK is an acronym? I thought is was initialism.
raffiki77 ยท 25 points ยท Posted at 04:07:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
When's the next AAAAA meeting?
daonewithnoteef ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 06:11:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
They donโt do meetings , rather the much anticipated AAAAAAAAAA
27th Annual American Association Against Acronym Abuse Assembly in Anchorage Alaska America
gamingchicken ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:10:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
More of an โAh fuckโ to be honest
Ted_E_Bear ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 03:46:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh, fuck...
zosobaggins ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:02:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I can't believe you've done this.
Rabbi_Tuckman38 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:10:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"I cahn't believe you've done this"
FTFY
Emlerith ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 04:23:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
ICBYDT
duhzmin ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:06:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
https://youtu.be/wKbU8B-QVZk
jawjuhgirl ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:12:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Da real MVP
duhzmin ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:19:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I know right!? I post the link and then buddy edits and takes all the fake internet points that mean nothing
atari26k ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:23:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Where's the video, dammit
[deleted] ยท 102 points ยท Posted at 03:40:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Dangerboyy ยท 32 points ยท Posted at 03:51:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Which would classify as an acronym
XeRoFoRm ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:11:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
How do we know it's not actually pronounced as Aaaayyy? Wouldn't that make it an initialism since when saying "Ay", you're pronouncing it as a letter and not as a word? Unless there's an actual word pronounced as "Ay" that I'm not realizing.
LongUsernamesAreForb ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:25:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
a ฤ,ษ/ determiner determiner: a; determiner: an
1. used when referring to someone or something for the first time in a text or conversation.
"a man came out of the room"
used with units of measurement to mean one such unit.
"a hundred"
one single; any.
"I simply haven't a thing to wear"
used when mentioning the name of someone not known to the speaker.
"a Mr. Smith telephoned"
someone like (the name specified).
"you're no better than a Hitler"
2. used to indicate membership of a class of people or things.
"he is a lawyer"
3. used when expressing rates or ratios; in, to, or for each; per.
"typing 60 words a minute"
XeRoFoRm ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:39:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I figured someone would reply with "a" being a word. I honestly didn't know whether that technically counted or not, but I guess it does.
waffles350 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:39:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Well it's not a fruit or a vegetable...
TheRealBigDave ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:18:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What if we say Quintuple A? Itโs neither.
anon_nomad ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:53:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Not if your the fonz tho
TheRealMcTurkey ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:51:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I thought it was more like ayyy
OfficialDudeGuy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:13:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I read it as an initialism, sounds a bit like laughing.
LoveRBS ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:04:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Aaaah as in surprise and alarm...more of an AAAAH!
screen317 ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 04:11:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Top 10 anime betrayals
j__bizzzle ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:18:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
All you gotta do is pronounce it as "ahhhhhhhh"
mountainoyster ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:26:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Well don't look up RAS syndrome.
JAproofrok ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:05:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
HDYDTTM!!
xmellybellyx ยท 242 points ยท Posted at 02:56:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It must be pronounced "Aaahh!!!"
captainAwesomePants ยท 110 points ยท Posted at 03:25:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Not if their name is an initialism.
keez123 ยท 35 points ยท Posted at 03:27:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nobody asked you DeeJay
definefoment ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 03:37:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No one asked you Cherise!
hard_farter ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:07:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
MAXIMUM
homoaIexuaI ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:57:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
We should ask Jeeves
[deleted] ยท 87 points ยท Posted at 03:39:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
no its pronounsed "aaAAAaaAaaAAA!" we come from the land of the ice and snow
radio934texas ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 03:48:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Came here for this. Thank you.
conundrumbombs ยท 14 points ยท Posted at 04:01:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You came here for this?
You scrolled down for this!
TenshiS ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:18:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
He came for this
G2_Rammus ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:42:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Okay then... Go away now? I mean you can stay in the post if you want too but idk, it'd be kind of uncomfortable.
SEphotog ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:18:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I was hoping to see this as I scrolled down! Thanks for being that guy.
Phbridge ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:11:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Land of lizards
FFaddic ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 03:45:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
...real monsters!
[deleted] ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 03:24:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Precisely
iheartjill ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 03:25:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ayyyyy
Oh_Henry1 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:31:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
lmao
frinqe ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 03:36:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Or โAyayayayay!!!โ
xmellybellyx ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 03:46:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
As fun as that sounds, The American Association of Acronym Abuse would never allow initialism!
NoLuck_Needed3 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:55:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is The American Association of Acronym Abuse (apparently โAAAAโ) a real thing or am I being super gullible to the jokesters of Reddit?
AerasGale ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:08:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Awaken
Foxyfox- ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:26:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Glad I wasn't the only one.
TeamAquaAdminMatt ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:27:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Whenever you say it you must scream it at the top of your lungs
Kiregnik ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:29:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ahhhhhhhhggg!!
xmellybellyx ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:34:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"Hello, thank you for calling Ahhhgghhh."
Racer13l ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:23:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ahhhh back of the throat.
ryncewynde88 ยท 44 points ยท Posted at 03:58:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Not the American Institute Against Initialism and Acronym Incorrect Appropriation (Incorporated)? (also known as AIAIAI)
[deleted] ยท 27 points ยท Posted at 06:41:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU
ajmartin527 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:04:41 on February 28, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
At first I didnโt think you could possibly make this an acronym, you brilliant bastard. Ay!
dallonv ยท 19 points ยท Posted at 03:45:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Are meetings held in the Castle AAAAAAAAAH?
metallisch ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 04:13:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
it's an older reference sir, but it checks out
Cooket4 ยท 36 points ยท Posted at 03:09:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
They're right before AAAA painters in the phonebook
shiner986 ยท 24 points ยท Posted at 03:24:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Theyโd be after it though
-1KingKRool- ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 03:30:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nope, itโs a tie for precedence up until the fifth character, whereupon Painters starts with P, and AAAAA has A.
Vitztlampaehecatl ยท 30 points ยท Posted at 03:43:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No, the painters' fifth char is ' '
Space has a value of 32, while A has a value of 65, so "AAAA " comes before "AAAAA".
licheeman ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 03:58:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
wow, you must have some good trivia stored in that brain of yours. and i mean this in the kindest sense. impressive.
Vitztlampaehecatl ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 04:09:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nah I just looked up the ASCII table
licheeman ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:11:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's not even just the numbers from the ASCII Table but the concept of what comes first. anyways, you da man! =)
trojan8 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:44:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
AAAA starts with a space on the fifth character so it goes first
-1KingKRool- ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:55:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Depends on whether we count spaces or not.
usesNames ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 03:59:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
... we do
conundrumbombs ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:05:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Spaces count.
Source: I worked at two libraries during college.
-1KingKRool- ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:14:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fair enough, Iโll concede this one just from the tiny bit Iโve found on it.
DeltaForce291 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:07:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
/r/quityourbullshit
Classified0 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:40:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What is a paint phobia?
cpurple12 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:21:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I love the American Association of Aspiring Artists they really did great on my house.
LawlessCoffeh ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 03:26:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Unfortunately, people just become frightened when you scream at them right?
MaxPecktacular ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 03:46:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
AAAAA? Does the fonz run this organization or something?
redleif ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:45:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Pronounced รaahhhh
WhatAmCSGO ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 02:40:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Sponsored by Google.
Phoequinox ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:50:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I wish that was real so I could scream at people randomly.
oui-cest-moi ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:57:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Hahahah as an acronym, they just scream at you.
NemWan ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:59:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Quintuple A
Panda_iQ ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:03:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Quintuple A?
TrulyVerum ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:03:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ayyy Kayyy Ayyy The Ayyy Ayyy Ayyy Ayyy Ayyy lmao
Peachtrify ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:17:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Alright, that's enough internet for today.
TrulyVerum ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:29:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thanks. Sometimes a person needs to be told.
PmMeWifeNudesUCuck ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:21:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This thread is full of people who are fun at parties
Name-of_User ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:24:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ahhhh
yes
OfficerPewPew ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:28:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's an acronym, initialism, and an alliteration an in one!
jukebox92 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:36:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Not to be confused with the American Association Against Alliteration Abuse.
BegginStripper ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:42:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
cats_lasers_reddit ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:46:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Pronounced Ahhhhhhh and not A-A-A-A-A.
Lol_at_your_comment ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:44:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Lol
AndroSphinx ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:31:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is this that one led zepellin song
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:39:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Sorry, but AAAAA has already been taken by the association of people who drink and drive.
FungalSphere ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:42:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
AAAAA record? Finally?
missvoodoo25 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:43:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do they deal with real monsters?
CrossBreedP ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:45:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is it AAAAAAAAAH? Or Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay?
sahilthapar ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:46:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If I had gold to give I would
TheCloudsInTheSky ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:46:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
An amazing alliteration
Snapdragon710 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:48:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
All around awesome alliteration.
ryu_highabusa ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:52:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This post is officially cursed
c0nfus1on ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:52:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Someone remind me to buy gold when I get paid March 2nd
Aklystwo ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:53:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Of America
ecksperience_ ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:56:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do you have your quintuple A card?
foreignersforromney ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:58:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is there an American Association Against Alliteration Abuse?
420dankmemes1337 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:59:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"Pentuple A" problem solved
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:59:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
However, is AAAAA an acronym?
FrozenOcean420 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:00:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Aka a5
google1Anthony ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:04:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I've never wanted to give reddit gold and I probably never will but I'll be damned if you don't deserve it.
i357 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:08:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That is more Ey Ey Ey Ey Ey than AAAAAh.
fifthaccountWTF ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:11:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So is that an acronym or an initialism?
BobtheWiz ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:16:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is that an acronym or an initialism?
TurboChewy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:20:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Commonly known as "Quintuple-A".
Jess_than_three ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:21:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's not "misuse". Words are defined by usage.
Banana223 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:23:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
At this point, it's just a colloquialism to call them all acronyms, and not really "misuse". Sort of like how people use "metaphor" for any sort of analogy, and "simile" is only a word you use in English class.
VoidIgnitia ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:29:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is that an initialism or an acronym?
keepit420peace ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:30:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Missed oppurtinity should have used AKA!
poolthatisdead ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:41:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
We already have the perfect theme song too!
MrExcellence_ ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:42:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is it an acronym or initialism? I'd hate to abuse a potential acronym
the_king_of_lunch ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:44:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I just moved the upvotes to the current year
Jaxel_MS ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:44:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This ones an acronym if youโre not afraid
44ml ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:49:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I just thought they were REALLY against drinking or super duper anonymous.
KingJonathan ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:51:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thatโs an acronym.
DeusPayne ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:03:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Pronunciation guide:
https://i.imgur.com/lO0fvFa.jpg
nomnommish ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:10:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
AKA the association for drunk drivers. AAAAA.
Tokyodrew ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:12:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
AKA the AAAAA?
Sobster ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:12:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I thought you we're just screaming
offendernz ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:12:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
AAAAA Associate.
EatAllotaDaPita ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:14:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So is the AAAAA an acronym or an initialism? Do you pronounce it A.A.A.A.A. or AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHGGHHGHHHAHGGHHGHGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!?
jigokusabre ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:21:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
People always freak out when I tell them I'm a member of AAAAA!
ItsAnAcronym ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:26:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Indeed! My turn? Here, Epigrams In Routine Parlance Reveal Sneaky Ideas. Decipher Enigma Now... Try!
NefariusMarius ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:26:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
He must have died while writing it...
OPTCThunderbolts ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:29:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nah, just AAAA.
Americans love lopping letters off of abbreviated names for no apparent reason.
Frigoris13 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:55:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Everyone else: "A.A.A.A.A." Me: "AAAAAHHHHH"
jrm2007 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:01:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So constant that the meaning of the word "acronym" based on usage will probably irregardless of its original meaning.
Chronos96 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:02:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do you mean the AAAAA? Association Against Allowing Alcoholics Anonymous? AKA FYI the Anti-Alcoholics Anonymous or triple A?
SuperWoody64 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:03:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That's a tiny ass battery
aykcak ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:16:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I thought that's what they called tiny tiny batteries
Tepigg4444 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:18:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
AAAAA
Fudge89 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:47:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh shit. So what is the โTriple A?โ Where does that pronunciation fall?? Iโm only asking this because I donโt want do get started with the โQuintuple A.โ I donโt think I have security clearance to even mention them. Sorry NSA. Ah fuck.
toeofcamell ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:56:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Quick assemble the AAAAA!!!!
Infinityand1089 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:01:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I like to think this is an initialism, just for the added irony.
Reapsta ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:11:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
How do you pronounce that? Aye aye aye aye aye or aaaaaayyyyyeeee!
RandomSynesthetic ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:50:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Also alliteration
throwawayplsremember ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:25:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
AAAAA is pronounceable!
Unobacillus ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:28:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If the misuses are constantly constant then the meaning of the word may have already changed?
T1G_ThatOneGuy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:16:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Tell that to the OWCA
12-1-34-5-2-52335 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:53:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"Hello? Septuple A?"
coleman57 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:44:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Which usage nazis (are we still allowed to say that?) pronounce with a long A, and descriptivists with a short A.
PresidentBaileyb ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:23:31 on February 19, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So is it an acronym "Ahhhhhhh" or an initialism "eh eh eh eh eh eh eh?"
Superdante5000 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:26:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Give this man and/or woman gold!!
lol_AwkwardSilence_ ยท 81 points ยท Posted at 03:37:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is the kind of knowledge that I could use to be a real asshole.
CokeTastesGood39 ยท 45 points ยท Posted at 03:50:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This post is going to ruin so many parties and conversations.
[deleted] ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 05:30:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
ilovemangotrees ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 07:12:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
A lower ick
TalonCompany91 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:12:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Hello, AAAAA? I need a super flatbed for my AWD ignorance to be towed...thanks, buds!
speehcrm1 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:05:24 on February 20, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"Excuse me, but that's actually called an initialism just to let you know. Wouldn't want you to go around looking like a dumbass spouting nonsense after all, I'm only here to help."
Helmic ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 07:43:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Especially since the "correct" way to say it is somewhat antiquated and doesn't follow what the actual usage is.
VikingFrog ยท 228 points ยท Posted at 02:52:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Are you currently pronouncing OP as an acronym or an initialism?
purpleunicornturds ยท 315 points ยท Posted at 03:08:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Initialism 100% of the time... right?
RobMcB0b ยท 86 points ยท Posted at 03:20:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Are you saying I've been pronouncing it wrong this whole time?
purpleunicornturds ยท 241 points ยท Posted at 03:21:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I donโt say it like โBlack Opsโ I say it like โoh-peeโ
RobMcB0b ยท 94 points ยท Posted at 03:22:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh, I say it like ops.
pablo95 ยท 210 points ยท Posted at 03:24:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
thats just savage
UltimateInferno ยท 68 points ยท Posted at 03:59:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I feel dirty for reading that.
r1ftyCS ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:31:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
He means savage as in barbaric thankfully, and not ๐ฅSAVAGE ๐ฅ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ
fodrox04 ยท 28 points ยท Posted at 04:29:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Everyone boo this man! Booooo!!
BEAVER_TAIL ยท 46 points ยท Posted at 03:52:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Why
FuryofYuri ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 04:42:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Awp
xfactoid ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:14:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
boom headshot
Rpanich ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 03:58:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This was a pleasant exchange.
ksa10 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:28:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"OP is a faggot" just doesn't have the right ring otherwise.
MonkeyOnFire120 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:01:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You aren't alone. Stay strong, brother.
fuckyourcatsnigga ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:41:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But..why
TenshiS ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:19:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Me too!
Waterknight94 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:26:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wow you are so wrong... repent!
The_Sneakiest_Fox ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:45:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What the fuck is wrong with you.
Zambito1 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:56:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I've always read it as an acronym for overpowered, so I stuck with that for original poster.
CliCheGuevara69 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:06:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
And you pronounce memes as โmee-mees.โ
amalgalm ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:25:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I say it like plops
RobMcB0b ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:28:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I've never heard it pronounced that way before, but I like it.
idwthis ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 03:39:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I bet you do.
SuperSuspiciousDuck ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:20:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What about Black OPs?
I'd play a Call of Duty of that. Instead of terrorists, you fight shitposters.
Infidelc123 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:28:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I use "oh-pee" when something in a game is overpowered. I use "black op" when referring to OP
Waterknight94 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:28:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh-pee for both.
abqnm666 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:46:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What about the third way?
CarbonCamaroZL1 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:46:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I've always said it like "Black Ops". I always assumed it meant operator... Or something along the lines of that.
HElGHTS ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:10:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Since it's a single word (operations), it's an abbreviation. If it were 2 words, it would be acronym assuming you said it as a single syllable (or an initialism if you said it as two).
CarbonCamaroZL1 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:49:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I just Googled what OP stands for and multiple sources are saying "Original Poster". So I guess it would be an acronym to those who are saying "Op" as a word but for those who say "O-P" it would be an initialism.
HElGHTS ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:10:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Well yes, for OP in the forum sense. I was referring to the word Ops. I now see that the person I replied to wasn't talking about the actual Ops that I went on to explain. Oops.
hugs_nt_drugs ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:30:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It stands for Original Poster.
CarbonCamaroZL1 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:54:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah, that's what I found through Googling it. Guess I never bothered to before for some reason. Never really thought about it. So I guess it is sort of both acronym and initialism then, depending on how you pronounce it. The technical way according to most is O-P but I guess even in thought/reading I am lazy and prefer the slightly shorter Op format.
Unidan_nadinU ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:12:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
How do you spell ICUP?
Waterknight94 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:28:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I see you pee
ASPD_Account ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:42:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So what's it called when I say blops?
sounds_n_stuff ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:04:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
How do you know when OP is black?
aykcak ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:20:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah I think that is correct
leksicon ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:17:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
'AWP' all the way.. Just like I pronounce Call of Duty 'COD' like the fish and not 'see oh dee'
MyPasswordWasWhat ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:33:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I haven't a clue why but reading "oh-pee" made me laugh, so thanks.
DeathsIntent96 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:25:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Sรญ
ScarletSpider2012 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:01:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
gif
Urisk ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 03:53:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What if OP looks like this?
justahotmess ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:59:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I wish I had two to give you.
ChunkyWeenis ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:05:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
running from de op, shootin at these ops
kronaz ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:46:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But if you pronounce it as an acronym, you can go "Oppa Gangnam Style! Op! Op! Op!"
overly_familiar ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:16:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Acronym, always.
MekuDeadly ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:40:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Going to start pronouncing it as a Kansas โopeโ
Drigr ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:51:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Acronym. It translates to Ohpee
/s
T1G_ThatOneGuy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:18:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If it's an acronym, I think of a server administrator. If it's an initialism, I think of "original poster"
HElGHTS ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:17:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
For operator though, there's not usually capitalization involved with abbreviations. Maybe as a username you'd use Title Case to build something like SysOp. Give the flash drive to the op. Etc.
Stoked_Bruh ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:13:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
O.P. like O.G., mutha FUCKA
Ptr4570 ยท 68 points ยท Posted at 02:41:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Then there's also a backronym like AMBER in A.M.B.E.R. Alert, and recursive acronyms like GNU or YAML.
traveler_ ยท 42 points ยท Posted at 03:26:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
YAML ought to be a special case for going from "Yet Another Markup Language" to "YAML Ain't a Markup Language". Backrocursive?
idwthis ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 03:40:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
For a second I thought your YAML WAS GONNA BE "Y'all Might Laugh"
ADLuluIsOP ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:03:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No those are two different YAMLs to my knowledge. Ones for CSS the other is for data serialization. Unless there's something I don't know.
MaXiMiUS ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:35:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6968366/if-yaml-aint-markup-language-what-is-it#answer-18928199
There is something called Yet Another Multicolumn Layout for CSS. First time I've ever heard of it, though.
ADLuluIsOP ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:36:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ah I see. I guess I'd never heard YAMLs old name. I just knew about the CSS one.
kyreannightblood ยท 36 points ยท Posted at 03:26:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I love backronyms. When the full name only really tells you that someone really wanted that word as their acronym, and the full name tends to border on ridiculous.
Super_Pan ยท 27 points ยท Posted at 03:42:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
like with S.H.I.E.L.D.
kyreannightblood ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:05:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Exactly.
Nighthunter007 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:33:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Or FIDO (Fog, Intensive Dispersal Of), the giant fuel burning systems they used to burn off the fog from British runways in WW2.
[deleted] ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:42:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
My all-time favourite is SAD (seasonal affective disorder).
The name of the disorder is the most profound symptom of the disorder. It's hilarious.
modernzen ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:25:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I get that backronyms require some level of creativity, but they just feel so forced or contrived to me.
[deleted] ยท 61 points ยท Posted at 03:03:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
EphemeralSun ยท 48 points ยท Posted at 03:15:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
WINE Is Not an Emulator
rob_s_458 ยท 26 points ยท Posted at 03:26:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Pine Is Not Elm
LangLangLang ยท 31 points ยท Posted at 03:28:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Aids Is Drastically Shitty
Classified0 ยท 14 points ยท Posted at 03:41:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
php hypertext preprocessor
[deleted] ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:00:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
php in 2018 LUL
Classified0 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:23:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Legacy systems.
lNTERLINKED ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 03:52:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm So Meta Even This Acronym
Rev_Gargoyle ยท -2 points ยท Posted at 06:42:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The owls are not what they seem.
SenTedStevens ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:40:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That's a better name for it than GRID. Gay Related Immune Deficiency.
NilesLaw ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:50:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
ceci n'est pas une pipe
Perca_fluviatilis ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 03:31:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Where does the G come from though?
iMogwai ยท 55 points ยท Posted at 03:35:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The G is for GNU.
[deleted] ยท 22 points ยท Posted at 03:41:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Are we discussing theology now?
asarcosghost ยท 17 points ยท Posted at 03:35:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
From the G in the GNU in GNU is Not Unix is Not Unix
SetOfAllSubsets ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:55:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Where does the G come from though?
TheOneTonWanton ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:11:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The alphabet.
SgvSth ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:50:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Specifically the Latin version.
Kailoi ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:46:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's a closed timelike loop. It's always been there.
arup02 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:03:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The extra b is for byobb
DrNathanBryce ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:41:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Gee! Not Unix. I gnew that.
PrashnaChinha ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:03:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Lasagne
sdmitch16 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:18:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You just made me realize they could have chosen any letter they wanted.
XNU is Not Unix.
underthingy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:20:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But only g makes an animal.
SchmidlerOnTheRoof ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:43:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I think my favorite part about this is that the creator could have picked any letter at all. But somewhere, somehow, something convinced him to pick G.
overly_familiar ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:18:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Because it's an animal.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:41:33 on April 3, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Recursive acronyms make me STIF (STIF totally isn't floppy)
Pacem_et_bellum ยท 39 points ยท Posted at 03:35:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Also, it's interesting to see words like LASER and SCUBA change from initialisms to acronyms to then being a completely normal set of words in people's vocabulary
ZylonBane ยท 16 points ยท Posted at 04:54:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
LASER and SCUBA were never initialisms.
ANGLVD3TH ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 05:36:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I think SCBA was a commonly used initialism before the underwater version was made. I don't doubt that it was one for a while before getting more mainstream.
HElGHTS ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:22:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's still commonly used in non-water applications like firefighting. The underwater version is just more of a household word because it's a recreational activity, unlike firefighting.
ANGLVD3TH ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:36:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
True. Guess you could think it replaced SCBA fron my comment, but all I meant was I'm pretty sure it predated it. Seeing as I assume SCUBA evolved from it, I'm guessing originally they just added a U to the initialism.
really_mean_guy13 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:49:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ya and like seeing the word acronym to go from just meaning acronym to meaning acronym OR initialism
skyler_on_the_moon ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 03:33:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
And here I thought YAML stood for Yet Another Markup Language.
sdmitch16 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:20:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It did at one point
icecadavers ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:42:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
From wikipedia:
Sharrakor ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 17:40:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
LAME: LAME Ain't an MP3 Encoder
peacemaker2007 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:21:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
GNU TERRY PRATCHETT
kibiz0r ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:54:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
XNAโs Not Acronymed is my favorite.
changyang1230 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:22:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The best backronym is HODL in the cryptocurrency community. What started out as a drunken typo now becomes a mantra.
ItsAnAcronym ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:30:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
A Lovely Lesson, Indeed! Developing Other Ideas Sometimes Builds A Clever Kinda Riddle. Only Now, You Must Decipher Unexpectedly Devious Enigmas...... ;)
nasa258e ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:33:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Amber was a girl's name. How is it a acronym
Ptr4570 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:53:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Hence, it being a backronym: America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response.
HittingSmoke ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:46:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
There's a special place in hell for maintainers who think recursive acronyms are clever.
Galaxy_Ranger_Bob ยท 52 points ยท Posted at 03:24:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Now I want to know why some initialisms are not pronounced as a word, even though they can be, such as S.A.T. (Scholastic Aptitude Test). I've never heard anyone call them sat, I've just heard the initials.
Reagan_here ยท 55 points ยท Posted at 03:37:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Actually, SAT doesn't even stand for anything anymore! College Board changed it so now the SAT is just the SAT.
[deleted] ยท 43 points ยท Posted at 04:28:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Just like MTV no longer means Music Television
4n00b4r4k ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:58:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
or DC Comics, which no longer stands for Detective Comics Comics
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:59:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL
jjackson25 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 17:34:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Did it ever, really?
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 17:58:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Up until 2010. According to Wiki: Starting with the premiere of the short-lived program FNMTV in 2008, MTV started using a revised and chopped down version of its original logo during most of its on-air programming. It became MTV's official logo on February 8, 2010 and officially debuted on its website.[122] The channel's full name "Music Television" was officially dropped,[123] with the revised logo largely the same as the original logo, but without the initialism, the bottom of the "M" being cropped and the "V" in "TV" being branched off.[123] This change was most likely made to reflect MTV's more prominent focus on reality and comedy programming and less on music-related programming. However, much like the original logo, the new logo was designed to be filled in with a seemingly unlimited variety of images. It is used worldwide, but not everywhere existentially.
kronaz ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:47:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
KFC did the same thing.
Algernon_Asimov ยท 36 points ยท Posted at 03:31:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That seems kind of obvious. If you pronounce "S.A.T." as "sat", it becomes a homophone for... well... "sat". "I sat my S.A.T.s" might become confusing if you say it as "I sat my sats". :)
EDIT: There seems to be some controversy about this phrase, so I did some research. I found an American college web page titled "Information on sitting the SAT", a blog page that helps "students who decide to sit for one or more SAT subject tests" (admittedly, there's a "for" in there, but it refers to "sitting" in the context of taking a test), and another website that refers to "your first test sitting". I know what I've heard: some people do sit (or sit for) their S.A.T.s. If that phrase is not used in your local area, that doesn't mean it's not used elsewhere.
[deleted] ยท 62 points ยท Posted at 03:34:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Who the fuck says that they sat their SATโs? Who says they โsatโ their anything? Who is using โsatโ like that?
Algernon_Asimov ยท 22 points ยท Posted at 03:36:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I hear it occasionally in American movies and television shows. If that's not the actual use in America, I apologise.
The point about "sat" being a homophone for "sat" still stands, though. There's no point turning an unambiguous initialism into an ambiguous acronym.
Pielikeman ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 04:06:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No, I hear it used all the time; you're good.
Butthole--pleasures ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:12:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Lol don't lie to him!
be_more_constructive ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 01:34:09 on February 18, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's much, much more common in British English than American English. The only time I hear it used in American English is for the professions (e.g., the bar or CPA exams).
[deleted] ยท -4 points ยท Posted at 04:11:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Algernon_Asimov ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:28:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I know the difference. These people are talking about sitting their S.A.T.s, like they sit any other test. And, in the past tense, they "sat their S.A.T.s". Also, in context, it's clear that they're talking about taking the test, not putting it down (setting it).
I did some research. I found an American college web page titled "Information on sitting the SAT", a blog page that helps "students who decide to sit for one or more SAT subject tests" (admittedly, there's a "for" in there, but it refers to "sitting" in the context of taking a test), and another website that refers to "your first test sitting". I know what I've heard: some people do sit (or sit for) their S.A.T.s. If that phrase is not used in your local area, that doesn't mean it's not used elsewhere.
capincus ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:05:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No he's hearing sat as sat, because "sitting an exam" is a common phrase.
Algernon_Asimov ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:28:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Exactly.
mkdz ยท 36 points ยท Posted at 03:46:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"sitting for the bar exam" is the common phrase
gyutop ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:58:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But you say, "I sat for the bar." not, "I sat the bar."
Algernon_Asimov ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 05:33:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But you "sat the bar exam", or you "sat the history test", or you "sat the final exam". "Sitting a test" is a common phrase.
BreadtheMighty ยท 18 points ยท Posted at 03:49:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's usually for exams a little higher up (e.g. "I sat for the bar exam last month."), but this is a fairly common usage even in American English. British English even more so
ninjapanda112 ยท 14 points ยท Posted at 04:02:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm American and I've never heard this.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:47:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm Australian and have heard it dozens of times from American TV shows.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:19:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Can anyone (not necessarily you) show me a single example of this phrasing being used on American TV? Because Iโve watched countless hours of American TV and have never heard this phrasing before.
ninjapanda112 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 21:06:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I never noticed it, but I quit most TV a few years back.
hutcho66 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:19:20 on February 18, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You've probably heard it in Aussie or British shows, not American. Definition 14: https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/sit. Specifically mentions Australia, NZ and Britain.
mecrow ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:17:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Well I'm British and I've heard it plenty, so I can confirm the other half of his statement.
Edit: Why the downvotes? I only meant to say that that the final statement was correct, but I couldn't comment on the rest.
ninjapanda112 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 20:55:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do you guys say sitting a book or TV show?
mecrow ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 21:31:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No, I only associate it with an exam, but that's the topic here. There may be a use that's slipped my mind. I personally wouldn't say "I sat for the bar exam" like mentioned earlier, I would just say "I sat the bar exam".
underthingy ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 10:23:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Have you tried being more highly educated?
ninjapanda112 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 21:03:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I went to study computer engineering for 3 and 1/3 years. My teachers always gave me A's and B's.
I was told I was smart and highly educated.
Let me repeat what I said.
Dialect varies widely even in the states, so perhaps this is one of those things like bubbler and water fountain.
I'm curious, do you ever say or hear sit a movie or book? Sit an interview?
I'm trying to understand, why just sitting tests, or am I understanding this wrong?
underthingy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 21:15:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It was a joke....
But to answer your question, no, as far as I'm aware it's only used for tests.
ninjapanda112 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 00:10:14 on February 18, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You like joking about how dumb you think someone is? That's toxic. Be careful. Don't want to keep spreading poison, do you?
underthingy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 00:17:09 on February 18, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Not having done higher education and being dumb are completely different things.
Being offended by nonexistent implications in a joke is toxic.
[deleted] ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:07:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
mandakat919 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:10:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm from Florida and "sat for an exam" and "sat an exam" etc. all sound pretty normal to me.
mac3theac3 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:15:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Also from Florida. Doesn't sound pretty normal to me though.
adj1 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:47:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It seems more likely that someone would say they sat for the BAR exams, although it is the exact same conundrum.
sdmitch16 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:21:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"For my S.A.T.s, they sat me down."
would be a better example but it's still weird.
snkn179 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:48:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You don't sit tests? It's either 'sit' or 'take' for tests, both pretty equally used in my experience.
Edit: After thinking a bit, I probably use 'sit' more for academic tests or exams (e.g. I sat my final exam) whereas I would use 'take' in other cases (e.g. I took an eye test)
ninjapanda112 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:01:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I've never used sat for a test. That makes me think you just sat there and didn't actually take the test.
snkn179 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:12:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
According to this, sitting an exam is apparently more common in the UK and Australia (I'm Aussie so it makes sense), and taking an exam is more common in the US.
Reapsta ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:08:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm sitting an exam until I have sat the exam.
snkn179 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:39:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Lol I'm the same guy you posted the earlier comment to.
Squatcher4life ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:09:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This was my thought too. Never heard anyone use sat like this before.
Reapsta ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:09:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But where do you take the test to?
ninjapanda112 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 21:05:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The teacher? The desk?
Am I supposed to say chair? Wouldn't that apply to movies and book reading too then?
Sat a book. Sat a movie. Is that a thing?
kronaz ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:48:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If you just sit the test, you're gonna fail. You need to actually take the test to pass it.
Reapsta ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:46:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You sit tests, until you finish. Then you have sat the test.
Ghos3t ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:10:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I think he is missing the word 'for' in that sentence, as in "I sat for my S.A.T's on 12th November"
snkn179 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:16:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
In my experience, the 'for', while probably grammatically correct, is pretty much optional when speaking casually.
TheloniusSplooge ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:17:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
People taking the MCAT will almost always say they are โreadingโ. Very strange, I never got a good explanation. Considering theyโre aspiring doctors, itโs probably pretense and haughtiness.
sawyerwelden ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:30:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thats the official terminology for passing a class at my school.
tammoth ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:11:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
When i was at school in the UK (31years old now) we always called them our sats
HElGHTS ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:26:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I sat my ass down to read this.
Moonshoescamillo ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:57:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Plenty of people in other english speaking countries do. Especially those that use British English. Open your eyes and don't be so rude.
"Sit an exam" is much more frequent in British English, as is the construction "sat [subject]" in the past tense ("He sat his chemistry this morning") if the context provides it's an exam.
"Take/took an exam" is far more common in American English. "Sat for an exam" is not unusual but not very common in American English.
Algernon_Asimov ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:43:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I did some research. I found an American college web page titled "Information on sitting the SAT", a blog page that helps "students who decide to sit for one or more SAT subject tests" (admittedly, there's a "for" in there, but it refers to "sitting" in the context of taking a test), and another website that refers to "your first test sitting".
I know what I've heard: some people do sit (or sit for) their S.A.T.s. If that phrase is not used in your local area, that doesn't mean it's not used elsewhere.
Mithrawndo ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 12:25:43 on February 18, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Unless you take them standing up, the context of sitting for one's exams seems obvious?
Android_Obesity ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:08:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I donโt see why thatโs a problem. People use acronyms that are homographs/homophones all the time.
AIDS, RAM, ICE, etc.
Waterknight94 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:38:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
When I was in high school we were told Sit And Think for SAT and act for ACT. That was to remember which one would deduct points for a wrong answer.
jamesdeandomino ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:07:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But then there's the LSAT (pronounced al-sat), which is a combination of both acronym and initialism.
TheloniusSplooge ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:19:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Surely you mean โEL-satโ?
jamesdeandomino ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:24:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Whichever an "L" is pronounced. My point stands.
TheloniusSplooge ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:38:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yea it does, but if you responded โno I mean al...โ then weโd have to have a chat. A serious heart-to-heart.
ponyplop ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:02:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Actually, we do pronounce it as 'sats' in the UK.
Woowoo_Water ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:19:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
And in Singapore, it's not uncommon to hear people pronounce sat as a word when they say 'sat score' , but S A T when referring to SAT on its own.
theivoryserf ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:24:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
In the UK we say 'Sats'
Little_st4r ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:11:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
In the UK, SATs is an acronym. It stands for 'statutory assessment tests' here though.
chzplz ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:46:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But a Site Acceptance Test in my industry is exclusively an acronym.
Icyrow ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:57:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
we have exams in the UK known as "sats", children going into high school and the first year or two in high school sit them.
[deleted] ยท 18 points ยท Posted at 03:59:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
[deleted] ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 07:16:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
SuccumbedToReddit ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:38:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Unless you have any knowledge about how to communicate without being an ass
TheCatWasAsking ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 03:41:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The wiki says the distinction is not clear cut, pointing out that some dictionaries allow synonymous definitions. Initialism happens to be older than acronym, and less popular, hence the not so strict differentiation.
earthboundTM ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 03:29:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
OP is an initialism
Racer13l ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:25:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I always say "op"
hugs_nt_drugs ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 05:33:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?
Racer13l ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:00:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No... No I don't
mayor676 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:00:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Same, I say "op" as in rhyming with "daddy don't stop".
guitarfingers ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:54:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
As someone from the military, with a linguistics boner, I too appreciate OP for informing the masses. Maybe Iโll get in less tiffs about it.
The_0range_Menace ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:56:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
mentions OP
half of reddit pronounces it ahp the other half oh pee
MyUserIdForReddit ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:10:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Hmm TIL that lol is not an acronym
singularity2030 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:24:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It can be. People use it both ways
ainosunshine ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:12:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wait. Is OP an acronym or an initialism? Is it oh pee or Ohp?
Al13n_C0d3R ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 03:31:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I come on Reddit to laugh, sometimes to cry, sometimes to love. Other times to make love. But never, have I thought I'd LEARN on Reddit. But today, I was learned good.
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:50:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
crestonfunk ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:25:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thereโs a brand of wine called โAcronymโ. The label has a bunch of initialisms on it. I like to down the whole bottle and laugh my ass off about how smart I am.
Just checked; fuckers changed the label so itโs not as funny anymore.
BusyatWork69 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:29:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I thought you were going to say: OP I appreciate you, I didnโt know the difference between an acronym and a grammar nazi so thank you.
HydraTower ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:37:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I didn't know an initialism was a thing...so yeah! TIL
IsilZha ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:08:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
SQL can either be "Sequel" or "S Q L". :P
MB_Relationships ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:15:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Your relation with /u/MarcusDigitz has improved
robguydudeman ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:21:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
P.O.O.P.
8_inches_deep ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 03:31:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
People Order Our Patties
letsjustgoalready ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:24:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Never knew this either. Huh.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:39:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What about Arbys?
Harukama ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:58:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Buscemi did 9/11
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:05:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Acrostic?
Tanked88 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:23:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโve never even heard the term initialism before until now.
CreoMech ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:25:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's neat to know, but honestly, usage drives language, not the other way around. Not sure if it'll catch on.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:34:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:46:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
โโโ The more you know! โโโ
EatAllotaDaPita ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:15:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Also, thank you for being a fine example of an initialism yourself, O.P.
scarymike23 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:22:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
https://youtu.be/y_HscBWJhNQ
darwin04 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:27:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I can't wait to throw this in someones face!
OneCleverlyNamedUser ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:24:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL indeed.
WhiteyMcKnight ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:20:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Well since "literally" now means "figuratively" because it's been used incorrectly so much, I'm going to keep calling initialisms "acronyms" by the same logic.
AusGeno ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:38:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Cmon man two wrongs donโt make a WhiteyMcKnight.
WhiteyMcKnight ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 16:16:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Haha!
But seriously, I've learned that it's not about right and wrong, it's just how language evolves. When the dictionary no longer reflects what most English speakers mean when they use a word, it's time to stop fighting it and update the dictionary.
Starklet ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:00:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That's what this sub is for...?
arcosta ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:06:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
r/wholesome
PerfectMayo ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:04:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโve always called an โinitialismโ an abbreviation.
ggyujjhi ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 21:32:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Did you pronounce that as โahpโ or โOh - Peeโ?
halfhartedgrammarguy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 21:45:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
OP is initialism
shaelrotman ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:38:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIFU by calling an initialism and acronym
Jimid41 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:29:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL the definition of a word in my native language. This sub is really lame sometimes.
TheloniusSplooge ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:04:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Youโre insulting O.P. For using a frequently used repost right? Ours not actually thanking him are you?
Charlitos_Way ยท 1011 points ยท Posted at 00:26:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You don't say Feebeye?
[deleted] ยท 484 points ยท Posted at 02:58:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wait, you donโt say N, A, S, A?
DudesworthMannington ยท 401 points ยท Posted at 03:47:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Worst village people song ever.
Psyman2 ยท 97 points ยท Posted at 04:18:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
N-A-S-A The gonna steal your nudes N-A-S-A
Husker_Nation_93 ยท 193 points ยท Posted at 04:42:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Youโre thinking of NSA. NASA steals alien nudes.
AstroEngiSci ยท 27 points ยท Posted at 04:45:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Actually I think Psyman2 must've just met some really pervy rocket scientists.
Husker_Nation_93 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 05:12:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโm down with that logic.
Spanktank35 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:05:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Satellites will do the job, don't need a rocket.
mr_ji ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:47:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ah, yes. Nasa. N-A-S-A are the space people.
Daniel_Day_Tiger ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:37:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You just know someone at NASA has made up lyrics for that at a team building retreat.
Bugsidekick ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:38:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
N.A.S.A you can do what ever you feel.
ajstar1000 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 03:58:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
XD
[deleted] ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 04:04:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
hammer310 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:17:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
EDTYT in my language. I'm an initialist.
Dogsy ยท 23 points ยท Posted at 03:57:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You donโt own space! NAYSA does!
darwinyoung ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 04:36:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Rocket people? Perhaps you've heard of them?
couldwethough ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 05:35:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Was looking for the Trailer Park Boys NAYSA reference; thanks.
vikingpride11 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:10:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's not rocket appliances
turdmachine ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 04:02:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
NAY-SAW
Darkintellect ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:29:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Normally this would be correct and NASSA would be how it was spelled to sound like the version we use.
I think one of the reasons is because short 'A' as in 'Nat' sound is inherantly easier to say because a long 'A' as in 'Nate' requires more movement of the tongue.
MrDowntown ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:34:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Back in the early days of the Internet, I remember old time N.A.S.A. employees insisting that folks who worked there never said nasa.
ItsAnAcronym ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:21:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No, Although Some Assholes Instead Say Space Programs Elicit Complex Ideas And Launches.
Darkintellect ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:35:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
N.A.S.A - I.S. - S.P.E.C.I.A.L
I guess this was what Alan Turing felt like when he cracked Enigma.
oselcuk ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:34:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
We are going into space!
br0k3nm0nk3y ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:37:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The Earth is flat. Someone on Reddit told me so.
zeCrazyEye ยท 80 points ยท Posted at 03:03:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's Fibby.
noshoemolamola ยท 18 points ยท Posted at 03:36:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
fubby
overly_familiar ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:21:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Definitely Fubby.
dishsoapheart ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:01:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Foop
I_am_eating_a_mango ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:19:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Phoebe?
KingdaToro ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:24:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Federal Investigation Bureau. FIB. There's your acronym.
Dubax ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:44:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I've always referred to the institution as the "Eff Bee Eye" but an agent is a "fibbie."
IAmARobot ยท 22 points ยท Posted at 01:49:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
analogkid01 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:52:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fibbee.
(n., someone to whom you tell a lie)
VindictiveJudge ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:41:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Phoebe
Niffle7 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:48:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Smelly cat, smelly cat
oxymoronic_oxygen ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:34:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fffffff-bye
spockspeare ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:46:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
beebeebceeb
knowph ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:32:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh, I thought it was fuhbee,
Charlitos_Way ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:29:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That's how it's pronounced south of the Mason-Dixon i believe
_NerdKelly_ ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:45:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do you sell the doovde?
Nole_in_ATX ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:14:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Phoebe?
Charlitos_Way ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:28:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Phoebe does make more sense I'll start saying that instead of feebeye. Plus you know those agents adore Joey and hate Phoebe so it's bound to annoy them.
8Asterisk ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:07:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
More like effbeeye
Devduino ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:23:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ffffbee
PocketNicks ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 20:55:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No I actually pronounce it closer to "fibi"
david_bowies_hair ยท 4590 points ยท Posted at 00:31:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is the one of the best TIL's I have seen in months. I can't wait TIL the next one.
Newfie-lander ยท 1203 points ยท Posted at 03:11:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do you say TIL or TIL?
LastUsername ยท 1167 points ยท Posted at 03:23:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I say โtoday I learnedโ
TheAllGreatSpeedo ยท 342 points ยท Posted at 03:27:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm one of you
5states1life ยท 121 points ยท Posted at 03:36:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Dozens of us.
TheTimgor ยท 44 points ยท Posted at 03:42:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Dozens!?
Merminotaur ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 04:26:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
At least two!
YesItIsMaybeMe ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:52:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is getting out of hand! Now there are two of them!
H4xolotl ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:28:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Found the weirdos
Ast0reth ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 07:24:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Bees?!?
Angel_Tsio ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:27:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Denizens
Unobacillus ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 12:29:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The upvotes says 10doz
Husker_Nation_93 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:41:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
DOZENS
[deleted] ยท -6 points ยท Posted at 04:00:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Euphorium_ ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 04:09:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Right? They make it by the dozens..
bizzyj93 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:11:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Dozens!
potato1sgood ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 11:19:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm one of you who is getting annoyed!
nkiki2000 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:03:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Weโre all one of you
xrumrunnrx ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:55:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah, but do you say "LOL cats" or "L.O.L. Cats"?
Ganjisseur ยท 36 points ยท Posted at 04:07:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So then whatโs the word for an abbreviation that you donโt pronounce as a real word, yet neither pronounce as its letters, but pronounce it for its intended effect?
Ex: reading TIL as โToday I Learnedโ instead of โtillโ or Tee-eye-ell?โ
sizziano ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 04:35:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's just an abbreviation.
FriendlyCows ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 04:45:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
FTFY.
triplers120 ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 05:30:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
SMH we just learned that
bit1101 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:18:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That was initialism, where its read as letters. FriendlyCows just invented initialation for titles that are initialised but still read as the original title. I second this word - initialation.
Waterknight94 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 07:44:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I read smh not as letters or an actual word. More like a sound effect for am exasperated sigh
mpena ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:25:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Triple A maybe?
Just_Some_Jabroni ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:57:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
We must dig deeper.
The_Basshole ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 04:18:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I say "till" that's a good till
bamfsalad ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:02:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Interesting.
UnwantedLasseterHug ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:18:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
i say 'tee eye ell'
overly_familiar ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:19:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Today I learned death do us part.
HarmlessEZE ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 14:47:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
There are a few acronyms I don't even think about. They do an instant translation into their full word counterpart. E.g. "omw" I see that as "on my way."
GeorgeTaylorG ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:06:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I bet you out your toilet paper underhand too.
lance1979 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:25:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So what is that called?
todayilearmed ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:11:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You rang?
LawyerDaggett ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:18:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh shit though. So is there a word to use when an "acronym/initialism" is said using each of the words that make it up like saying "today I learned" when seeing TIL? #meta?
Reapsta ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:14:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's Today I Learnt
itzTonbull ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:45:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Same here
Keelayna ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 21:15:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But I read his second one as "till I learn" to make it work.
libury ยท 50 points ยท Posted at 03:29:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I was saying "Boo-urns".
Spin737 ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 03:54:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No you're gay for Moleman!
mark-five ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:05:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's pronounced GIF
furtherfromgodslight ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:13:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
YIF
kthxbye___ ยท 27 points ยท Posted at 03:16:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I say Til.
maleia ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 03:32:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Savage. :P
Me and my partner say it as an initialism.
_Epcot_ ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:51:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
unTIL it sleeeeeeeeeps
CliCheGuevara69 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:09:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wrong
aescula ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 04:06:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Tee Eye Ell. Initialism, for me.
Waterknight94 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:53:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It just doesn't abbreviate in any way for me TIL is pronounced today I learned.
DeusXEqualsOne ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 03:42:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I read it as an initialism :D
jd7585 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:42:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I say "today I L" in my head.
bamfsalad ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:03:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Not uh
ocean365 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:39:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Why can't I stop saying these now?
CzechThisOut ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:55:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is it pronounced tomato or tomato?
Newfie-lander ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 20:14:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Christopher walken says it best
IReallyNeedANewName ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:57:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I say Till I learned... Fight me
Newfie-lander ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 20:14:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Why fight. Im stealing that.
xrumrunnrx ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:57:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
In my head? Today I Learned.
When asking a friend if he saw that TIL? T.I.L.
When replying to his Reddit comments? Inapplicable. I do not share my username and he mostly lurks, as nature intends.
boreddoingboringshit ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:03:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm telling your friend your username.
xrumrunnrx ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:08:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
YOU WOULDN'T
TheSultan1 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:17:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I realize what I'm reading halfway and it's like "tee ah- [next word]"
KeijiKiryira ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:20:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
i said until.
StuckOnAutopilot ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:39:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yes.
toeofcamell ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:57:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Un today I learned Next Time
[deleted] ยท 22 points ยท Posted at 03:49:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I say 'til I learned, which is objectively the worst way to say it.
goonsugar ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:19:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's subjectively terrible, too ;)
But this is actually kind of a cool idea for a sub. Like, 'I thought this thing was true til I learned this today: ______ ' format.
I wonder if it's been done..
Husky127 ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 04:17:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I can't wait today I learned the next one either!
david_bowies_hair ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:20:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah! You got it!
sepseven ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 03:42:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
GOD DAMN!
david_bowies_hair ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:54:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thanks noob noob. This Guy gets it.
BEAVER_TAIL ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:53:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is good
nubylishious ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:08:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Here is your next TIL, it's actually "eg." not "ex.".
david_bowies_hair ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:59:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah, I know. Also, it's Aluminium not Aluminum.
Zetalight ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:41:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Aluminium vs. Aluminum is actually just like Colour vs Color. The latter isn't wrong, it's just American English.
david_bowies_hair ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 15:50:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I do think that grey just feels more bleak over gray though. Just makes me think of overcast skies.
Ayyylookatme ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:16:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah, one of the most reposted of all time.
theonewhokncks ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:28:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I see what you did there.
Zetalight ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:42:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
so am I not the only one that's been annoyed with all the "TIL of <history factiod>" that feels out of spirit for this sub?
Hythy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:57:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Did you also know that the flag for the Philippines is typically flown with the Blue on top?
However, if the country is to go to war then the red band is at the top.
Snicklefritz_Cat ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:10:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What about gifs?
predictingzepast ยท 2620 points ยท Posted at 01:20:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So which is the CIA?
Edit: Never mind, they texted me the answer..
bit1101 ยท 1156 points ยท Posted at 02:39:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You think the 9/11 and sudden influx of chia seeds is a coincidence?
Edit: Thanks for the gold fellow conspiracy realist.
hammer310 ยท 112 points ยท Posted at 04:15:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
My daughter look just like CIA you can't see her.
SET0H ยท 31 points ยท Posted at 04:47:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
r/suddenlychancetherapper
PartyPaul420 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 05:32:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Damn I wish this was a thing
Jlatoo ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:55:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You can make it one.
Chaos098 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:13:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Too many characters. Reddit' said limit is 15.
akaBrotherNature ยท 41 points ยท Posted at 04:22:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The CIA announced today that they'll be rebranding as the Central Human Intelligence Agency.
[deleted] ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 07:01:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ch-ch-ch-chia!
bit1101 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:41:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Actually it's because the director is italian and you know what happens when the boss pronounces things funny.
sumpuran ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 06:51:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Holy shit, the director of the CIA really is Italian!
bit1101 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 07:07:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Conspiracy realists DO THE RESEARCH
ajmartin527 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:22:45 on February 28, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
lolol
ninjapanda112 ยท 130 points ยท Posted at 04:05:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What?
furtherfromgodslight ยท 243 points ยท Posted at 04:14:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Psyman2 ยท 132 points ยท Posted at 04:17:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thanks for clearing it up!
furtherfromgodslight ยท 46 points ยท Posted at 04:22:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No problemo.
2mice ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:46:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
come on.....
Dlrlcktd ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:03:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Sounds like a communist, sick the chia pets on โem
_aviemore_ ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:42:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
W.h.a.t. ?
Mods_Are_Anjing ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:40:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Initialism
ninjapanda112 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 21:09:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Let me rephrase. Why is it a coincidence? Do the Muslims live off of chia seeds or something?
Is that their main food source? Their main source of income? Is there some kind of conflict over chia seeds?
toeofcamell ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:58:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Please explain
lolzfeminism ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:16:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
As opposed to the other ones???
bit1101 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:20:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Conspiracy realists often wrute frantically in an effort to inform as soon as possible.
kellyhsu ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:52:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
can someone please explain this
hammer310 ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 04:59:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The TIL is about pronunciation of acronyms vs saying the letters outright. C. I. A. pronounced as a word could sound like chia. Hence the joke!
IvanEedle ยท 163 points ยท Posted at 03:28:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The CIA removed the edit star.
NerdENerd ยท 49 points ยท Posted at 03:34:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No they are that quick that they got in before the time you are allowed to edit before it is marked as so.
FuryofYuri ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 05:03:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That limit is 3 minutes. If you submit a comment and make an edit within 3 minutes of post time it wonโt show an edit has been made. Also known as the ninja edit.
Edit: See.
AwesomelyHumble ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 17:10:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Now known as the CIA edit
ajmartin527 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:23:53 on February 28, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
chyeah boyyeee
dis23 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:58:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Username checks out
TheloniusSplooge ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 05:09:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I was looking to see if Reddit made a note about if and when something was edited, because clearly the post was nonsenses unless initially meant to be a joke. I didnโt know there was an edit start, TIL I Learned (TIL I learned what a recursive acronym was).
mickfly718 ยท 59 points ยท Posted at 03:35:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Itโs CIA wouldnโt wanna BIA
thatguyclayton ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 05:23:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nice.
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:18:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
corny but thanks for the good laugh lol needed that
r3dd1t_n00b ยท 72 points ยท Posted at 02:38:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
We would appreciate it if you did not disclose our communications, Dan
PepperoniVaperoni ยท 20 points ยท Posted at 03:33:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Greg? Itโs me Jordan from CIA school! How are ya bud?
conundrumbombs ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:10:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah, right, like anyone named Greg is getting into the CIA.
PepperoniVaperoni ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:11:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ask Greg from accounting.
frostwarrior ยท 59 points ยท Posted at 03:33:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
In spanish it's called "See-a" so it's an acronym.
UltimateInferno ยท 29 points ยท Posted at 04:02:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But in English it's See, Aye, Ay So it's an intialism
jimholroyd365 ยท 29 points ยท Posted at 04:09:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
el acronym but an intitialism
jmcdoodle ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:27:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Por que?
TrussedTyrant ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:39:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Orale
Mouthshitter ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:12:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
why not both?
yul_brynner ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:07:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Which means shit.
R0MARIO ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:30:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
In Spanish they're all acronyms because you pronounce Spanish the way you spell it
frostwarrior ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:17:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That's not true.
For NBA we need to say ene-be-ah.
To work as an acronym we should say something oika ENBA without the starting E.
gwoz8881 ยท 36 points ยท Posted at 02:38:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The CIA would more likely shoot it into your head attached to an ice bullet. The NSA would likely text you the answer
turtwig103 ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 03:38:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Or by your head to freak you out, sometimes a scared man is better then a dead man
NotJeff_Goldblum ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 04:37:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Tid bit fact for you, the FBI, NSA, CIA, ect are commonly referred to as "3 letter Agencies".
kinglella ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:19:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
There's also FDR's alphabet agencies/alphabet soup (SEC, FCC, FDIC, etc).
luke_in_the_sky ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:47:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
NotJeff_Goldblum ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 15:09:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oops.......
Chaos098 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 12:14:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL
StrawberryK ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:43:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Seaeyeayyy because they don't give a shit either
K3R3G3 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:05:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That was quick. You don't even have an edit asterisk.
predictingzepast ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 17:53:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
they replied before I submitted the question..
jb2386 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:59:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Funny I was wondering the same but the agent hiding behind my curtain told me.
Cockatoo010 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:16:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I pronounce it as an acronym in Spanish (See-ah) and initialism in English
Darkintellect ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:36:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
See Ya
electricmaster23 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:12:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The one with the chandelier.
coleman57 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:45:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
For now, it's "C I A", but it'll be CIA later.
centuryeyes ยท 626 points ยท Posted at 00:17:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL TIL
daario_nowwhodis ยท 52 points ยท Posted at 02:25:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TWL
Psyman2 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:16:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TFW ILT TIL
TheKaptinKirk ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:36:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TWL = TYL + TIL
Spanktank35 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:06:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I agree, that was indeed "lit".
[deleted] ยท 73 points ยท Posted at 00:22:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I mean has anyone spoken that outloud. I bet a third of all redditors pronounce it 'til
mimeticpeptide ยท 355 points ยท Posted at 02:54:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Am I the only one who reads itโs as โtoday I learnedโ even when I see the acronym? Whatโs that called?
[deleted] ยท 86 points ยท Posted at 03:25:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
wacrover ยท 114 points ยท Posted at 04:08:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I always knew I'd change the world someday. What I didn't know was what a divide I'd create.
2mice ยท 22 points ยท Posted at 04:45:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
a real life mod just showing up casually. oh what a day!!!
wacrover ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 05:09:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Founding mod, no less!
[deleted] ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 05:06:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Youโve doomed us all
Natotamot ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 04:23:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I always say 'Today I learned' in my head when I see that and most things like that here on Reddit.
Especially all the 'I am not a ____' shorthands.
zimmie41 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:02:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Whenever I see IANAL, I always say, I also anal. Then I lol.
SEphotog ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 04:25:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Itโs like the shower thought on front page today that mentions how we all say the words โwhat the f***โ to ourselves when typing โwtfโ, but mostly say โL - O - Lโ to ourselves when writing โlolโ. We donโt say โlaugh out loudโ to ourselves.
The exception is this one awful, arrogant, obnoxious guy I dated who said โlolโ (rhymes with โdollโ). Gosh, he was a dick. And he thought he knew EEEEverything because he Reddited half the day away, but never double checked any of his sources. Ugh. That didnโt last long!
sizziano ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 04:36:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You don't have to censor what the fuck on reddit.
SEphotog ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:38:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Some subs donโt love it, but as soon as I posted it here, I realized Iโd get this comment.
[deleted] ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 05:03:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Most subs are ok with swearing. Unless you are being a cunt with really bad ones like racism or sexism
edrt_ ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 07:24:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah fuck those that are not. Unless we are talking about cunts that sport terms like coon or the likes.
o0sKaDuChE0o ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:58:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I work with a dude that says "leel" constantly. He knows my account name, so if you're seeing this, now everyone knows you say leel.
mimeticpeptide ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:15:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Leel what an idiot
[deleted] ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:02:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Why the fuck did you censor words?
SEphotog ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:06:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโm sorry! Iโll fucking never do that shit again.
MilesFromTx ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:37:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I always say Today I Learned in my head and To Long Didnโt Read and Hold My Beer ....
Dslk8 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:19:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL what TL;DR means having always wondered but been too lazy to ask/google. I was content with โThe low downโ despite the erroneous semicolon and extra R! Thanks!
uber1337h4xx0r ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:06:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Resolving
DFxVader ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:28:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Isn't it initialism?
lancebaldwin ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:18:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No, that would be saying it as T - I - L.
[deleted] ยท 29 points ยท Posted at 02:39:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I mentally pronounce it 'Tday-I-lrnd'- kinda a quick slurring together of 'Today I learned'. Although I havn't said it out loud.
marquardt_ ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 04:00:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
For this particular example I say "today I learned" in my head but I can relate with what you're saying with acronyms/initialisms like ily or ilu. For some reason in my head I say something like "I luh you."
TheRarestPepe ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:43:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Kind of like how I spell "orange" in my head. Sort of like "oarr-a-angee"
BurliestTmacker ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:10:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Can you try to rap with the word orange?
TheRarestPepe ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:18:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Splorange, clorange, floorange, squirrorange
๐๏ธ MarcusDigitz ยท 21 points ยท Posted at 00:40:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I admittedly pronounce it 'til. I also like pronounce DILLIGAF too.
[deleted] ยท 29 points ยท Posted at 00:42:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I read it as, well, Today I Learned.
unitrooper7 ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 02:05:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Same, I always say it out
Ragnar_D ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:09:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
DILLIGAF?
widowdogood ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 00:41:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
And more than a third don't know what TIL stands for. For crying out lude.
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 00:43:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
/r/outoftheloop This site is old.
Thirsty_Shadow ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:07:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I legitimately say TIL as separate letters. Iโm glad we all think differently
DillPixels ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 13:36:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I personally read โTILโ in my head as โtoday I learnedโ.
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:10:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Tee eye ell? Any love?
ErgonomicZero ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 02:23:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
OK OK
Dangerboyy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:56:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Man, 6 simple letters yet so many different pronunciations
Guitar46 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:48:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I don't get it.
richiepr77 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 20:29:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What happens if I said it three times?
centuryeyes ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:40:53 on February 18, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
BeeTILjuice shows up.
ViciousKnids ยท 94 points ยท Posted at 02:54:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thanks, Penn and Teller
nightshadeNOLA ยท 37 points ยท Posted at 03:28:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Great episode. Damn I miss that show..NSFW language...
orton41290 ยท 16 points ยท Posted at 03:38:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Even when I disagreed with them, they still got me to understand their side of the issue. It didn't hurt that they were hilarious also.
oxymoronic_oxygen ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 03:38:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
PATMOB!
SetOfAllSubsets ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:00:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wait, it it nisfwh or N.S.F.W?
nightshadeNOLA ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:36:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm ashamed to admit, this took me a second..... SMH (wink)
SetOfAllSubsets ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:46:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Honestly though I'm saying shim for SMH from now on.
otakuman ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:48:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
wootf sounds nice.
toeofcamell ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 07:05:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Gratuitous knawledge and gratuitous nudity are a wonderful combo IRL
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:56:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Pensโs novel, Sock, is where I first learned the difference.
grounded_astronaut ยท 443 points ยท Posted at 00:14:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL that TIL is only an acronym if you say "till" instead of "tea eye ell." Anybody do that?
Gangreless ยท 842 points ยท Posted at 00:41:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Does anyone actual say/think "tea eye ell"? I see TIL and say "today I learned" in my head
Edit: wow lots of people say out the letters, pretty neat how we think differently with stuff like that.
pigmonger ยท 154 points ยท Posted at 03:08:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I read it as "tee eye ell". Similarly, "ay em ay" for AMA
Psyman2 ยท 33 points ยท Posted at 04:19:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I say ama because ama is a common acronym in my language and it's funny to replace ama with ama in my head.
2mice ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:47:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
etymology of your ama request?
loganmonty ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:20:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But it's not an acronym it's an initialism
HooksToMyBrain ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 04:18:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Same. And "El oh El"
TravFromTechSupport ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:24:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I like to read it as "lahl"
ceilingkat ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:21:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I just say the complete word for both
liv_a_little_ ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:00:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I say โtoday I learnedโ for TIL but also โay em ayโ for AMA. I think the difference for me is just that when I first saw TIL I knew it meant โtoday I learnedโ but when I first say AMA I didnโt so I kind of just thought of it as โay em ay.โ Also, I think it depends on which thing is faster to say/read.
twiggez-vous ยท 143 points ยท Posted at 01:06:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Being British, I should say "today I learnt" in my head.
However, I succumbed long ago to the insidious machinations of Reddit, and have joined my international friends in mentally sounding out "today I learned".
r/britishproblems
karmabaiter ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 03:49:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fixt that for you, m8
[deleted] ยท 24 points ยท Posted at 03:24:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
PhnomPenny ยท 23 points ยท Posted at 03:36:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nah, all the time. The adjective is still the same though, e.g. a learned man.
galvin_ ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 03:49:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Although learned is pronounced differently in that sense, right?
PhnomPenny ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 03:51:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah, learn-ed.
galvin_ ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 03:53:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Neat, thanks
schlubadubdub ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:17:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No, "I learnt a lot today" is correct. "Learnt" is literally the same as "learned". Same goes for spelt / spelled, dwelt / dwelled. It's only the US that used the "ed" variants exclusively
BrainGrahanam ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:38:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I am not British, but I agree with this. But then I have tea and crumpets for breakfast.
TheloniusSplooge ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:15:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Well yer gonna have to stop saying machinations too then, we donโt got big words like that in America my tea drinkin brother
twiggez-vous ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 11:12:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Mea culpa my dear fellow archly sips tea
TechGoat ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:07:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That's how I felt when I discovered most people refer to LP's as "let's play" instead of the original somethingawful "Let us Play" (or Lets Play) due to the group democratic decision making of the earliest LP's.
The current video focused LP's can keep the let's play name but the original meaning of LP in an online discussed video game context is to start a game with online screenshots, asking fellow forum members for input on what actions to take next in the game.
Most famous example : https://lparchive.org/Tie-Fighter/Update%201/
In its original context (pictures sadly lost) https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2313942
Kodlaken ยท -4 points ยท Posted at 03:38:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Just wanted to point it out, because it bothers me. Calling yourself British is so unbelievably vague it has no meaning at all. When I see people call themselves British I just assume they mean they are English, so why not just say you are English?
Until there is one culture and/or language across the entire nation, you cannot call yourself British and expect it to convey some kind of meaning. The UK is made up of 4 different countries, each with their own distinct culture and so calling yourself British could mean anyone from 4 of those countries, making the term basically meaningless.
Imagine you ask someone where they were born and they tell you they are from Asia, that is super helpful isn't it?
[deleted] ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 03:55:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Kodlaken ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:36:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If you think that an Englishman and a Scotsman are just as different as a Californian and a Texan, then I think you are incredibly ignorant. You are comparing 2 cultures that have went through thousands of years of invasions and culture mixing to one culture, taken from 2 different locations, that originated from the culture you are comparing it against. Do you see how they might be a wee bit different?
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:56:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Kodlaken ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:03:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
All I am saying is that the difference between a Scotsman and an Englishman is vastly greater than the difference between a Californian and a Texan, they might be very different for all I know, but there is simply no way they are as culturally different as 2 cultures that have had thousands of years to develop and form into what they are now. California and Texas do not have their own language for example, they just speak English. Yeah England and Scotland both speak English, but looking back into the history books reveal that the people before us didn't share the same language.
TheloniusSplooge ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:23:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
As an American, I have to agree with Kodlaken. At least about his assertion that California and Texas arenโt that different, and I think thereโs more difference between say, Wales and Northern Ireland. But not being from UK Iโm not sure about that. If you compared Alaska and Georgia you may have more of a case. Thatโs about as different as I can imagine.
pugz88 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:52:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Britons or British refers to the Celtic people of the southern most regions of the UK so pretty obvious where he's from also most people from the other UK nations identify themselves as not being British and as welsh or Scottish or Irish so I wouldn't say its particularly vague.
Kodlaken ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:10:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yes, and during the same time that the Britons inhabited England, the Picts inhabited Scotland but you don't see people from Scotland calling themselves Picts and Scots do you? Surely British refers to the island and not the people that lived on it.
pugz88 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:19:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ha no I have never met a scot that identified as a Picts but also never met a scot, Irish or welsh person that would identify as British nor would I ever put them in that baskets really seems to offend them. So I do understand your point but I think calling yourself British does does imply you're from England and not another part of the UK.
MrAronymous ยท 15 points ยท Posted at 03:07:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yes, me. I know what it stands for, but the concept is only those three letters "TIL".
maleia ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 03:33:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yea I say it as an initialism.
cleeder ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:44:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What is wrong with you people?
maleia ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:12:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Gif or gif?
Gangreless ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:20:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's pronounced gif.
pajam ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:11:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I don't know... It's inconsistent for me too.For TIL, I pronounce it as an initialism, "tee eye ell." But for something like ELI5, I pronounce it out fully, "explain like I'm five"
milla2011 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:23:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I tried telling my husband it's pronounced like "elf" but he didn't buy it.
The_Sean ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 01:05:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This.
CryptidGrimnoir ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 02:18:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ditto
sitesurfer253 ยท 27 points ยท Posted at 02:29:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Psyduck
ZaneHannanAU ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:56:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nyacat
Reggae4Triceratops ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:41:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
like wtf (/r/showerthoughts)
three-thirteen ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:43:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I read it as T-I-L in my head. It never occurred to me to pronounce it as one syllable
ishnite ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:51:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I say โtoday I learnedโ in my head because otherwise I forget what it stands for haha
Atomheartmother90 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:40:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I use me_irl as an acronym. I just say mearl
WhaleMammoth ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:48:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Tea eye ell, every time. TIFU is always Today I fucked up though. T. I. F. U. is too long to say, and Tihfoo sounds weird.
pedantic_asshole_ ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:50:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah it's tee eye ell in my brain
LithiumFireX ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:58:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm Mexican so I read it "Teel".
teriyakisoup ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:07:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I say the letters.
_Zereal_ ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:24:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I personally dont even think the word, I just look at the word and read the following sentence.
Inorganicx ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:45:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I read it out too! Itโs one of the only acronyms I do it for, now that I think of it.
eppinizer ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:12:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The way we think of it makes the most sense eye-em-oh
Reapsta ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:31:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Take your pick. Tea eye ell, till, today I learnt
FFIXwasthebestFF ยท 16 points ยท Posted at 00:47:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
When browsing reddit I always read TIL the "Till"-way
SkippedThisStep ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:13:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I definitely ready it is TIL I learned when I read it because why not make it recursive. That or itโs a remnant or school where people remind me of what I learned.
Either way, I think itโs a problem I donโt plan on fixing.
platoprime ยท -5 points ยท Posted at 00:38:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Why would I ever say "TIL"? That's like those losers who actually say "lol" or "wtf" instead of laughing or saying what the fuck.
elquenuncahabla ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 00:40:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Or the shitbirds who say ROFLMAO.
platoprime ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 00:44:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Perish the thought.
[deleted] ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 03:32:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I love saying rofelmayo to highlight extremely mediocre humor. And no, the irony isn't lost on me.
roguemerc96 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:33:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Im a big fan of roflstomp(rofflestomp)
th3greg ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:01:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What's wrong with rofflamoww?
Jakeb19 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:55:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If you say "tea eye ell" you're probably having a stroke.
TheloniusSplooge ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:31:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ NICE STROKE JOKE LOL โYOURE SPELLING WAS SHIT AND YIU COMMENT WAS A MEANDERING MESS, AM I HAVING A STROKEโ LOL ?!?!??! ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ. /s
K3R3G3 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 06:06:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"T-I-L" would have been a not weird way to type that.
Arkusum ยท 918 points ยท Posted at 01:41:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Or you can just call them all acronyms and still be correct. ยฏ\_(ใ)_/ยฏ
sir_joe_cool ยท 268 points ยท Posted at 03:37:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Exactly, it's a distinction that serves no functional purpose for the language, so it's no surprise it isn't commonly known or used.
As much as I love being pedantic, things like this serve no purpose outside of it being sort if interesting, and can be ignored.
As apposed to the distinction of not using the word "literally" incorrectly, which I personally think is important because there isn't another way to contextualizes the literal against the figurative.
Edit: Woopsie, it's apposed to be "opposed"
Also yeah, I don't honestly care as much about the "literally" thing and I am fully aware aware of the fact that it's been used with hyperbole for a long time.
I'm just making the point that there is a reason people care about that distinction and not other ones such as this.
z6joker9 ยท 156 points ยท Posted at 03:47:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Hmmmm.
tree_jayy ยท 56 points ยท Posted at 03:59:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Hmm yes shallow and pedantic
ThatDamnRaccoon ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 04:19:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
โOh what you won one game of Trivial Pursuit and now youโre gonna talk down to everyone?โ
Shadows802 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:28:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Welcome to Reddit!
Racer13l ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:28:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Well dinner sucks
ShuRugal ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 14:36:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Reddit: the Tagline
loves2splooooooge ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:59:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That meatloaf man
muddycurve424 ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 03:56:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Hahahah good catch.
Lucas_Steinwalker ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:24:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Muphreyโs Law
zjt2846 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:46:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I see what you did there
[deleted] ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 04:50:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
zjt2846 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:53:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No โeโ right?
Lucas_Steinwalker ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:02:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This guy gets it.
Psyman2 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:20:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I don't get it.
MisterVega ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:36:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The word is opposed
Psyman2 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:42:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I will go to sleep immediately.
speehcrm1 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 18:42:57 on February 20, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Don't wake up while you're at it
Psyman2 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:24:57 on February 20, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Seeing how I almost died since I wrote that comment you certainly would've been top10 of the creepiest replies this year
speehcrm1 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:47:46 on February 23, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
How'd you almost die and what are the other 9 comments?
ThisIsMyRedditAlias ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 04:07:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Functionally it matters for grammar rules. One doesn't say "the NASA" but "the CIA" is correct. This distinction relies upon the difference between initialisms and acronyms.
SirNickClegg ยท 14 points ยท Posted at 04:46:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"The NASA" just sounds weird, there's nothing grammatically incorrect about it. Also, the distinction between initialisms and acronyms (like every other word is) is totally made up. The natural evolution of language led us to say the FBI but not the NASA. Those grammatical "rules" also aren't set in stone. Case in point: lots of people say the DAG (deputy attorney general) as a word but add "the" to the beginning of it.
capincus ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:09:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
They don't need to have names for a pretty rare but also very intuitive grammar rule to still work. Makes for a clunkier grammatical rule when you write it out but that seems like an extremely minor inconvenience.
MrMonday11235 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:14:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Sure, one doesn't say it, but that's purely out of habit. Grammatically, it's incorrect to omit the article, it's just something we've all decided to ignore. It's immediately obvious if you expand the acronym - it's always written out as "The National Aeronautics and Space Agency", and omitting the article sounds horribly wrong.
badken ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 05:33:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You almost had me nodding along there until you literally turned into a filthy prescriptivist.
Language changes. All the time. It is as futile to fight it as it is to fight the tides.
ImNoScientician ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:21:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
While I agree with your sentiment, thanks to the misuse of "literally" being so common, literally can now correctly mean figuratively
[deleted] ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:08:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
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[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:58:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
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marcos_danix ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:39:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What is an hyperbole?
SetOfAllSubsets ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:15:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
literally -> Actually, really, not using any modifier
figuratively -> Metaphorically and basically
None of these distinctions are important unless people can't understand you when you mix them up and/or you can't say it some other way. (except maybe in science or law where things must always have unambiguous definitions)
ch4os1337 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:55:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I could be confused here but basically means fundamentally not figuratively.
Xrispies ยท -2 points ยท Posted at 05:08:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Hi Christian!
_doormat ยท -3 points ยท Posted at 03:43:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is very important to those in I.T.
For instance, How would you say โUPSโ or โReFSโ or โBIOSโ?
KaiHein ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:47:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Depends if they are shipping me something (ups) or it is keeping my computer on during a power outage (you pea ess), ree eff ess, bye ohs.
ILoveBeef72 ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 03:52:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I didn't realize people say ups and not U-P-S when talking about the shipping company.
SEphotog ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:29:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ditto. I remember my mom telling me how to say it as โyou pi essโ when I was in kindergarten, and I felt so dumb that I never forgot it. (She didnโt correct me in a mean way at all; Iโve just always been an anxious perfectionist, which fortunately is going away with age).
KaiHein ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:34:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I don't know that I would say people say it that way or just this one strange person on the internet does. I started it more as a joke and then it just stuck due to it removing a couple syllables (until I have to explain what I just said and then it becomes much longer).
Pikamander2 ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 04:06:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ah, the classic prescriptivism and descriptivism debate.
[deleted] ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 05:06:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
jableshables ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 05:28:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Linguists might agree, but reddit loves the shit out of some prescriptivism. Data is always plural, octopodes is the currect plural of octopus, "could care less" means you care a lot, [the current thread], etc. But on the other hand, "confuse" is replaced by "conflate" even when it doesn't make sense because, I guess, it sounds cooler. This is a silly place.
ShuRugal ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 14:38:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I don't understand, stop inflating me.
scrupulousness ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:37:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
In everyday speech maybe itโs not important, but donโt you think itโs important to maintain certain distinctions so we avoid confusion in actual scientific literature?
jableshables ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 05:54:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Sure, but which of those applies to scientific literature? If you publish a paper using "data" as a singular, it's not like your contemporaries will be mystified.
I guess, let those who edit and publish scientific literature decide what's acceptable, but there's not really any reason those rules should carry over into other forums (actually it's fora).
scrupulousness ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:05:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
fora haha neat. I dunno I guess I just like this stuff.
582739172 ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 06:01:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fixed that for you. Meanwhile, academic linguistics in almost literally every single other major language on the planet support prescriptivism. English is relatively unique there, so portraying prescriptivism as an inherently closed debate with no merit because English academics do is more than "a bit misleading", as you say.
Helmic ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 08:04:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do you have a source for that? While prescriptivism has had a lot of backlash for being taught at school (and being taught wrong), it's not really an either/or situation as the above poster showed. Some words like "literally" do actually have consequences when it's unclear whether something is figurative hyperbole or a, well, literal statement of truth with extra emphasis on the truth. Other bits of English like the singular they has come into prominent use to fill a much-needed gap in the English language for a gender-neutral pronoun that can be applied to people, especially when the prescriptivist definition runs hatefully counter to the recognition and rights of transgender people.
There's also the problem that English has had that's somewhat unique is that our spelling lags behind our pronunciation, with many words like debt sounding nothing like how they're spelled, along with a litany of other problems in the language that were intentionally introduced by, well, assholes with a particular idea of what English should be like. There is history there that has predisposed a lot of people to attack prescriptivism for the harm it has historically caused (such as the forced usage of "he" as both a masculine and gender neutral pronoun, which conveniently makes it ambiguous whether women are included). I don't know much about the linguistic history of other languages, but I do know that in English at least the history of more harsh prescriptivism has had some severe problems and has led to a lot of extra baggage that should have died out ages ago. That's not the same as saying no attempts should be made to standardize the language or correct people who are using words incorrectly, but our language is changing rapidly and clinging to the rules of opinionated dead people isn't going to serve our needs. Taking the approach your middle school style guide took is just impractical.
Conan-The-Librarian ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 05:42:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Kind of like less/fewer, people/persons, effect/affect, and other trivial rules that barely improve clarity, if at all.
bigsquirrel ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 03:58:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh come on stop. In a few days this plost will lead to some gold on r/Iamverysmart
a_provo_yakker ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:14:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Cue a 1000% rise in pretentious conversations tomorrow when someone says/texts an acronym. Like when people quibble over Greek and Latin suffixes, most recently octopuses VS octopodes.
scrupulousness ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:39:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Well that would just be dumb. For me it would be like โdude, check out this neat thing I found out last night!โ
speehcrm1 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 18:47:13 on February 20, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That wouldn't pose a problem unless people were including a false distinction in their texts to begin with, like "omg, this is an acronym by the way"
a_provo_yakker ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 01:56:17 on February 21, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You underestimate the ability of people to be pretentious.
DasWalrus ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 13:37:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
When you have to scroll this far down to find someone pointing out the TIL is bullshit, the world makes no sense to me.
[deleted] ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 04:09:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Nyrin ยท -7 points ยท Posted at 04:32:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's difficult to believe that many people are wrong? That is hard to believe.
I find the notion of making language an object of direct democracy to be a catastrophically awful idea. It's an absolute race to the bottom. There's a very reasonable argument to be made against prescriptivism for the sake of prescriptivism, but completely discarding the existence of rules on the sole basis of "most people don't follow them" seems folly to me.
Of course, individuals can freely choose to ignore the rules. And people reviewing resumes can freely choose not to.
SirNickClegg ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 04:51:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Such an absolutely stupid point. Go read something in Old English and then tell me languages don't change naturally.
[deleted] ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:54:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
speehcrm1 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 18:58:00 on February 20, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No, it's an example of waning discipline
speehcrm1 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 18:54:20 on February 20, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Most people use every word in a certain way, guess the dictionary is obsolete now, innit? Regardless, if most people are using a word incorrectly, that's called "most people are using a word incorrectly", not "let's change the rules to accommodate wanton stupidity!". If everyone wielded language with the same blithe disregard for meaning as you do then we wouldn't be able to communicate at all, see where I'm coming from? Language works because everyone understands it, everyone understands it because they know every word has concrete meaning attached to it, this prevents misinterpretation. Words are like tools, if they don't perform a necessary function then there wouldn't be a need for the word in the first place.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 18:40:06 on February 21, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
LMFAO ๐
spockspeare ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 03:48:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Initialism is not the older word.
Acronym, 1943.
Initialism, 1950.
Srirachachacha ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 04:46:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
From your "Initialism" link:
spockspeare ยท -4 points ยท Posted at 05:09:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Which should be the only true sense of it.
dtrmp4 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 05:31:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The point was your statement "Initialism is not the older word." is wrong, and proven wrong by the links you provided.
spockspeare ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:57:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
acronym is latin, therefore it's the older word
dtrmp4 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:02:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Initialism has latin roots as well. That doesn't really mean anything when talking about the modern English word.
spockspeare ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 06:22:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
initialism is clearly portmanteau english
acro- is greek. -onym is PIE.
acronym was cashing social security checks when initialism was still looking for its binky
and the modern english word initialism is from 1950, while acronym is from 1943
ItsAnAcronym ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:15:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
True! Here's A Thought. Suppose Whatever Happens, "Ancronyms" Trump "Initialisms". Do Observe..... ;)
Timbalabim ยท -2 points ยท Posted at 04:22:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thatโs why we have the word โabbreviation.โ If you want an umbrella word for both acronyms and initialisms, itโs that.
wPatriot ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 04:52:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But that includes abbreviations which are neither, so that isn't ideal either.
Timbalabim ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:07:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I donโt understand. The way I read your comment abbreviations include abbreviations, and my editor brain just divided by zero.
I could be mistaken, but abbreviation is the umbrella under which acronym and initialism live. If you want one word to rule them all for word shortening, itโs โabbreviation.โ
scrupulousness ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:46:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Abbreviation is just the shortened form of a word, e.g. abbrev. for abbreviation.
Timbalabim ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 06:36:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
http://grammarist.com/grammar/abbreviations-acronyms-initialisms/
โAll types of shortened words and phrases are technically abbreviations, but we generally use this term to denote shortened words.โ
I was simply saying to begin with that, if we are looking for an overarching word, itโs not โacronym.โ Itโs โabbreviation,โ because all forms of shortened words are technically considered abbreviations, and that includes acronyms and initialisms, since we are taking words and shortening (i.e., abbreviating) them.
scrupulousness ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:15:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Eh well this is too pedantic for my blood.
foxflare1999 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:49:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
wPatriot is referring to [abbreviations which are neither]. They didn't leave out a comma to refer to a description of abbreviations. They were talking about the abbreviations which are neither acronyms nor initialisms, in contrast to referring to those two groupings specifically, and not other abbreviations that don't fit.
Timbalabim ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 06:36:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
http://grammarist.com/grammar/abbreviations-acronyms-initialisms/
โAll types of shortened words and phrases are technically abbreviations, but we generally use this term to denote shortened words.โ
I was simply saying to begin with that, if we are looking for an overarching word, itโs not โacronym.โ Itโs โabbreviation,โ because all forms of shortened words are technically considered abbreviations, and that includes acronyms and initialisms, since we are taking words and shortening (i.e., abbreviating) them.
foxflare1999 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:50:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Acronym is a perfectly valid 'overarching word' for a distinction that is not generally made anymore because that is how it has come to be used. These words also being included in another, larger category does not rule out acronym.
Timbalabim ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:00:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Okay.
Fwiw, Iโm an editor for a magazine, and the editors and writers I work with and know professionally do make this distinction.
But I agree it doesnโt matter for most people. I was just trying to be helpful.
foxflare1999 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:04:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fair enough. :)
wPatriot ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:09:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Stress was supposed to be on "which are neither", meaning neither acronyms nor initialisms.
I'm not trying to say you're wrong per se, just that when you go from acronym (to mean acronyms and initialisms) to abbreviation, you lose some precision and that isn't ideal either.
tree_jayy ยท -7 points ยท Posted at 03:58:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
F U
AdeonWriter ยท 17 points ยท Posted at 03:52:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
NES and SNES are both, depending on who you ask.
_Axel ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:09:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Who says โness,โ โnez,โ โsness,โ or โsnezโ
Coldspark824 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:10:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
My british colleague says โsnezzโ
_Axel ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:12:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Okay, for all the flack I catch being โmurican in the soccer subreddits โ- โsnezzโ is absurd. No more making fun of me for calling it a jersey instead of a shirt...
BootStampingOnAHuman ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:35:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Brit here. Never heard anyone say 'snezz', only 'sness'.
Coldspark824 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:01:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Approximately the same. Sness/snezz v.s. โEss-enn-ee-essโ
Dslk8 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:33:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wait, thatโs just us Brits?
JohnGaryHaglund ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:13:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
We used to say "Ess-Ness" sometimes, like pronounce the first letter as itself and attach it to the original name. Mostly we said "Super Nintendo" though.
luke_in_the_sky ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:21:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
In my country we say ness and super ness
SteamedCatfish ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:21:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thats how its always been for me and everyone I know who says it.
karl_w_w ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:08:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Me too, I've only heard Brits say snez and nez though, I've heard ness and sness from Americans. And N-E-S is more likely than S-N-E-S.
SteamedCatfish ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:28:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh NES Ive heard and makes much more sense, but Ive only heard SNES as an acronym... S n e s is 4x as many syllables, man! Never noticed the z being pronounced, although you are correct. I guess we say that for the same reason we put a Z in laser perhaps?
Side note, I do find it funny that someone downvoted me for answering a question.
AdeonWriter ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:49:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I've always called it "Sness", as did all my childhood friends. Notably, Egoraptor does as well, "It's Nickelodean GUTs on Sness!"
Some_Random_Guy_1138 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:48:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I always said Nintendo and Super Nintendo. Nes and Snes sound weird.
Spindash54 ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 03:22:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"You mean an EMP?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMCsRkH-9AA
otakuman ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:54:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
ROFL, I hadn't watched that one. The computer voice was perfect.
Spindash54 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:24:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's from Season 6. Presently there are 15 Seasons to date.
Bob-the-Human ยท 32 points ยท Posted at 00:09:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So is AT-AT an acronym or an initialism?
chilichickify ยท 14 points ยท Posted at 03:23:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Initialism. At least, according to George Lucas.
bananenkonig ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:59:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It just sounds better fully pronounced. It's like a model number. I also hate when they abbreviate droid numbers too though. I understand Luke calling him R2 but don't spell it Artoo.
ShuRugal ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 14:42:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
See, Thripio? That detoo' was too long, and now we artoo late to help.
platoprime ยท 37 points ยท Posted at 00:12:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do you say "at at" or "ay tee ay tee"?
If you say it the first way it's an acronym; if you say it letter by letter it's an initialism.
Too bad there isn't a Wikipedia link around here somewhere explaining it.
Bob-the-Human ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 00:14:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That's precisely my point. I don't know how you're supposed to say it out loud.
platoprime ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 00:17:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That isn't a point that's a question.
It's an initialism.
PM_ME_UR_PEN_NIB ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 00:19:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Isnโt it pronounced At At though? So itโs an acronym.
pork_king ยท 19 points ยท Posted at 01:45:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But an AT ST isn't pronounced "at ssst". It's Aye Tee Ess Tee
ManWhoSmokes ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:19:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yup AT-AT is an acronym, and AT-ST is an initialism.
luke_in_the_sky ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:23:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Unless some weirdo says "at ess tee"
ThatDamnRaccoon ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:23:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Arguing the case for proper pronunciation, of fictional sci fi machinery, we have achieved a new level of pedantic
happy2harris ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:03:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Why? Proper nouns made up for movies are one of few kinds of words that actually do have a definitively correct pronunciation.
Galaxy_Ranger_Bob ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 03:27:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Interestingly enough, at no time in any of the films are they called either Aay Tee Aay Tee or at at. They are simply called "Imperial Walkers."
platoprime ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 00:21:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No.
Bob-the-Human ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 02:35:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That isn't a response. It's just pedantry.
platoprime ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:37:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Sometimes, often even, pedantry is a response. It might not be a useful response but it still is one.
InfiniteImagination ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:11:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Supposedly the the acronym (phonetic, rhyming with hat-hat) pronunciation was officially preferred as of 2010, but they're used interchangeably in Rebels, which is canon, so everything's okay.
luke_in_the_sky ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:26:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Here's the official response from Lucasfilm:
http://techland.time.com/2010/09/02/how-do-you-pronounce-at-at/
TL;DR:
I like the response of Dave Filoni, producer of Star Wars Rebels and former director of the Clone Wars:
Bob-the-Human ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:32:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thank you! I've been pronouncing it that way since I was four years old, so it would be problematic to have to adjust this late in the game.
luke_in_the_sky ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 20:14:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TBF, in their universe they could pronounce the way they want just like us.
ruinersclub ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:55:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
May mays.
furlonium1 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:14:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
When I was a kid in the 80s - at at. Now it's A T A T
luke_in_the_sky ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 19:22:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You can say "at ay tee" and then it's both acronym and initialism
MdotR ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:36:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"Ay tee ay tee" is still a word (well words) so it could still be an acronym regardless of how you pronounce the unpronounceable.
funkmastamatt ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:50:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I say โat-ay teeโ
InfiniteImagination ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:12:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Supposedly the the acronym (phonetic, rhyming with hat-hat) pronunciation was officially preferred as of 2010, but they're used interchangeably in Rebels, which is canon, so everything's okay.
neoslith ยท -6 points ยท Posted at 03:39:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's atat. All the marketing for toys, and even in the film, they call them atat's, not "A.T.-A.T.'s."
Dultsboi ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 03:57:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
At no point in the Star Wars films do the refer to AT-AT as either. Theyโre simply referred as an โimperial walkerโ
Bob-the-Human ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:04:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I don't remember the term ever being used in the movies. As far as I know, they only call them Imperial walkers. It didn't occur to me to check the toy commercials...
brennanfee ยท 33 points ยท Posted at 00:27:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I still say "fibbie" for FBI. I'm old school.
paul-arized ยท 17 points ยท Posted at 01:17:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I say Flowers By Irene.
aladdin606 ยท 19 points ยท Posted at 03:15:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I say something, when I see something
AnticScarab3 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 03:51:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I ain't sayin' nothin'!
FoxFire64 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:55:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโve gone blind!
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:45:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I say Federal Bureau of Investigation.
paul-arized ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:46:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
FaceBook International
klavin1 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:48:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is that something people used to say?
brennanfee ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 03:53:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah, the FBI agents were often referred to that way. As in, "the fibbies came in and took over."
Pronounced: fie-bees
saltypanda ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:53:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
fuh-bee guys... - Kelly Bundy
chzplz ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:49:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
For the agents, not the agency.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:21:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I used to have this NES (pronounced enn ee ess) game called RBI baseball. Despite that my cousin and I pronounced each letter in NES, we still shortened RBI baseball to "ribbee."
luke_in_the_sky ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:36:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If you say ef-bie it's both acronym and initialism.
matthewdunbar11 ยท 20 points ยท Posted at 03:22:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So BOBODDY is an acronym...
01001101_01100101 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:03:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
BIZNUS O B O D D Y
panickedthumb ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:30:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII LIKE IT!
Dark_Ducky ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 03:40:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This was the acronym I was searching for
rizzle_spice ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 07:04:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What are we doing?
hyrulepirate ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 07:57:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Making acronyms.
karl_w_w ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 05:59:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So is ASSFAGGOTS.
Prodrockt ยท 18 points ยท Posted at 03:26:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The older I get the less I care about these pedantic gripes. English is a living language and rules are arbitrary and changeable. Literally or figuratively is the other one I hear all the time. Fuck it, say what makes you happy.
[deleted] ยท 17 points ยท Posted at 04:23:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
unknownunknown_ ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:45:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So they're all my high school English teacher?
Prodrockt ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 08:01:38 on February 19, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yes, it actually does.
JAproofrok ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:14:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Sigh, itโs just a slippery slope. I get what youโre saying. But, sadly, the more folk stop caring about those rules, the worse the language gets.
Yes, I am an English major who worked as a copyeditor for many years. Thus, I am very much biased in my views.
But, the lack of care for the language and its rules reflects upon us all.
Kuato2012 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:32:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"Just use language however you feel like" is all well and good until I literally (yes, literally) can't understand what a person is saying, because their spelling, grammar, and word choice are all so haphazard.
So long as the purpose of a shared language is to communicate ideas, then prescriptivism will have some merit.
JAproofrok ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:18:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yep, youโve summed it up nicely: Language will continue to fall apart the less rules are observed.
For instance, if I decide that โwoobbleee weeeebbllleโ means โhelloโ, b/c well I say it does, it surely doesnโt for anyone else.
karl_w_w ยท -2 points ยท Posted at 06:03:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The world is overflowing with people who couldn't write a competent paragraph to save their life, and this opinion is why.
Prodrockt ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:03:48 on February 19, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Of the many ways I am responsible for the downfall of civilization, this one makes me the proudest.
ForgedBiscuit ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 07:40:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Except now you literally can't tell whether I'm being literal or figurative
Prodrockt ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:05:32 on February 19, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Context, itโs amazing what we can puzzle out with little effort.
Onlyhereforthelaughs ยท 60 points ยท Posted at 02:44:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Well I'm happy to report that the Arcane Capturing Rod Of Never Yielding Mystery does indeed qualify.
Dude_McAwesome ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 03:53:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Your comment is as relavent as it is irreverent. But it hinges on the reading comprehension of a site that I assume is mostly Russian bots at this point.
Onlyhereforthelaughs ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:38:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You make a compelling argument.
milla2011 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:24:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Good bot!
Onlyhereforthelaughs ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:30:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I did not murder him.
ShuRugal ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 14:45:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
ัะพะฒะฐัะธั ัะตะปะพะฒะตะบ, ะทะดะตัั ะฝะตั ัะพะฑะพัะพะฒ
DrMux ยท 16 points ยท Posted at 00:35:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wait, you don't pronounce it "phbee?"
TriplicateEnt ยท 24 points ยท Posted at 02:04:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So TLA meaning "three letter acronym" should in most cases be considered TLI. Interesting.
pcpmasterrace ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 03:55:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Three Letter Agencies
DrunkPanda ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 03:33:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
We should make it ALT - Acronyms of Letters Three
ShuRugal ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 14:47:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
EOSYS - 'ere the other side you see.
I_spoil_girls ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 15:46:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Or LAT - Letter Three Agency.
ngknick ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 03:41:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Sounds like the jury is still out in the wiki, or did I not comprehend the material? At least a lot of gray areas
bigsquirrel ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 03:56:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Now you can sound like a complete ass when you correct friends and colleagues!
BootStampingOnAHuman ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:38:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I did it the other day. I'm sure he loved it. I'll find out when he starts talking to me again.
blahblahblah_____ ยท 14 points ยท Posted at 03:22:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
To be clear there isn't a census that this is right. Some dictionaries say they're distinct things with no overlap in either direction while others say initialisms are a subset of acronyms.
So to some sources both FBI and NASA would be acronyms but only FBI would be an initialism.
goosejuice23 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:10:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Exactly, and the distinction is barely useful apart from pedantry.
blahblahblah_____ ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:09:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Since there isn't enough of a concensus I don't think it even works for pedantry.
You can't insist someone is wrong for calling FBI an acronym when plenty of dictionaries would say there is nothing wrong with calling it that.
K3R3G3 ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 06:10:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do you mean concensus? This is a census.
DiamondPup ยท 46 points ยท Posted at 00:44:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh you mean like GIF. Pronounced with a soft g.
ruinersclub ยท 19 points ยท Posted at 03:53:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
To end it once and for all I propose we pronounce it Yiff.
With a hard โyeโ
HeySporto ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 05:01:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Sounds good to me. Just going to google it first to make sure that......oh my motherfucki.......
[deleted] ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:35:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
fucking furry
Korberos ยท 27 points ยท Posted at 03:30:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Just in case someone jumps in here with the stupid "giraffics" argument: There is no rule in the English language which states or implies that an acronym's pronunciation must follow the specific letter forms of the words it takes its letters from, and in fact many acronyms we use all the time would sound much different if that was a rule.
So the only acceptable reason to say gif with a hard g is "I want to because it feels right to me.". There's no logical reason for it to be a hard g other than that people want it to or because that's what they thought it was.
Don't pretend the pronunciation of the g in graphics matters.
JamesRustleford ยท 14 points ยท Posted at 04:12:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thank you
[deleted] ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 04:39:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Korberos ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 04:50:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Well I, for one, am thankful for the correction, and I've just applied it to my comment.
boomerangotan ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:51:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This always throws me off since most possessives use an apostrophe.
We should start using a new symbol to distinguish between possessives and contractions. We have a huge Unicode set to work with now.
Edit: I think we should use ๐ฅง for contractions from now on.
I๐ฅงm sure that it๐ฅงs only a matter o๐ฅง time before it๐ฅงll catch on.
[deleted] ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:18:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You can't really preach to people that the pronunciation of the g in "gif" doesn't matter when the entire pith of your comment is surrounding the idea that the pronunciation of the g in "gif" matters. Also, the fact that you posted your comment in anticipation doesn't supercede any form of logic.
Korberos ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:24:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You have clearly misunderstood my comment, as I did not make that implication at all.
Not too concerned, since as I already explained, the "giraffics" argument doesn't have any form of logic to it.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:52:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If the pronunciation of the g didn't matter to you, I feel like you wouldn't have been all riled up, making a long comment about it.
Korberos ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 19:54:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That's a big, incorrect assumption you've got there. You don't need to be riled up to make a long comment...
[deleted] ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 20:05:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
OK
mrdeadsniper ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:22:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Eh, Caesar is "supposed" to be pronounced Kaiser. But if you say Julius Kaiser was emperor of Rome, you will get a lot of funny looks.
The only true rule in English is, its a democracy, and when enough people pick way something should be said, any previous rule to the contrary is edited.
Korberos ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:26:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yes I've actually clarified that already but thank you
Technically speaking, "Caesar" is a bad example, since Caesar is an English word formed as a representation of ฮฮฮฮฃฮฮก and they are separate words. ฮฮฮฮฃฮฮก is greek/latin and pronounced "Kaisar" while "Caesar" is English and is technically a new term entirely (referring to the man more than the position), much like how "panini" was an Italian word which meant sandwiches but in English we now have the word "panini" which is singular and refers to a specific kind of sandwich.
Back to the point though, the democratic rule allows for multiple pronunciations. That's why both soft-g and hard-g pronunciations of gif are correct today.
chillzap21 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:20:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is a matter of common sense, but still there are too many people who give such arguments, specially here on Reddit. Just proves the point again: "common sense is not that common"
xsvspd81 ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 03:46:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is probably the best argument I've heard for this. Thank you.
Fwiw, I pronounce it "Jif", like the peanut butter.
Dr_Jackson ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 06:35:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thank you. I think of it as a pun of jiffy. As in, "it loads in a jiffy".
supercheese200 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 18:57:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Given that it's the current year, I've started pronouncing it "WebM"
Korberos ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 03:54:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yes, that is the way the original creator of the format intended it. It is unfortunate that there was ever any confusion over it, because now there's such a split over the pronunciation people actually get in fights over it.
With that said, language develops as people use it, and if half of the world says it with a hard g and half with a soft, then by the rules of most languages, it can be pronounced either way because the way people pronounce something becomes the way it is pronounced.
In the same sense, if people misuse a word to mean something else for too long, that becomes a new definition for the word. A hilarious example of this is that if you look up the definition of "literally", one of the definitions is "virtually" as in "not in a literal sense" because that's how people used it colloquially.
furlonium1 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:13:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I don't gif a fuck how he says it's pronounced
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:19:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Ultrajante ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:52:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No one says gif. It sounds like gift. Jif is unquestionably superior because of its inability to cause confusion
Korberos ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:22:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
They would actually all say GIF. It's just that some would say it with a soft G and some with a hard G.
Yes I believe you are certain. That's quite different from you being right, though.
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:52:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Korberos ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:55:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm sure you'll provide some evidence for your claim at some point. I'll just wait :)
Tsorovar ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 04:44:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
There's no confusion. The creator intended one thing, but he neglected to tell anyone for more than 20 years, while GIFs became well known. Pronounced with a hard g. If you want to dictate pronunciation, you need to get in early. Otherwise you lose both the opportunity and the right.
LoneStarG84 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:56:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That is pure horseshit.
Tsorovar ยท -6 points ยท Posted at 05:05:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
In what way? He made his first statement on it in 2013. So 26 years after he actually created the format. Your link proves my point
LoneStarG84 ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 05:41:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Follow the link within the link, champ.
Korberos ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:47:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Your argument implies that the overwhelming majority pronounce it with a hard g and that is demonstrably false. It is different by region and cultural grouping, and could be estimated to be evenly split between people pronouncing with a hard g and those pronouncing with a soft g...
[deleted] ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 05:11:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Korberos ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 06:35:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You just demonstrated it was false. An overwhelming majority is one in which the majority is so large, the minority is not able to render a significant resistance.
...then obviously there isn't an overwhelming majority on either side.
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 18:52:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Korberos ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 18:54:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Mashable only polled 30,000 people, in 191 countries. That's only ~150 people per country. That amount of people in the study can't possible produce a result that can be called conclusive... so no, I don't think I need to change my statement.
[deleted] ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 19:04:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Korberos ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 19:14:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Since you apparently take inconclusive polls as "evidence", eBay ran another poll that puts things much closer at 54 to 41 percent
[deleted] ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 19:22:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Korberos ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:25:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You're being ridiculous, purposely ignoring that I presented the second poll not as a serious piece of evidence, but as a show of the fact that polls which don't have a large enough user base aren't really evidence.
He said there was no confusion... tell me why this fucking conversation is even happening if there was no confusion in the world over the pronunciation of gif. Tell me that claim isn't demonstrably false. Try. If you actually go back and read what I wrote, I never said that he used the term overwhelming, only that his claim (that there was no confusion) implied an overwhelming majority, and that the claim was demonstrably false.
If you can't see that was 100% correct by the fact this conversation, and all polls included in it, exist... then you're a moron.
TechGoat ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:17:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Be honest, you're a jif-sayer too aintcha ;-) it's always the folks who bring up what the format creator calls it!
Index820 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 07:48:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Okay, but for us to know how you pronounced it, the spelling needed to change to jif. If you want it jif, then use those letters... Otherwise it's gonna be gif.
Korberos ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:16:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Should we change the alcohol to be named "jin"?
Index820 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 13:30:55 on February 18, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Sure. Some consistency would be good.
throwaway73931 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:19:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But the pronunciation of the g in graphics is why it feels right to me!
And because I rarely assume soft gs unless I already know they're there, so I've been calling it gif with a hard g long before I knew some people call it
jifwith a soft g.karl_w_w ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:47:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
On that reasoning you've been saying laser and jpeg wrong all your life.
throwaway73931 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 20:01:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
And maybe NASA. The first statement was mostly a joke though. I didn't intend for it to actually be taken as an argument.
I guess if we were still in the establishment phase of the pronunciation, I guess I'd probably lean towards towards laser with an "a" sound like amplification. As for jpeg, that has one of those silly "ph"s there, which p can't do on it's own so maybe jfeg? Actually, maybe we should just scrap "ph" entirely...
Unfortunately, they were already established before I had say in it.
Korberos ยท -4 points ยท Posted at 04:23:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No one calls it jif. Some call it gif with a soft g, some with a hard g. Either way, they're saying gif.
throwaway73931 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:48:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
A soft g sound like a j, so calling it gif with a soft g is calling it jif. That or you're using a very different pronunciation for soft g than I'm familiar with.
Korberos ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:53:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Saying "soft g" instead of writing jif is an important distinction, because it represents a recognition that there is nothing less valid about one pronunciation of g versus another (both revolving around the pronunciation of gif, and in general).
Arguing "gif vs jif" lends an unfair and uneven bias toward the hard-g argument because it directly implies that a g can't sound like a soft-g, by implying that if it does, it would be a j.
So when I discuss this, I make sure that's very clear. No one is calling it jif. They are calling it gif with a soft g.
throwaway73931 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:57:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
There, I fixed it. You seem oddly heated about such a little thing. Are you really that mad about me pronouncing it differently than you?
Korberos ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:45:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I am legitimately not heated at all. If you re-read my comments, you'll notice I'm not even arguing against it being pronounced with a hard g. I'm only arguing against the commonly used argument of it having to be a hard g because of the pronunciation of graphics, because it's a stupid argument.
The word is able to be pronounced either way, and honestly people should just stop arguing over it. But if they're going to argue over it, I'm just saying... use accurate and fair arguments.
parposbio ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:41:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
My primary argument to why it should be a hard "g" is because of how we pronounce the word "gift."
You wouldn't say "jift," would you?
Korberos ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 04:48:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That is as good of an argument as saying that it must be pronounced with a soft g because of how we pronounce the word "gin".
That is to say it's a nonsensical argument for either side.
rob_s_458 ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 03:27:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
In Asia it's not uncommon for it to be an initialism
DempseyRoller ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 04:10:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Gii ai effu - des.
bigsquirrel ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:00:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That is hilarious.
8bitmadness ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:20:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I like the initialism form myself since it's neutral on the hard or soft G issue because I'm actually pronouncing the individual letter.
roguemerc96 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:37:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Pretty sure whether you say GIF, or make the weird decision to say jyff, it is an acronym, saying G-I-F is an initialism.
coltsmetsfan614 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:05:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Who the hell spells it out?
CletusVanDamnit ยท -4 points ยท Posted at 03:31:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The thing about GIF is that it's an acronym whose first word is "graphical." I don't care what the creators think. It's pronounced GIF, hard G. "Jif" wouldn't make sense at all.
reddit_user2010 ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 03:51:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Acronyms aren't necessarily pronounced based on the words they abbreviate.
Off the top of my head scuba's "u" and "a" are definitely not pronounced the same as the letters in "underwater" and "apparatus."
CletusVanDamnit ยท -7 points ยท Posted at 03:55:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
They literally only decided to make "jif" correct to be contrary. GUI has always been produced "gooey." There's a precedent, as it were, for the specific field they're in. It literally makes no sense based on the way English works.
reddit_user2010 ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 03:59:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
There's a precedent for the other pronunciation as well in "GEOS."
I hardly see how you've come to this conclusion. There are tons of "gi-" words that are pronounced with a soft g.
CletusVanDamnit ยท -4 points ยท Posted at 04:00:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yup, but not initialisms whose first word is GRAPHICAL. I'm not arguing which is right, I'm explaining why Jif sounds stupid as hell.
reddit_user2010 ยท 9 points ยท Posted at 04:04:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The first word in GEOS is "graphical."
The point is that acronyms are read as if they were their own words, the words that they abbreviate are absolutely irrelevant to their pronunciation.
CletusVanDamnit ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:05:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I understand that. Doesn't mean it makes any sense.
reddit_user2010 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:14:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
To be clear, I'm not saying that one makes any more sense than the other.
"Gif" with a hard g is just as sensical as "gif" with a soft g and vice versa. People are going to be just as likely to initially read it as one or the other, because "gi-" words with soft g's and hard g's are pretty much even in English. Something like "GEOS," despite also starting with "graphical," is obviously going to be more frequently read with a soft g, because "geo" with a soft g is far more common, but it's pretty much a tossup with something like "GIF."
efitz11 ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 03:44:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If you look up acronym rules, you'll see their pronounciations are formed by using the acronym as a new English word. The pronounciations of the underlying words do not affect the pronounciation of the new acronym at all.
CletusVanDamnit ยท -2 points ยท Posted at 03:45:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yes, I'm aware that many rules in English are abstract. That's one of them. It's still GIF to me, always will be.
111uhh1 ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 04:14:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Hope you don't say "scubba" with those principles.
pajam ยท -4 points ยท Posted at 04:21:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I tried to pull a bunch of similar example acronyms like that, but they are all vowel sounds, which inevitably are forced to change when put into other syllables within the acronym. I've never found an example that shows this with a consonant. The only similar one is jpeg (instead of j-pheg), but that is to be expected since acronyms only use the first letter.
rynlnk ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:49:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's GIF to everyone
CletusVanDamnit ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:49:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No, it's "jif" to everyone. Because language escapes most people.
TechGoat ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:18:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What region are you from? Seriously less than 10% of my friends in the Midwest say jif. 90% says gif.
CletusVanDamnit ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:21:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
New England.
rynlnk ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 06:56:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
People may pronounce it differently, but it's definitely GIF to everyone. Saying "it's still GIF to me" is just silly.
CletusVanDamnit ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:49:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If you were following the thread, you'd know what I was saying.
LoneStarG84 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 03:46:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Then how do you pronounce JPEG?
DearLunar ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 03:49:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do i look like i know what a jaypeg is?
RyanU406 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:08:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
GOD DANG HOTDOG!
rynlnk ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:03:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do you also scorn people for failing to pronounce ASAP as "ass-app"?
CletusVanDamnit ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:04:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I pronounce ASAP like a normal person...It's an Initialism.
mfranko88 ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 04:14:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Plenty of people pronounce it as a single word. "Ay-sap"
EryduMaenhir ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 07:51:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
How I say it in conversation depends on context and importance that it actually gets done as soon as possible. it's the acronym usually, but if it really needs to get done as soon as possible I'll say the initialism out to stress that.
FetusChrist ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:46:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Hate to tell you. It's been pronounced jif from the beginning. The whole debate only started a few years ago. From the mid 90's on it's been the same, only recently have contrarions tried to say the contrary. You're trying to stir the pot in the dumbest way possible. Even the creators of the gif format disagree with you.
CletusVanDamnit ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:48:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
...except I'm not trying to stir the pot, and literally commented about how the creators say "jif." I've never downvoted a comment so fast. Congratulations, you win the parrot award.
Also, they can say it however they want. They're computer nerds, not English majors.
TechGoat ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:21:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
By whom though? The majority of the developed world says gif, not jif. It seems like it's the jif-sayers trying to he contrarian. https://www.economist.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/1280-width/images/2017/06/blogs/graphic-detail/20170701_woc190_0.png
TheNaughtyMonkey ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:44:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
On the rare occassions I say it, I use a hard G.
Never seemed to be a problem, outside of Reddit.
grenideer ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 03:49:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
*According to SOME dictionaries.
I liked this paragraph at the end:
There is no special term for abbreviations whose pronunciation involves the combination of letter names and words or word-like pronunciations of strings of letters, such as JPEG /หdสeษชpษษก/ and MS-DOS /หษmษsหdษs/. There is also some disagreement as to what to call abbreviations that some speakers pronounce as letters and others pronounce as a word. For example, the terms URL and IRA can be pronounced as individual letters: /หjuหหษหrหษl/ and /หaษชหษหrหeษช/, respectively; or as a single word: /ษหrl/ and /หaษชrษ/, respectively.
TheRarestPepe ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:45:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Who the fuck pronounces URL like "earl"
grenideer ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:23:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I actually say something like "yirl"
BootStampingOnAHuman ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:38:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Or IRA as you would the name.
MiguelLancaster ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 00:44:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The section on recursive acronyms is my favorite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronym#Recursive_acronyms
spockspeare ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:50:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
GNU's not Unix.
Doktag ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 03:37:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
YSK when introducing an example, the correct abbreviation is "e.g.". It is short for "exempli gratia", which is Latin for "for example".
BootStampingOnAHuman ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:41:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
And ie. is as in, ie. as in.
hyporheic ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:13:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Cool! I can't wait to alienate more people by correcting them on this point!
whoniversereview ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 06:52:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Try again, OP. Merriam-Webster doesnโt agree.
an abbreviation (such as FBI) formed from initial letters : initialism
Kevroeques ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 03:39:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah, thatโs okay- Iโll still be calling both acronyms.
throwhowie ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 02:59:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
YESSS! I love finding new things to be pedantic about.
z6joker9 ยท 18 points ยท Posted at 03:51:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Please donโt be that guy. Especially when you have to start the correction with โtechnicallyโ because colloquially you would just be wrong.
[deleted] ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 04:13:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ackchually...
PresentlyInThePast ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:49:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
https://xkcd.com/1475/
As ordered!
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:23:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Technically, your comment is you being that 'technically' guy.
z6joker9 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:25:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Technically, I was being more of an โactuallyโ guy.
BootStampingOnAHuman ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:36:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But being technically right is the best kind of right!
karl_w_w ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 05:56:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Why would he have to start with "technically"? The correction is "actually that's an initialism" and anyone who says "that's just a technicality" is making an excuse for being wrong.
z6joker9 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:55:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Because they would be making an excuse for being wrong. We commonly accept that FBI is an acronym, even if technically it is initialism.
rxg ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 03:27:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But it's called an acronym because that's what people call it. I've never heard anyone use the word "initialism" in my entire life. The words that people actually use in conversation takes precedence over some factoid in a book.
candycv30 ยท -2 points ยท Posted at 04:59:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
There are many people that believe in God. Most people, even. Just because a lot of people believe in something doesn't logically prove that something is correct.
rxg ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 05:08:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You're right, believing in God doesn't make it true. But if you utter a word and people understand what you mean, then what has been effectively communicated is what the word means. When people say "acronym" in everyday conversation, everybody understands that they are referring to a series of letters which represents a series of words. If communication is successful, it can't be "wrong". The use and evolution of language has always been and will always be determined by the people using it, not some book, set or rules or some random person on reddit.
Edit: And while you personally may not agree with this cavalier way of thinking about language, this is exactly how humans throughout history have always treated language. They use, invent and modify words and meaning on the fly and the words evolve and grow throughout communities and spread across continents, and the only thing that determines what is correct is whether or not it is effectively communicating ideas.
-_-__-___ ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:12:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Language is defined by its use.
GaslightProphet ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 07:16:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
We got pendantry and fedorism all in one here
candycv30 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:55:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I wasn't going for pedantic. I was trying to say that just because loads of people do something isn't a proof in logic, as the comment was trying to convey. The comment I responded to used a personal perspective
And used that unique experience to attest as to why the statement was false. It's not a good point in debating a fact. The statement doesn't even indicate how many people with which the commenter has conversed, so we don't even know, as the reader, how many people and how much exposure to the word was even possible.
I was saying that just because OP has never heard it, doesn't prove that it is not the way. Just as proving God's existence simply by saying, "everyone I know believes in god," or "I've never met anyone that doesn't believe in God" isn't a sound argument as a proof.
I don't know what fedorism is. So I'll allow it, and I won't contest it until further research.
atombombbabyatombomb ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:36:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Imaging pronouncing FBI as a word.
"HANDS IN THE AIR! IT'S THE FBI!" (Fbee?)
FerusGrim ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:45:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What about an initialism that you say differently than spelling it out, like "Triple A"?
squijee ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:34:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I knew this thanks to George Carlin!
flamespear ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:42:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Doesn't matter๏ผ common usage is acronym for both. that's how language works, meaning changes.
djs758 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:45:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yes, this.
HElGHTS ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:19:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Here's one: SQL. It's "an SQL database" for those who say the initialism /ess-kyoo-ell/, and "a SQL database" for those who say the acronym /sequel/.
There is sort of a lack of pronunciation when it's written as opposed to spoken, so choosing the indefinite article variant is problematic.
Ozymander ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:19:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Go into the military. They'll acronym you to death.
behold_the_man ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:19:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh fuck off
throwaway101oi ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 05:22:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yo this sounds so made up.
HeyThisIsKyle ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 06:26:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
BOBODY
StaleTheBread ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 03:18:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Both are abbreviations, if you donโt want to bother remembering which is which
SerperDerperLerker ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 02:57:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That whole wiki page is worth reading
MarceeR ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:07:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Love this kind of stuff!
Claud6568 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:07:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Omg Iโve just spent a half hour of my life engrossed in this thread!
adozenrosesinthecar ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:31:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I love grammar .
zUkUu ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:38:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"Aids" is a very commonly used one, but most people don't know it's an acronym: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
luke_in_the_sky ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:55:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's called anacronym, like laser, scuba, radar...
Kailoi ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:44:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Does that mean "OK" is both?
Dimethyltrip_to_mars ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:46:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ok is more of an abbreviation, though
luke_in_the_sky ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:59:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations but not all abbreviations are acronyms or initialisms.
Also, you can't define whatever OK is an acronym, an initialism, an anacronym, an abbreviation or a word, unless you pick an etymology.
luke_in_the_sky ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:57:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do you spell okii?
X0AN ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:45:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
When did people stop using eg. and start using ex.
goldandguns ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:50:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is the first I've ever seen
UnknownPerson69 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:47:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Let's go back to ZIP as in ZIP CODE, which, thanks to President Eisenhower, we have the zone Improvement Plan.
Claud6568 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:11:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL!!!
jcreightons ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:47:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What does that make the LSAT?
marinex ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:27:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I call them lisat but it is abbv
BootStampingOnAHuman ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:42:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Acronym. El sat.
CokeTastesGood39 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:48:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This post is going to ruin so many parties
danperegrine ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:49:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is "Triple - A", be it baseball or automotive association, an acronym or initialism then?
kmellen ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:54:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Penn and Teller did an awesome bit on this in their series, "Bullshit"
https://youtu.be/y_HscBWJhNQ
Demilitarizer ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:08:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I have had this argument before. Having worked for government entities in the DOD and DOE realms, I have been subjected to an enormous number of both acronyms and initialisms, and let me tell you how many people use acronym incorrectly... TRIGGERED!
highcalibre ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 09:10:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I was beginning to think I was the only one.
Invisible_Mind_Dust ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:09:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I've said this to people for years. The response is always, "I don't give a fuck". I'm always like, what does that stand for?
summerfr33ze ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:13:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"There are no universal standards of the multiple names for such abbreviations"
"Some dictionaries and usage commentators define acronym to mean an abbreviation that is pronounced as a word"
...and then the wikipedia page goes on with examples of acronyms that those specific dictionaries and commentators would call initialisms instead.
Cruzifixio ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:15:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's also an initialism when the abreviation is done by using the first letter. FBI vs NaSA. It's why we say "You-Ehn" (UN, United Nations) and not the "Uhn".
Edit: Word mixup.
hammer310 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:15:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh I actually say N A S A.
BoyceKRP ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:29:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Motion to start pronouncing FBI as Phoebe
ninetysevencents ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:41:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Pretty disappointed that this means "TLA" isn't, itself, a three letter acronym.
dabiida ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:00:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Might as well pronounce the FBI as "fibby" now to make it an acronym ยฏ_(ใ)_/ยฏ
anoff ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:20:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Can we get a ref ruling on a baseball "ribbie" - RBI?
chanmaxi ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:24:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What is ASAP?
b9ntt ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:28:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So a TLA should really be a TLI...
jodikins ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:34:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Mind blown.
JediOfTheShire ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:44:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Hooray... We finally had the grammar Nazis shut down in their own self-imposed "paradise" when along comes op giving them more ammunition. What were you thinking!?
Nihil94 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:46:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Implying I don't call it the fffbee
xxNixonxx ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:50:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What if you pronounce it like โfibbyโ?
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 20:41:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I found out that saying 'mit' instead of M.I.T. really annoys my Yankee friends, hence its continued usage...
No idea why we were discussing Universities when I found out this startling revelation..
nuggerless_child ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 11:16:52 on February 18, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I have been having this argument with my family for years. acronym/initialism/abbreviation are not interchangeable words
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 16:52:52 on February 18, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What if you say "Effa bee eye"?
Hup234 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 04:01:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Maybe now it is but when enough ignoramuses start calling initialisms "acronyms", it becomes "official" and now you're wrong and the unwashed are right. Some examples?
literally
jealous
irregardless
starving
decimated
ThatDamnRaccoon ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:26:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
candycv30 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:30:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Supposably
Nother (a whole nother)
Hup234 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:49:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wat?? Ebonics is in a whole nother class (supposably)!
clegg2011 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 03:18:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If everyone refers to FBI as an acronym and understands it stands for something else is it not then appropriate to say FBI is an acronym. Noone knows what the fuck an initialism is. Language evolves.
drink_tea_with_me ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:21:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Exactly. The whole point of language is to communicate. I know exactly what you mean when you say acronym, but no idea what an initialism is
ElBiscuit ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 07:41:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nobody knows what an initialism is? You know what initials are, donโt you? How hard is it to figure out โinitialismโ? Itโs self-explanatory.
Language does evolve, but itโs sad when it only changes because people canโt be bothered to put two secondsโ worth of thought into how to use perfectly good words properly.
mellowmonk ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:13:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
And people who point that out are the same "ACKCHYUALLY" types who point out that peanuts aren't nuts but legumes.
schackel ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:21:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wait. Wikipedia says โsome dictionaries...โ what dictionaries?? Can someone research to see if OPs definition is reliable?
Algernon_Asimov ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:35:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
How about the gold standard of dictionaries, the Oxford Dictionary?
[deleted] ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:15:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Algernon_Asimov ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:31:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
They have a version for American English which has exactly the same definitions for "acronym" and "initialism"
However, I wasn't aware that I should cite only American sources when someone asks "What dictionaries?"
CletusVanDamnit ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 03:29:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It is.
while_e ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:33:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I learned this about a year ago, and felt that wtf moment of "how have i not know this". I then continued to use "acronym" as both, because a) its not worth explaining to absolutely everyone, and b) why does the difference even exist other than just the desire to define and categorise ?
ElBiscuit ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:45:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Why do we have thousands (maybe millions โ I didnโt actually check) of different nouns, instead of just calling everything โitโ? Because of the desire to define and categorize.
while_e ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:22:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Lol, slightly different. Why would i or anyone actually care to make the distinction between abbreviation and innitialism though? Like what would be the purpose in a convo? In contrast its very helpful to have thousands of distinct nouns..
kromp10 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 00:10:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Damn. TILS , my day has peaked.
Today I Learned shit
TheNamelessLameness ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 01:38:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Well don't stop there, learn more shit!
BootStampingOnAHuman ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:51:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No doubt there'll be a fecal transplant TIL shortly.
Ellisstein ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:31:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I remember learning this through Penn Jilette screaming it on B.S. xD
redditeyedoc ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:26:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Who cares
[deleted] ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 00:33:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
IOnlyUpvoteSelfPosts ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 03:52:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Agree. This is a useless fact of trivia.
Bodchubbz ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:23:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Anything can be an acronym if you tried hard enough
Chinesedoghandler ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:57:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That always pissed me off in DBZ. The king of the afterlife said he liked acronyms, but they were actually initialisms.
instableoxymoron ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:34:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL that TIL is an initialism rather than an acronym.
[deleted] ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:37:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL that amphetamine is an acronym. I had no idea.
conundrumbombs ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:28:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No, it isn't. It literally says it's a contracted form of alpha-methylphenethylamine.
SheeEttin ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 04:36:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's an abbreviation, certainly, but I wouldn't say acronym. An acronym is an initialism except you pronounce it as a word.
natephant ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:22:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Shouldnโt you have learned that in like.... middle school?
martinlee07 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 02:36:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Originally the FBI was not an initialism, but was a true acronym, as it was to be called the Federal Investigations Bureau or FIB.
Edit: Investigations not Inverstigations
oasisarah ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:03:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
wots an inverstigation? ๐
martinlee07 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:08:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Haha oops
AppleDane ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:27:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Inverted instigation.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:26:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
_Axel ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:10:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Portmanteau
OzNTM ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:02:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Or Brangelina?
TheRarestPepe ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:50:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If not a portmanteau word, I might consider it a "contracted form."
KittyIsMyCat ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:28:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
And the only correct response for when someone uses an initialism in a sentence is to yell, "I KNOW HOW TO SPELL IT!!"
ImCalledEm ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:30:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Well this ruins scattergories
galacticboy2009 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:34:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm pretty sure everyone on reddit already knew this, considering it's on r/TIL pretty regularly.
Cheefnuggs ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:35:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The funny thing is, I learned this but forgot the word initialism because I havenโt heard it used as often as acronym outside of a classroom. Thanks for reminding me! I totally forgot!
turtwig103 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:36:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You mean a real sounding word because NASA wasn't a word when it was founded and nasa technically isn't a word by itself (i nasa you nasa we nasa she nasa he nasa they nasaed come on OP its basic nasaology)
ensum ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:36:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
ayy lmao.
bumblebritches57 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:36:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Good examples OP.
carldec ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:36:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TLA is a TLA for TLA.
turtwig103 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:37:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
And you could technically pronounce FBI it just wouldn't sound like a word
Ponykegabs ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:37:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So does AAA count as an acronym because every one calls it Triple A?
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:38:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oooh you just made my night better.
ShrimpShackShooters_ ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:41:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I actually knew the first one. Never knew the second had a name though.
ETAGrammarian ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:41:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I for one pronounce it โfbihโ
FungalSphere ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:42:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL about initialism
rendeld ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:42:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So what is PPAP (Pronounced P-PAP)
robbinsdar ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:42:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So, for photography is it...ISO (eyesoh) or i.s.o?
StrawberryK ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:42:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Aren't they one in the same? I mean I can ephbeeeye...its still fbi...or I can draw it out naa...aaasuhhh...aaaa it's still nasa.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:43:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
Claud6568 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:09:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโm assuming you actually want to know what an abbreviation is, in relation to this thread at least so Iโm going to offer an ans. There, thatโs an abbreviation.
skyskr4per ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:43:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL the definition of a word.
graniteandflour ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:43:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I will not remember this.
spockspeare ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:43:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"EFF-BEE-EYE"
Acronym
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:45:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So WTF and LOL are initialisms...
KillerElf23 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:45:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโve heard a few people say N.A.S.A. (as in say each letter like an initialism) rather than using the acronym NASA as a word.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:46:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
TonySPhillips ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:47:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"fibby"
Wrighteous219 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:46:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Can "lol" be both?
froderick ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:46:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
And I learned a long time ago that if you point out the difference to someone, they'll just roll their eyes at you and still get it wrong in the future.
waltjrimmer ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:47:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I've corrected people about this a few times. People don't appreciate being corrected about this. I love this tidbit, but it does not help you make friends.
Tru-Queer ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:48:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I tried explaining this to my coworker who refused to believe me.
okayc00l ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:48:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
My bandmate made this anal retentive yet accurate correction to me years ago and always remembered. Shout out to James Wesson (big whatever) musician
Wuhtthewuht ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:48:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
My supervisor during my internship told me this little secret. I still feel a little weird saying "initialism."
ReadItWithSarcasm ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:49:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wait...
It's pronounced โeff bee eyeโ not โphbeeโ???
TrepanationBy45 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:49:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yep, thanks OP. TI-definitely-L
tandrews8 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:51:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So where does LOL fall in this spectrum?
Euphoricpixels ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:51:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is why I can't trust anything I learned in school. How many small things like this am I incorrect about daily? D:
MetroidHyperBeam ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:52:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I literally just had this argument with someone on Thursday.
chimbolita14 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:52:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
HFS TIL the same thing too. I was watching all eyes on me. When Tupac says โthug lifeโ is an acronym... Iโm like wait... is it? And i looked it up.
chumppi ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:53:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
FFFFFBI
ImCarpet ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:53:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Then what is the NC double A? no one really says NCAA like it should be an initialism but you're saying NC double A.????
Claud6568 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:12:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I hear people say N C AY AY all the time
asymmetrical_sally ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:53:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Well this is a disaster.
JLevin11 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:53:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Also, UFO was originally created as an acronym and not an initialism. So itโs technically supposed to be pronounced YUU-FO or something along those lines
Waqsaac ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:54:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So... is OP an acronym or an initialism?
uhlayna ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:55:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh hey, look at that. A useful TIL.
bbsoldierbb ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:55:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
German actually distinguishes between the two types of word creation. One what is here called an acronym and one what is here called an initialism. There is also a mixed form though...
august86 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:56:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
For some reason that I am not quite sure of, this is significant... Thank you!
YJCH0I ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:56:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
INB4 Font vs Typeface.
BjornBeetleBorg ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:56:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Too late. Weโre all settled in with the incorrect use
souljabri557 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:56:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yes but why is OP using "ex." instead of "e.g." ?
hobolantern ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:57:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I just accept that everything I think I know is wrong.
PoorEdgarDerby ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:57:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wootuffff
depressedbee ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:57:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So, can I transform FBI as an initialism to FiBi acronym?
CYI8L ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:58:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
today i Learned Something Dissapointing
newgrounds ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:58:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The entire office will say initialism next week.
aishik-10x ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:00:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Like GNU
brianysus ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:01:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
NAMBLA?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:01:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
DEA is initialism in English but acronym in Spanish.
Alimente ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:01:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is "lol" an acronym, an initialism, or both? I want to say both because a person can say "lul" or "l.o.l."
guitardz ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:02:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wait, it isn't pronounced 'fibby'?
RTwhyNot ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:02:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Try reading what you post: "some
PacificElectrix ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:03:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I learned something new. Thanks
UnrequitedReason ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:03:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Now let's learn the difference between ex. and eg.
SunriseSurprise ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:03:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Tbh they're not really "known" as initialisms - laymen would simply call them abbreviations. Hell, Reddit's post editor sees the plural of it as a typo even.
anwarunya ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:03:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
More impressive than this information is that I never thought about the fact that we always say "nassa"
Jesus0nSteroids ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:04:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Now I'm finding too much amusement pronouncing initialisms as acronyms.. FBI "fibby" YMCA "yumka"
American sports leagues are especially funny, NFL "Niffle" MLB "Mulb" NBA "Nubba"
NiroXu ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:04:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So what does that make SQL?
OverseasDom ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:04:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So then what about AAA or Triple A? Its not pronounced "Aaa" or "A-A-A"?
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:04:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
/u/anyl8r
MistrFish ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:05:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Interesting. Would make you a total asshole to point this out in conversation though.
Mobile6am ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:05:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
How about TIL?
Carlos_Danger11 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:05:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Then just pronounce FBI as Phoebe and itโs back to an acronym
NoMoreNicksLeft ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:05:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeh, pronounced "fibby". Derp.
Qarthos ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:05:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is all thanks to Mac n Cheese, isn't it?
yul_brynner ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:06:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
NIST.
OzNTM ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:06:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
QANTAS
mendoza55982 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:06:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คญ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐คฏ
_Axel ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:07:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What about AAA?
Itโs not an acronym by this definition: ahh-ahh-ahh
Itโs not an initialism: ay ay ay
We say โtriple ayโ - OP, I must learn!
Agent_Orange7 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:07:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So, is TIL an acronym or an initialism?
joecago1 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:07:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is exceptionally nerdy.
Surreptitian ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:08:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So it is always has to be a noun?
Daamus ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:08:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
mind blown
peebaby ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:08:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I know this because of George Carlin's Brain Droppings
Komrade_Karen ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:08:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Looking at you, people who pronounce it S Q L. Why can't you just say sequel like the rest of the civilized world!
truthforchange ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:09:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What is the penalty for doing it wrong? I intend to continue doing it wrong starting........now: TIL = acronym. Boom whatever happens, happens.
darkbreak ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:09:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
To further this, if the word in question is turned into an acronym after the fact it becomes known as a "backronym". For example, TIME magazine. Originally TIME didn't stand for anything but eventually it was turned into a backronym, becoming "The International Magazine of Events".
Coldspark824 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:09:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
...has no one else been wondering about the Fibbi investigation of russia?
Soveryenthusiastic ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:10:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is UK an acronym or an initialism? It's pronounced 'You kay', but it's only two letters so does that change anything?
Enviousdeath ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:57:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I pronounce it โUckโ as one word.
Notsurewhatthatmeans ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:11:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Whatโs it called when everyone at work insists on turning initialism into acronyms? Itโs getting annoying.
paydrough ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:11:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What the hell is PUBG then! An acronism?
chuckleberryjim ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:12:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is dumb
SkeksisFeets ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:12:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
C-SEC changed their name to CSE so it would be harder to say, but it's actually pronounced "sissy"
CanWeNotSuckForOnce ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:12:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Did you know the word NASCAR is an acronym. It stands for National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing
KingofHilo19 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:18:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You mean Non Athletic Sport Centered Around Rednecks?
NameForgotten ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:59:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
As a fan of NASCAR, I love this joke
rexisbranden ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:12:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Makes the OWCA even better
katanakarnage ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:13:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
OP is an initialism
SandyCheeks22 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:14:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Cool, so if you say ASAP (as a word) its an abbreviation, but A.S.A.P is intialism, right?
MexieSMG ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:15:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
my world is shattered
Bedurndurn ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:16:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
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Vestibulum sed ipsum ac nulla congue facilisis. Mauris aliquet nisi urna, vitae euismod ligula vestibulum vel. Sed a magna venenatis, lacinia diam in, sagittis tellus. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent feugiat nunc vel blandit ornare. Aenean gravida faucibus nibh vitae feugiat. Etiam at aliquam elit, nec congue dolor. Pellentesque sagittis mauris vel tellus imperdiet, a vulputate justo viverra.
Cras mauris velit, ultrices et pharetra in, laoreet vel orci. Donec sed odio et arcu congue fermentum. Donec a semper lorem, in porta eros. Cras imperdiet, neque et aliquet eleifend, arcu nisl malesuada neque, vel molestie ligula quam pharetra ante. Ut pellentesque tortor sit amet erat sodales feugiat. Ut mollis porttitor dictum. Sed a justo id arcu condimentum eleifend in eget leo. Sed sed hendrerit massa. Praesent rhoncus, mauris nec vehicula fermentum, arcu ipsum consequat felis, et cursus ligula neque vitae justo. Morbi varius, arcu eu efficitur dictum, ante ex varius felis, gravida finibus risus leo fringilla purus. Praesent magna nulla, varius sollicitudin est vel, sollicitudin tempor est. Suspendisse nec ipsum lobortis, lobortis nulla eget, iaculis enim. Fusce lacus felis, sollicitudin fringilla turpis et, eleifend gravida nisl. Morbi turpis arcu, consectetur eget porta sed, dictum ac nisi. Vivamus interdum metus orci, sit amet convallis velit iaculis sollicitudin.
Sed ac purus id enim consequat commodo interdum et lorem. Suspendisse consequat, nibh et vehicula cursus, enim neque hendrerit mi, ac sodales eros sapien id mi. Morbi porttitor mauris nec risus ultrices lacinia. Sed ullamcorper id felis a suscipit. Morbi sit amet est sit amet arcu scelerisque luctus sit amet nec odio. Fusce viverra lacinia orci vel pulvinar. Integer at elit elit. Aliquam erat volutpat. Sed dictum sem ut ante cursus, ut ornare lectus pretium. Sed vulputate eget erat vel dapibus. Phasellus quis ante ullamcorper, viverra nibh et, dignissim risus. Sed varius vulputate dolor, quis iaculis lacus ultricies sit amet. Integer nec accumsan eros, in luctus felis. Nunc elementum tortor sed nulla egestas maximus. Nulla elementum nunc suscipit suscipit vestibulum.
Fusce euismod magna nec dapibus porttitor. Morbi convallis volutpat varius. Mauris commodo turpis non tellus aliquet vestibulum. Ut faucibus, sapien a venenatis ornare, augue quam convallis leo, in accumsan est ligula id massa. Proin mi sem, posuere sed purus vitae, consectetur molestie metus. Maecenas sodales nibh tortor, at hendrerit orci fringilla a. Donec et mattis odio, a ullamcorper nulla. Donec tempus elit tellus, sit amet tincidunt diam pretium in. Maecenas non ligula mauris. Nullam eget magna vel magna fermentum varius. Maecenas gravida justo et congue luctus. Cras a tempus libero, at congue nibh. Maecenas quis enim rhoncus, faucibus urna id, suscipit arcu. Maecenas eros orci, auctor vitae gravida in, facilisis in orci.
Integer sodales dapibus mollis. Donec ut ex accumsan, dapibus tortor commodo, aliquam eros. Donec nec tellus a ligula tincidunt mattis et et est. Phasellus a arcu quis augue auctor viverra eget ut purus. Integer enim ex, fringilla vitae pulvinar et, venenatis sit amet augue. Duis quam lorem, auctor quis ligula a, convallis egestas est. Vestibulum sed ullamcorper est, eu sagittis quam. Cras non ligula dui. Maecenas laoreet ultrices posuere. Pellentesque congue, neque a aliquam elementum, velit metus dapibus arcu, non elementum sapien purus non lacus. Donec volutpat fringilla neque non placerat. Vestibulum lacinia mollis arcu. Curabitur auctor facilisis sem eget auctor.
Quisque maximus dignissim velit quis egestas. Aliquam erat volutpat. Integer ultricies urna lectus, sed tincidunt ex interdum sed. Curabitur magna lacus, dignissim vel ligula quis, consectetur molestie libero. Vivamus nec nisi nec justo efficitur tristique sed quis sapien. Nam tristique, velit nec gravida volutpat, dolor mauris consectetur dolor, sed ornare arcu est id arcu. Proin dignissim nisl sit amet malesuada convallis. Morbi ut turpis ut orci vehicula vulputate quis sit amet mauris. Aenean finibus, quam sit amet mattis vestibulum, nibh libero consectetur tellus, et porttitor elit mi sit amet diam.
Ut feugiat molestie turpis vitae egestas. Sed ac lorem neque. Morbi scelerisque nisl quis lacus vulputate porttitor. Duis feugiat gravida metus, eu dictum odio finibus eget. Maecenas lacinia nulla eu lobortis suscipit. Aenean quis lacus ultricies, dignissim lacus et, ullamcorper justo. Praesent pharetra, diam ac ornare pellentesque, erat sem condimentum neque, at facilisis risus nisl eu purus. Vivamus ornare lectus nisi, vel rhoncus ligula molestie at. Curabitur urna dolor, hendrerit quis ultricies sed, tincidunt eget libero. Nullam tortor mi, aliquet ut leo in, lobortis laoreet neque. Aliquam sollicitudin pretium justo, in posuere purus vehicula at. In vitae luctus nisi. Sed tellus erat, fringilla non venenatis a, semper in libero. Cras a mi auctor, facilisis neque eget, venenatis velit. Nunc eu interdum elit.
Pellentesque ante odio, blandit et ex in, vestibulum bibendum dolor. Duis feugiat nulla sit amet pharetra pellentesque. Ut at consequat nulla. Sed dapibus auctor turpis et luctus. Vestibulum fermentum, metus quis convallis viverra, augue nulla tincidunt nunc, sed pretium augue nulla at leo. Sed at vehicula lectus. Maecenas pulvinar nisi ac tristique sagittis. Fusce id molestie velit. Fusce faucibus nisl mi, nec eleifend ligula maximus at.
Vivamus dictum nisl sed imperdiet blandit. Nunc quis nibh arcu. Duis sed accumsan mauris. In vel orci commodo, iaculis lorem gravida, mollis metus. Nulla consequat a turpis nec sagittis. Ut rutrum lacus quis maximus commodo. Aliquam dapibus massa at tellus faucibus posuere. Vestibulum non ante tincidunt, faucibus nisl a, porttitor tortor. Phasellus accumsan ipsum a tortor consectetur malesuada. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos.
Vestibulum ultricies orci nunc. Nulla ac odio gravida, efficitur justo a, venenatis dui. Phasellus vitae magna leo. Nullam vitae convallis elit, ut hendrerit quam. Integer varius hendrerit elementum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Etiam a molestie lacus, sit amet aliquam nisl. Nunc eget vulputate tellus.
Proin sit amet malesuada nisl. Curabitur eu massa odio. Maecenas bibendum elementum arcu, sit amet porta felis suscipit ut. Donec nec augue quis tellus pharetra tempus in non quam. Pellentesque scelerisque pellentesque ornare. Donec sit amet imperdiet arcu, vitae aliquam enim. Morbi vestibulum rhoncus sem id accumsan. Pellentesque velit nibh, auctor sed augue blandit, luctus fermentum arcu. Phasellus ullamcorper sit amet urna sit amet elementum. Fusce quis tortor velit. Morbi lobortis felis porttitor, aliquet arcu tempus, ornare est.
Duis non pellentesque nibh. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Nullam in odio a lacus rutrum elementum. Aliquam consectetur laoreet auctor. Cras ipsum ante, semper a lectus eget, congue varius felis. Quisque viverra efficitur erat, quis euismod magna condimentum at. Vestibulum euismod efficitur turpis, sed porttitor massa fringilla vitae. Phasellus eget est imperdiet nulla iaculis luctus. Sed bibendum vestibulum scelerisque. In dictum pulvinar porta. Nunc et enim nunc. Nunc interdum mattis mi ut venenatis. Vestibulum congue ante ornare scelerisque egestas. Nulla finibus placerat ante, ut tincidunt neque eleifend non. Phasellus ligula est, blandit nec lacus a, faucibus vestibulum risus. Etiam laoreet volutpat.
Sugartechnik ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:18:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is true. Remember, it's not a lie if you believe it
Rated_PG-Squirteen ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:17:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm not happy to have come across this new info, so I will continue to refer to FBI, MLB, NHL, etc as acronyms, just like I continue to pronounce "GIF" with a hard "g."
bsgman ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:17:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโve always said Phoebe.
thebeardguyofdenver ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:17:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So NCLB is an acronym with โnicklebyโ, but not โenceeelbeeโ?
chargers_rad_man ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:18:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fubar
astr0bear ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:18:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโve been calling it Fibby for years!
AtariAlchemist ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:18:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You can't fool me OP, I saw the comment earlier that you got this from.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:18:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโve heard ICE used as both.
Sparkman33 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:19:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I too listen to the Joe Rogan Experience.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:19:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ohhh, I am gonna be super pretentious about this now!
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:19:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do I understand this correctly:
"We're going to NASA" vs "We're going to the FBI"?
Or am I confusing it all now?
stoneddj420 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:19:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Bomb ass post
mdpxx000 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:20:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thatโs interesting
commandersweatpants ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:20:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is like people from Phoenix referring to themselves as "Phoenicians". It's correct but you're still a douche fir saying it.
PM_THE_GUY_BELOW_ME ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:21:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fibbie
Cromesett ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:22:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
And an anagram is when you take all the letters and rearrange them to make another word. Right, Tom Marvolo Riddle?
ArtKommander ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:22:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
My buddy's mom called me out during a board game for not knowing the difference
y2k2r2d2 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:22:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fabye
Dabee625 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:22:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Not really. It means what most people think it means. Original intention is much less relevant.
hi_haters ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:22:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No. This will not change my behavior.
_datv ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:23:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is actually one of Reddit's earliest TIL
Senor_Martillo ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:23:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Soooo....."Till" or "Tee Eye Ell"?
NappyXIII ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:23:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL sonar is an acronym and not a wholely specific sciencey word.
GTBoosted ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:24:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So FAFSA is an acronym still. Good, I had an argument about it!
Mcintime26 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:24:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm definitely gonna correct the next person I hear use this wrong, and I'm also definitely gonna act like it's common knowledge. Who's with me? Be honest...
Sir_Myshkin ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:24:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
My favorite is OWCA.
imunicrons ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:24:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wait.... nobody else says fibby?
LightVisions ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:24:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nice
Lesbaru ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:24:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm glad more will know about this. I look like an arse when I correct people.
Garth-Vader ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:25:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So would AT-AT be and acronym or an initialism?
garylee23 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:25:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Best TIL in a long while. Thanks OP.
marinex ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:25:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I didnโt even know the word initialism.
Thanks for the info
marinex ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:26:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I just call them fibi does that count?
OhGeez32 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:26:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
WTF! Iโve been stating it wrong this whole time?!
tatehenry ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:26:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I learned this on Reddit a couple of years back, so this is a repost. I have been using it ever since. It's surprising to me how many people are NOT on Reddit and don't know the difference between the two words.
Rhomega2 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:26:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What about both. I've heard some people refer to the IRS as Iris.
Equinophobe ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:26:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
LASER and SCUBA are both well known words that few people realize are acronyms.
(Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation and Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus)
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:27:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This was mentioned in George Carlin's book : Brain Droppings.
Enigmutt ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:27:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
COMNAVWIFEPAC, anyone?
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:27:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wicked. I learned this just last week in my linguistics class.
And yes, Iโve been spreading the truth to almost every person I know since then.
michael5029 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:28:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Cool but I'm never going to correct anyone and risk looking like an ass
candycv30 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:29:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So RAS Syndrome should be RIS Syndrome? TIAL
Sham129 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:30:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm taking medical terminology this semester and I'm tempted to show this to my professor. He uses the word "acronym" at least 10 times a lecture.
aRealAmateur ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:30:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I really want the word acronym to be an acronym
bobbyzee ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:30:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm gonna make everything an acronym. Example: FBI will become FUB-EYE
getthefliersup ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:30:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
They were just talking about this on The Raven Effect podcast
DrelenScourgebane ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:31:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You mean you don't pronounce it as "Fibbi"?
TheRobotFrog ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:31:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Asap is the missing link.
StellarHansolo ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:32:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ok, Dad
szech1sauce ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:33:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Technically, it's "the NASA", not "NASA".
b-r-u-h- ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:33:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
GIF vs GIF
ipulloffmygstring ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:33:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So which is TIL?
Dima0425 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:33:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ok
Mith_ ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:34:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL Laser is an acronym
ftac2015 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:35:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I learned this from the rules in Codenames
Architonic ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:35:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thank you so much for this. I have tried to explain acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms ad nauseum. If someone tries to pull a wikipedia argument against this, point them to the NY Times Manual of Style and Usage.
web_smith ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:35:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fibee?
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:35:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So whatโs the NAACP? โN Double-A C Pโ Itโs not an acronym but itโs not an initialism because it doesnโt spell all the letters.
CannabisandCandy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:35:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Never even heard of initialism before. And I personally like reading almost as much as I like video games so it totally blew my mind that they are two totally different things. I just always considered them acronyms. The US school system really needs some work... Iโve got a fucking college degree and feel like I donโt know jack shit...
sawdeanz ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:36:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Effbeeeye
Matto_McFly_81 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:36:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Now, try correcting someone with this knowledge. Go ahead. It will turn out great.
mybuttiswaytoosmall ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:37:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
and a sentence composed of two independent clauses isn't supposed to be separated by a comma.... so what? there's tons of technicalities nobody follows.
jahooliahliah ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:38:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
lawl
nem2k ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:38:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
And when you pronounce the abbreviation as a real word incorrectly, it's a Rickyism
taleofbenji ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:39:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
According to no one.
-Chell ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:40:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thanks Penn & Teller's Bullshit.
spiritbx ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:42:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But isn't that just based on opinion? maybe I say fbi and not F B I.
wildwise ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:43:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So WTF is an acronym and LOL is initialism?
LittleRedditAddict ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:44:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Truth but know your audience. Not fun correcting people on it.
Zenniverse ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:44:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You mean everyone else doesnโt call it โEn Ay Es Ay?โ
kronaz ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:45:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
And they're BOTH abbreviations.
youarepotato ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:45:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
LPT - To avoid countless arguments just refer to them as acronyms regardless of how they're said.
Edit: Bonus LPT - To avoid being liked and having friends, always clarify that an initialism has been mistaken for an acronym by stating "Well actually, I think you'll find that...." followed by correction
TruckMcBadass ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:45:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
How do you choose a/an for acronyms? Based on the sound of the acronym or the sound of the word it stands for?
arespostale ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:46:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Which one is LOL? I say it both ways.
Reapsta ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:08:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I prefer lol.
Buromid ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:46:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Man OP posts something I already knew, and they get ~30K upvotes. I tell my coworkers when they get it wrong and no one wants to be my lab partner!
Drafo7 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:47:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is there a word for something that's spelled with initials but spoken as the full name? I always say TIL as Today I Learned, I mean it's only one more syllable.
La-de ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:48:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm in the military. This changes everything.
alohaoy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:52:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ikr?
daoogilymoogily ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:52:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
As an English nerd I really appreciate this OP
GrendelKeep ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:52:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nobody cares.
trance_addict ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:52:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Surprised to see this so high. They taught us this in 6th grade, I thought it was part of the standard curriculum.
skysonfire ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:53:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do people really not know this? I tried to explain this to someone once and just got flamed and downvoted.
actualbees ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:53:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I learned this literally yesterday in my linguistics class. I could have posted this and been on the front page! ...but I didnโt
rusy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:53:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The title of this TIL is totally wrong. What you should have learned is
some
SOME
Talory09 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:54:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I worked for a company whose CEO called an acronym a crostic. Like an acrostic but with a missing letter, because you know, abbreviations and things.
I didn't hold a lot of respect for that idiot.
Stiboon ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:55:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fuck, this one of my favorite things to point out when someone has it wrong. Now Iโm going to get โOh I Reddit too, bro.โ as a reply.
m00tmike ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:55:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Vlogbros taught me this
jamesstringerparsec ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:55:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wait, you guys don't say Fibby?
lowrads ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:56:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's the only entry I've come across in the etymonline compendium that contains an apology.
TheFezPez ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:56:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So how is everyone pronouncing โTILโ ? As til or T-I-L? So is it an acronym or initialism at this point?
keytar_gyro ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:56:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm reading a book wherein someone calls LEO (Law Enforcement Officer) an anagram, and someone corrects him saying it's an acronym. The other characters responded by calling that guy a nerd. I scoffed, as a real nerd would have known the term initialism. Then I realized that I was that nerd and felt bad.
bustedmagnets ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:56:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is one of my biggest (but also most pedantic) pet peeves. People making up some random one and then calling it an acronym.
cjg_mia ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:57:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโm the only one that pronounces FBI as fibby? Oh...
ElectronicSympathy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:57:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You don't call it "Fuhbee"?
tech6 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:57:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Acronym is itself and acronym .A Concise Reduction Of Nomenclature Yielding Mnemonics
Ole_frank ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:59:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I have a friend who calls acronyms apocryphals instead. We all have our own struggles I guess.
ravia ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:59:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'd just call it initials.
mutilatedrabbit ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:02:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You don't say.
FerretSummoner ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:03:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I learned this from this same subreddit a few months ago :)
2FLY2TRY ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:03:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So OWCA is still the Organization Without A Cool Acronym?
lurkertits ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:03:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Initialism or also abbreviation
BillTowne ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:04:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"Initialism?"
Why not "Initials."
inยทiยทtial
adjective 1. existing or occurring at the beginning.
noun 1. the first letter of a name or word, typically a person's name or a word forming part of a phrase.
verb 1. mark or sign (a document) with one's initials,
lexgrub ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:05:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I feel like trivia is gunna burn me on this fact. Like ill think i caught the trick and turns out the trivia was wrong.
bloodmagik ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:06:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This post just rocked my world. Gg
Abhiroopmukerji ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:06:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So BOBBODY is an acronym good
the_resident_skeptic ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:06:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
ATTENTION CITIZENS
MaximumCameage ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:07:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I learned this from Penn & Teller. Thanks, guys!
aknapou2 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:07:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
In french this is common knowledge
IsilZha ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:08:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
SQL
LesMiserables999 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:08:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But what if it is commonly used in either form? lol, for example
nullifeyed ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:09:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm gonna be a really know-it-all asshole very soon after this TIL. Will definitely bewilder some and offend others. Cannot wait.
British-Mystery ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:10:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So that means that an abbreviation for one person can be an initialism for another. I know someone who would argue TIL is an initialism (I call it an abbreviation).
KrtekJim ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:11:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Am I really the only person who is pedantic enough to care that "ex." is not an English abbreviation for "for example"? It's "e.g."
I'd even settle for "ex. gr." if you're a time traveller from antiquity. But "ex." can sod right off.
JAproofrok ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:11:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The only thing worse is backronyms (sic? Most likely... sorry). Those are the terms companies or individuals make up after the fact to make what theyโre doing fit into the acronym.
Think of PECOTA, which has a baseball-relevant โmeaningโ but is named after an actual very perfectly replacement-level player.
bbjames84 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:12:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I informed 2 people of this on Wednesday. It's one of my favorite facts to share...
Sovietdrewski ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:15:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fuh-bee
buddomatic ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:16:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I cant wait to use this info and look super pretentious.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:16:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"According to some dictionaries..."
thattileguy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:16:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This PSA brought to you by Penn & Teller. Hear ye, hear ye!
nuclearsalt ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:17:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is great because I hear people use the word โacronymโ incorrectly all the time but if I constantly correct people I sound like a knowitall
CuzImBlackM8 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:22:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Are you telling me nobody else says fff-bee-eye. Like one word?
johokie ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:22:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Did I make this happen?
https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Mueller/comments/7y0jlm/mueller_charges_13_russians_3_companies_for/ducx0oh
Al0Bill ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:24:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is exactly the sort of thing that if I bring it up organically in conversation people at work will dislike me for it just a little bit more
max_cavalera ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:25:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Duh?
BarrelRoll1996 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:25:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Your pedantry level has increased!
PostSeptimus ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:26:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I just learned this today too! Damn, I could've had some nice Karma lol
LindyRyan ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:27:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This reminds me of Hank Green! He mentioned it on one of the Vlogbrothers videos years ago.
bannedSnoo ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:29:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Abbreviation
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:29:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But if nobody uses "initialism," is FBI really an initialism?
latourje ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:29:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Double bonus: ie vs eg. I.E. means "as in" while E.G. means "For example."
actualoldcpo ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:30:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This whole thread is beautiful.
FuckingQuintana ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:30:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I actually learned this from an episode of Penn and Teller's Bullshit
NYstate ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:31:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I never knew that S.O.B!
Trashtag420 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:38:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wait... you don't pronounce it Fibbee?
Boutdangthyme ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:38:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโm just waiting for the guys on Reddit to make use of this to correct someone.
buddx ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:39:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Guth?
faster_than_sound ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:40:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No one else says "fibi"?
Oh..
Tesseract14 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:40:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
With the plethora of acronyms at my job, I can't wait to share this with everyone! And then I'll continue to assure my position as the pedantic douchebag. Why does nobody want to hang out with me...
draginator ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:41:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/comments/7xue7o/wtf_automatically_translates_to_what_the_fuck_in/dubnx2b/
processorburns ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:45:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Filipinos force acronyms on all initialism.
GuessWhoImQuoting ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:45:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So... LttP is, in fact, an abbreviation.
Take that, Zelda fans!
really_mean_guy13 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:45:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fuckin duh dude.
MOTH630 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:46:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL how to properly pronounce fwbee
Thank you fwbee man in the camera!
dat_boi99 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:46:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What the hell? I could just post this months ago and get 50k upvotes :/
MrNotSpecified ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:47:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Holy shit I actually learned something relevant. Now I can shove it in everyone's face.
kyle2143 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:48:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What about when it's either like ICE?
BenedickCabbagepatch ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:50:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I thought the latter was called an abbreviation?
ssshhhiiiiiiiii ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:50:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
LOL
ImAWizardYo ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:50:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nah. I'm going to keep calling them acronyms like everyone else and hope they update the dictionary like they usually do.
AscenededNative ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:51:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm gonna correct so many people, thanks OP :D
Troub313 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:52:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You guys don't pronounce it Phbie?
NukeML ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:53:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ok from now on it's "F-bye"
happy2harris ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:54:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The wikipedia article you linked to pretty much says that this is a minority opinion. The first paragraph introducing this opinions ends with โThe rest of this article uses acronym for both types of abbreviationโ.
Vareshen ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:54:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Lol
Boojaman ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:54:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Joe Rogan podcast?
leashmac16 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:54:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ifeel like I've been lied to my entire life
greentree428 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:55:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Today I forgot this
Enviousdeath ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:55:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But wait; NASA isnโt a real word... We pronounce it as a word, sure - but you canโt use it in a conversation for anything other than the initialism intends... should this read โwhen you pronounce the abbreviation as if it was a real wordโ?
maxdamage4 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:55:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Vaccinations cause initialisms.
FarAwayHills ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:57:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Duh!
GrantSRobertson ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:58:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah. And I hate that. I think "initialism" just sounds stupid.
jorgerandom ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:59:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I wonder how the O.W.C.A. feels about this
Punkeec ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:59:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I never even knew an initialism was a thing!
shesgotapass ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:59:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fuck you with a bag of dicks. Everyone will hate me now.
zombi-roboto ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:00:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fuhbee.
Doovde.
Vuhoos.
Duhull.
Oops.
Samur-EYE ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:00:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What's a NASA?
porkstraw ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:02:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I have been correcting people in meetings for years when they use acronym wrong. Iโm not well liked.
Chingparr ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:03:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Hmmm... I've always pronounced it as FFBee.
falsepedestrian ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:03:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
At first I thought OP was saying his credentials were ex-FBI
Iowa_Claudes ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:03:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So ASAP is an acronym and an initialism
ulalumelenore ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:04:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I always just pronounced it โfuhbeeโ.
36nil ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:06:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Donโt like to nit pick as this is a nice post, but since when is โex.โ an abbreviation of โfor exampleโ though? People just be making new shit up all over the shop
vpsj ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:06:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
GIF should be an initialism to kill all the ambiguity.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:08:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Sorry to interrupt, but just in case cops are reading. A special fuck u. And there is always one dipshit who thinks they are not one of them. You are. Fuck you too. BTW it was nice having my arrest record gone bye bye. I was not guilty, but fuck u again for being shitbags with u never being wrong. I know.... u are always right. Most citizens cant afford to say suk a dik.
Cael_of_House_Howell ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:09:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I got in a small argument the other day with someone who didnt know and was just guessing and lost and im still mad.
massassi ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:10:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So TLAs are initialisms generally? Crazy
shakespeardude ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:12:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Great something new for redditors to correct each other about
MarkDaMan22 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:15:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Somebody let joe rogan know
GrandmaBogus ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:16:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Some languages are written such that you know which type it is. In Swedish, you would type acronyms like Nasa, Saab and Ikea, and initialisms like FBI, CIA and USA.
AsKoalaAsPossible ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:18:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
There are actually six categories, you luddites...
...and so on. That's not even conclusive - the Wikipedia page on acronyms lists 13 categories. Thirteen!
The English language doesn't have enough words to accurately capture the true variance of abbreviations/acronyms/initialisms/whatever, and nobody has enough patience to be corrected on this arbitrary and useless bit of spelling trivia every time they want to order a BLT or set up a WOW raid.
drink_tea_with_me ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:19:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Honestly, fuck it. Language is based on intent. Everybody knows what you mean when you say "acronym" and few know "initialism". Even my phone's dictionary didn't recognize that word
ASAYousef ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:20:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
would gold if I could tbh...
sgtpnkks ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:22:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Driving Institute of Covington Kentucky Bus and Utitlity Transport Training
SirMacNotALot ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:22:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Although my high school English may be failing me here, is there not also a distinction between and acronym and abbreviation? So an acronym is where the word is shortened by the first letters of a combination of words (like NASA or GIF) whereas an abbreviation is just a shortened pronounced version of a longer word? (Such as writing out Dr instead of Doctor)
patagoniabona ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:22:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
damn I explain this to people all the time. missed out on some sweet karma.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:22:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Seriously! I appreciate you, I didnโt know the difference between an acronym and an initialism so thank you.
Twillia35 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:24:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wildly interesting
Twillia35 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:24:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wildly interesting
Twillia35 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:24:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wildly interesting
Twillia35 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:24:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wildly interesting
Inskamnia ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:24:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Itโs the fibby
SticksPrime ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:26:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL you can take a post from last week and repost it again without shame
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:27:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Interestingly enough, this can vary depending on language. Example being University of California, Los Angeles aka UCLA. In English it's initialism, in Spanish it's an acronym pronounced OOKLAH.
XanReflex ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:29:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Since damn near everybody didn't know this, and the vast majority of people never will... Would the definition change naturally as our speech changes? Like at this point, FBI IS an acronym, since all think it is.
pototo_fries ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:29:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
And if I pronounce it "fibby "? :p
GooglyEyeBandit ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:30:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
SCUBA!
Tucuxi995 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:30:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
HQ
Notshoxiesmom ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:30:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That fact that this isnโt wide spread knowledge makes me fear for the future
AngryMustacheSeals ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:30:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ffffffbbeee
jleonardbc ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:34:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
All
Caps
Runes
Oralized
Nominatingly
Yet
Morphologically
PooleyX ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:36:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Honestly not trying to be smart here but I'm amazed this has got 50k+ upvotes.
otistheglasseye ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:37:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Well, today I also learned this.
Panda-Monium13 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:38:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโm glad to know this because frankly Iโve never even heard of initialism up until now. My whole life has been a lie. Starting with the cake, and now this?
neenoibstudent ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:38:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Honestly, I've always wanted to call them "Fubby" instead of F.B.I. We should make it an acronym.
Goullet ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:41:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Penn and Teller had one on this
PokWangpanmang ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:41:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thefai
jabbakahut ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:42:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Don't ever bring this up in conversation, every single time I have, it's completely derailed and the point is moot. People don't care.
S3anyboy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:42:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL some people say "eff-bee-eye"
Noskillz101 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:43:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If anyone cared to read the actual article, you will learn that only some dictionaries and usage commentators adhere to this rule.
Youโll just sound like an a**hole if you try to correct someone.
smokedoutpositivesqd ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:44:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Heard it on the JRE huh?
ctruzzi ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:46:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
SZx, z,zv.m .
jaspersgroove ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:50:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Pro-tip: Never bring up this distinction outside of an academic setting or when trying to be pedantic on the internet, because the entire room will just look at you like you're an asshole.
Speaking from personal experience.
NippleMilk97 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:51:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Gay
Hattrick_Swayze2 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:56:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is a great tid bit but I promise you will ask yourself: โ is this worth arguing over with my friends? How badly do I want to be right?โ
janeetic ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:57:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nope nope noope
Sybertron ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:57:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I worked a few medical jobs with the military. The military pronounces all acronyms, but no one else does.
I had to hold back giggles in meetings when the Design of Clinical Risk Management (DCRM = Dick Rim) was announced.
AfricanHolocaust ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:58:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Many people don't know SCUBA is in fact an acronym as well. It stands for Self Contained Under water Breathing Apparatus!
_Credible_Hulk ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:59:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I.e. and e.g. are both Latin abbreviations. E.g. stands for exempli gratia and means โfor example.โ I.e. is the abbreviation for id est and means โin other words.โ Remember that E is for example (e.g.) and that I and E are the first letters of in essence, an alternative English translation of i.e
Rustii87 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:59:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I learnt this on penn and tellers bullshit program. The few times I have had the chance to correct someone I have felt like a damn genius!!!
vincelam1998 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:00:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
fbee
devilslaughters ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:06:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ole Feebi
Staav ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:06:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL "TIL" is an initialism not an acronym.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:06:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No shit...
incessant_penguin ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:06:58 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So whatโs a mnemonic?
moistfuss ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:07:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It doesn't actually matter because English isn't a dead language
ProductionPlanner ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:07:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
LOL!
mreid74 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:10:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Gee... thanks for pointing that out. There will probably be a bot tomorrow to point that out from now on.
Spacemanspiff1998 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:11:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
MiG is a Acronym not a Initialism
semajay ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:11:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thanks Joe Rogan
ElMachoGrande ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:11:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What if I pronounce it effbi?
Dragnix95 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:12:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I got this in question form when I recently played trivia pursuit with my SO. Did not get a piece of the pie on that one
Krabice ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:13:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
To be honest, anyone who makes that distinction is a hipocrit. The sole reason for using acronyms is that it rolls off the tongue. I can say FBI as an ancronym, but it doesn't sound good, so you call it an initialism, but initialism doesn't roll off the tongue either. It's a horrible word for something that could be called an acronym aswell, or if you want a new name just call it a lett, as in letter, but abbreviated.
GaslightProphet ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:14:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It is not known as an initialism - nobody knows that haha
Kellythejellyman ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:14:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
KuGBuh!
UserCheckNamesOut ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:14:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Photographer here. I've always pronounced the term ISO as "eye-ess-oh" (initialism) since that is how I learned it in the mid-nineties. That is, until recently. I've been hearing the term ISO (International Organization for Standardization) being thrown around as "ice-oh". And it just bugs me the fuck out. I didn't know why until now.
Oh, and yes I am aware that before cameras used ISO, ASA (American Standardization Association) was the standard of film sensitivity. As is DIN (Deutsche Industry Norm).
densetsu86 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:14:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Congrats welcome to 11th grade english.
kevin9091 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:16:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Power move: Spell out each letter of NASA while pronouncing it
redifredi ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:16:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
i needed to look up an article, the librarian asked what journal. The journal was PNAS... i decided to say "P- nass." I giggled for what felt like an eternity :(
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:18:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's funny, I was listening to George Carlin rant about this on his audiobook.
It's an interesting coincidence.
jacksawild ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:19:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Language is defined by usage, not by dictionaries or wikipedia articles.
missgeeks ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:20:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The more you know!!!
RexDraco ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:21:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fuck, time to break another habit.
vaibhavhrt ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:30:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The correct abbreviation for "for example" is eg.
Even though many people use ex. it's still incorrect.
ex. is the abbreviation for Exercise
prankster20 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:34:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Waiting for a comment that says
zombient ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:38:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
โAn acronym is not just any set of initials. It applies only to those that are pronounced as words. MADD, DARE, NATO, and UNICEF are acronyms. FBI, CIA, and KGB are not. Theyโre just pricks.โ -George Carlin
LukeDOTde ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:44:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh I see. Iโm the only one that pronounces FBI as โFiBeeโ
Hixomdido ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:45:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I don't see how working for NASA or being an ex FBI agent is relevant.
alglaz ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:59:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
SCUBA diving!
therorshak ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:00:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
From Merriam-Webster: "aย wordย (asย NATO,ย radar,ย orย laser)ย formed fromย theย initialย letterย orย lettersย ofย eachย of theย successiveย partsย orย majorย partsย of aย compoundย term;ย alsoย :ย anย abbreviationย (asย FBI)ย formedย fromย initialย lettersย :ย initialism"
So both are acronyms, but initialism is more specific.
breadshoediaries ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:02:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So it's not pronounced "Fuh-bye"? Huh.
a49620366 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:08:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is actually helpful. Thanks
Rizaster ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:18:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Just curious, which category would AAA (pronounced "triple A") fall under?
supperfield ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:20:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
My whole life is a lie...
khmvb ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:31:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nerdfighters know this
greeneyedguru ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:33:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You mean you don't pronounce FBI as 'fibby'?
cooliorama ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:47:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is this because of the front page post about pronouncing "lol" vs "wtf" hahah
8-bit-jpg ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:52:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
WBYCEIYDBO. Weโll buy your car even if you donโt buy ours.
dddigger ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:56:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
As a card-carrying member of COCOA (Comittee Opposed to the Constant Overuse of Acronyms) this news leaves me in somewhat of a quandry.
tomsimps0n ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 08:56:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
An anacronym is an old acronym that no one uses anymore.
Aquamarine39 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:35:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
According to "some dictionaries and usage commentators". So, the rest of us will continue to call it an acronym.
MasterK999 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:36:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
OMG! So my all time favorite TLA is NOT a TLA after all. ๐จ
CronozDK ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:39:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh...? I always pronounced it "FeBaI"...
YDM___ ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:40:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
what about something thats half and half like pubg ? u say it like pub - gee but its still the game player unknown battlegrounds oooo got u there tho
corsair1617 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:41:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Repost of a repost of a repost.
tjoppie_FTW ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:42:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
FFFFFBEEEE
Mdina5117 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:44:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I didn't know this until last week until I watched Penn and Tellers Bullshit.
micromoses ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:16:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Really couldn't any intialism also be an acronym, if you decide on a way to pronounce it? I think FBI should be pronounced "feebee".
allthenmesrtakn ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:24:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I get that this is accurate... but Iโm like 100% certain i will never actually ever say โinitialismโ. I know ill just have to explain myself every time i did and its just not worth it. But i keep it in mind just incase i meet the queen or somethin.
Vault111Survivor ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:31:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
r/interestingasfuck
BonerBoy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:31:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
AFAIK, there's no actual word NASA outside of the acronym for the space agency.
Also, for the sake of accuracy, is "ex." an accepted short form for "for example"??
Cest7 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:39:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
but are they both mnemonics?
gbimmer ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:50:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh I think we might start calling it "Fibbey" soon enough...
scaper28 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:54:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is it an acronym if I am the only one who says UPS as a word ?
ubeogesh ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 10:54:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
59k people didn't know this?
maguirenumber6 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 11:01:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fโbee
Unholyguardian ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 11:12:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I will forever correct people on this matter now, I will be "that guy" Thank you so much.
amoeba3 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 11:25:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is it still an acronym if itโs pronounced as a real word, but has extra letters added to make it readable?
Dustah ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 11:28:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
My life is a lie. I grew up thinking it was the same thing! The conspiracies are real!
Cable_Salad ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 11:47:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
And then
What a bullshit TIL.
Thraxster ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 11:53:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thank you I've been trying to recall the word initialism for far too long.
w00dy2 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 11:57:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What about CS:GO. you say c s but then just say go
Romboteryx ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:04:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nice try, EfBeeEye
red_right_88 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:05:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So what is it called when the initials are neither spelled out or pronounced as a word? For instance the American Automobile Association is often called "Triple-A".
Charlie_Wallflower ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:18:40 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Hank, I'll see you Monday
baughbberick ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:23:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wait, you mean PH-BEE isn't an acronym?
graingert ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:26:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I thought it was pronounced feebee
meetchu ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:46:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
No no no you have it the wrong way around. NASA (En-ey-es-ey) is the initialism, and FBI (Efbye) is the acronym.
Duh.
cadvill ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:02:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Alphabetism.
AmazingJames ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:06:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Interestingly, Spanish speakers say DEA and CIA as acronyms ("Day-uh" and "See-uh") while we say them as initialisms.
whose_butt_hurts ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:07:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So meta.
bh02411 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:21:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
My Codenames game is about to be so strong. Thanks OP!
thepunissuer ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:27:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acronym
MPDJHB ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:38:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Words start to mean the thing they are used to describe.
DMBEst91 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:40:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
ICE? Is ice not i-c-e
mooglegiant ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:41:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
OK, but what if there's no consensus like GUI. lots of developers say the letters G.U.I, and lots of other developers say 'Gooey'
Lylac_Krazy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:47:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL. that this was a Three Letter Initialism, TLI
Deacon_Ix ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:50:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wait, this means that TLA isn't and should be TLI.
shadow2531 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:54:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I don't consider acronyms to be abbreviations. An abbreviation to me is a short for a word like: Mrs., Mr., Ms., etc. and .lb. An acronym is a group of letters where each one stands for a word. Some acronyms you pronounce as a word (NASA, SCUBA). Some (initialisms) you pronounce each letter (FBI, WTF). For both cases, when you feel the need to explain what each letter stands for, you pronounce the word each letter stands for instead.
As for whether you put a period after each letter of an acronym, that's flexible.
Slangthesewords ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:57:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You mean the fibby
LRFE ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:03:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
FBI is an acronym! Itโs pronounced โFibiโ
dance_rattle_shake ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:15:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yes, and for the love of God people, acronyms are NOT necessarily pronounced like the words they're contrived from. If you pronounce gif with a soft g that's fine, but stop using the argument that it should be a soft g because it stands for "graphic".
edit: got hard and soft mixed up
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 15:15:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
wtf is a soft g
dance_rattle_shake ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 15:42:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_and_soft_G
I got hard and soft mixed up in my post; it's now edited.
[deleted] ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 15:50:59 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
i think that you still have it mixed up.
dance_rattle_shake ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 17:31:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Right. Rather than change the word in place I made an edit note about it.
Pm_puppy_pics_please ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:22:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thanks John and Hank Green.
Stoked_Bruh ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:22:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Do you know what a TLI is? I'll give you a hint: it is one of many three-letter initialisms. Coincidentally, it's also an anagram of TIL.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 15:15:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
...taipei language institute?
PMan1 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:24:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
One of Phonejacker's finest moments: the doovde
https://youtu.be/xqpd7WcBmjM
Bigduck73 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:32:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What? You don't pronounce it "fibbi"?
sfisher24601 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:34:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Spread this everywhere! I hate it when people use that wrong.
Just_Relax_and_Chill ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:54:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The title is total garbage. Very confusing. It's an abbreviation when the string of letters is pronounced as a single word. When you say each individual letter then it's an initialism.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 14:56:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Which is why people sound stupid when they argue over how to pronounce "gif." The letters don't have to retain the same pronunciation as the words they represent.
EvenBetterCool ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 15:26:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
PAL (permissive action link) was always my favorite.
Healter-Skelter ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 15:41:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโm gonna annoy my SO w this lol
LaBarbaGuapa ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 15:44:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
OMG!
Doyle_Johnson ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 15:48:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I already knew because there's always someone in reddit that corrects you if you misuse it.
I'm glad it's better known now so nobody has to correct anybody.
ubeastee2018 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 15:53:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thanks my whole life I've wondered. But been to scared to ask. All this time I just kept my mouth closed. Now I'm free.
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:07:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
fuhbee
Sal6826 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:14:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Iโve never even heard of initialism, thanks for the lesson
dave_890 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:38:00 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"NASA" isn't a "real" word; it's also an initialism.
Now, something like "HARP" for "High-Altitude Research Project" is an acronym, because "harp" existed before the project.
More recently, there is House Resolution 4980: "The Preventing Allocation of Resources for Absurd Defense Expenditures Act or the PARADE Act."
Oznog99 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:59:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I work at a small tech startup whose name is NOT an acronym nor initialism.
Yet someone dictated the 6-letter name shall always be capitalized... for some sort of emphasis. So it's formatted like an acronym but the letters don't stand for anything.
scoil44 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 17:44:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
zandy2z ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 18:39:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Tell that to the ' fibis '.
windyhorse ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:22:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But then whats the different between an acronym and a word? They seem to now be exactly the same lol.
tit_wrangler ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:29:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This isn't an often accepted term, but I really like the proposal of "anacronym" - an acronym that is so commonly understood on its own that people have largely forgotten that it's an acronym (or, for that matter, what it stands for). Ex: laser, scuba, radar
TheBeauCanadian ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:50:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wait, nobody else pronounces it as F'bee
Permafroster ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 20:31:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
FEMA
JenniferHarvest ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 21:08:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What does this mean for Scrabble?
Braediac ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 21:42:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So OWCA really doesn't have not only an uncool acronym but in reality has no acronym at all.
scottperezfox ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 22:40:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yep, and you can go one step further and call it a True Acronym when the word is not only pronounceable, like SCUBA or LASER, but is also a dictionary word, like USA PATRIOT Act, which supposedly stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act.
Congress loves this crap.
Hat tip to the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill, aka COLBERT, which NASA named after the comedian.
daedric ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 23:42:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is TIL an acronym or a initialism?
Karlskiii ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:40:27 on February 18, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You want DVD? ... No I want Doovde! - https://youtu.be/xqpd7WcBmjM
sosexymamaoh ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 23:30:35 on February 19, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Is it still an acronym if itโs pronounced as a real word, but has extra letters added to make it readable?
๐๏ธ MarcusDigitz ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 23:32:45 on February 19, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What's the acronym?
wheelchairBush42 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:15:41 on February 21, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What about AAA?
Itโs not an acronym by this definition: ahh-ahh-ahh
Itโs not an initialism: ay ay ay
We say โtriple ayโ - OP, I must learn!
N1H1L ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:42:49 on February 21, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL that TIL is both an acronym and an initialism in my head (depends on the time of the day).
KillingForCompany ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 11:55:30 on February 21, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Abap. As baller as possible
russiansduringpoopin ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 17:00:39 on February 21, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
ATTENTION CITIZENS
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:34:58 on April 3, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
They're not called Fibby?
BrightenedGold ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:26:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Who cares. The distinction isnโt helping anybody. ๐คท๐ปโโ๏ธ
wood4536 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:17:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fuck this is a great TIL
blownawayaway ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:26:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is the best TIL this sub has had in the last year.
Hobodownthestreet ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 01:22:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This a good TIL.
The_maddest_of_man ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:00:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ok, who else tried to FBI as one word?
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:11:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:47:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wtf, who doesn't call the wtf witf?
TasteCicles ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:15:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's so widely misused that people will definitely be confused if I use initialism instead of acronym. That's exactly why I'm gonna do it!
Ometrist ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:21:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Sooo nobody else calls it fibby?
Market_Brand ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:22:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'll probably still end up calling them all acronyms
Igotnothingatall ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:27:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's pronounced phby
chicoffee ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:29:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
i want one joovc doovde and one joovc luchade tuv
boomerangotan ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:32:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I was stuck in traffic one day when I was thinking about the rules around the pronunciation of initialisms in the phonejacker universe and I realized it's pretty simple:
Insert a 'u' between each letter, and end with a 'e' unless it ends in 'S'.
JVC โก๏ธ juvuce
DVD โก๏ธ duvude
LCD โก๏ธ lucude
TV โก๏ธ tuve
HD โก๏ธ hude
VHS โก๏ธ vuhus
chicoffee ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:21:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
this is a pro level post
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:30:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That's cool but Im not adding initialism to my vocabulary
ImJustSo ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:31:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Also, laser.
TriHarambe ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:33:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
They're both acronyms
seditious3 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:35:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I lost $10 on this once.
YaBoiNoct ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:35:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But what happens when nobody can agree on one or the other, for example the taurus sho
britland24 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:46:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Omg yes. I drove my dads SHO in high school but I think we only pronounced it โshowโ as a pet name.
AcidBathVampire ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:38:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah. Now try getting someone to A. care and B. change what they call an "acronym." I've known this for years but A. Is hard to pull off. Never been successful.
bananamadafaka ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:41:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I dont want to be r/iamverysmart material, but I thought this is taught when you are like 8 years old.
Caleb-Rentpayer ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:47:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah, well, I'll never use the word "initialism," so it's rather pointless. They will all be acronyms to me.
corkoli ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:48:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Maybe use eg. rather than ex. when trying to clarify grammar?
neighbors8myzombies ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:59:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Or e.g.
topredditbot ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:51:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Hey /u/MarcusDigitz,
This is now the top post on reddit. It will be recorded at /r/topofreddit with all the other top posts.
๐๏ธ MarcusDigitz ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:51:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That's awesome! Good bot!
daniesza ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:56:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Actually NASA isnโt a real word..... and acronym is when the letters are pronounceable as if it were a word and initialism is when the letters are pronounced as letters.
beansnap ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:58:36 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I've been called a liar for saying this :(
[deleted] ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:15:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[removed]
Pelicanxo ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:22:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
no, it is categorically not the correct definition
I think what you're trying to say is that the definition is correct, but in terms of common usage, it's acceptable to just call everything acronyms
the two things are very different, see for example words like "youse", and using who when you're meant to say whom. you're still wrong, but people will know what you mean so it doesn't matter (except for "youse", because that is bogan/redneck as hell)
CheezeCaek2 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:15:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Wait, you guys DON'T call it Fuhbe?
SoyAmye ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:16:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
ICUP
CashWho ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:20:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
John Green taught me this years ago lol.
sunnybud ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 05:03:55 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
DFTBA
wwesmudge ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:24:30 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
you didn't learn this when you were like 13?
teh_g0at1 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:24:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
i guess that just means your dumb. thought it was obvious
xWoIf ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:32:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This was honestly pet peeve of mine when people would keep calling initialisms acronyms. Though with that said, I was always searching for the term for the other variety(initialism), so thatโs pretty sweet
z_baron ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:37:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Man, this post got me real fucked up a couple years ago. I was eating lunch with some co-workers when I dropped this facto after an acronym had been used in conversation. My superior of Indian decent replied that she did indeed know that already. Without any consideration of tact, I promptly declared 'oh I forgot that you went to college.' She had three degrees. I don't think she ever voluntarily spoke to me again. I'll always remember my first micro-aggression.
Kaizerina ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:38:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
THANK. YOU.
124701 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:40:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Awesome! I needed some new way to annoy my coworkers and friends. Thank you! ๐
PyroKeemstar ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:40:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That seems like common knowledge
SteamedCatfish ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:31:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Until you read the comments :(
Leo-Deus ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:48:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I've been telling people this for years but nobody cares.
feelsbad
Dem0n5 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:08:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah that's why gif is gif, not gif.
Reapsta ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 07:00:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I just lol'd to this so hard.
iloveacronyms ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:09:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Holy shit what
DoerteEU ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:14:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Americans seem to find a special level of joy in creating initialisms, compound words, acronyms, backronyms and straight-up neologisms all day long.
Yet they also always seemed way more oblivious that not everything's an acronym.
Like a successful scientist... who -somehow- doesn't know that Protein and Proton are not the same thing.
Spook-Nuke ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:16:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I thought you're supposed to pronounce FBI like the word "fib."
furggg ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:19:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nobody else calls it the fubih?
jasonbourne95 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:23:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thanks man, I cant wait to "Aaccctully" some of friends.
Mycrochump ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:33:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
"An acronym is not just any set of initials. It applies only to those that are pronounced as words. MADD, DARE, NATO, and UNICEF are acronyms. FBI, CIA, and KGB are not. Theyโre just pricks." -George Carlin
sbeckley02 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:37:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's pronounced gif
๐๏ธ MarcusDigitz ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 05:38:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Can confirm.
SuperSuperUniqueName ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:26:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Does that mean that "TIL" is an initialism? :thinking:
platoprime ยท -26 points ยท Posted at 00:08:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What a captivating TIL.
What will you learn tomorrow I wonder? The plural of Octopus?
99proba1 ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 00:39:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Negative Nancy
platoprime ยท -10 points ยท Posted at 00:39:26 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
My name isn't Nancy.
99proba1 ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 00:39:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Sorry Buzz Killington
platoprime ยท -5 points ยท Posted at 00:44:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Who told you?
DrMux ยท 16 points ยท Posted at 00:37:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What a totally not condescending comment.
What will you totally not belittle tomorrow? The fact that somebody knows something you don't?
platoprime ยท -13 points ยท Posted at 00:42:54 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You're one to talk.
TagTerror ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:53:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I am more upset they used, โex,โ as a shortened form for example. Itโs e.g. plebeian.
keevesnchives ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 00:38:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
...its octopuses, right?
Gangreless ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 00:40:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
They're all acceptable depending on what source you read.
platoprime ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 00:41:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
All of them being octopuses or octopodes but not octopi.
heyitsbubby ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 03:52:23 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=wFyY2mK8pxk
carnageeleven ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:00:10 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I prefer octopussies, but that's just me.
cubanpajamas ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 02:27:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nope, it's octopussycats.
platoprime ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 00:41:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yes. Some ignorant wannabes will tell you it's octopi but it's not. If you want to get all pretentious you could argue that it's octopodes.
[deleted] ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 03:16:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
platoprime ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 03:17:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You think I seem better than the guy I'm talking to?
Thanks.
Meteorite12 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 09:02:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nah, heโs just saying youโre trying WAY too hard to be better than everyone else.
platoprime ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 16:42:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's really more of a casual effort.
gwoz8881 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 02:41:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFyY2mK8pxk
๐๏ธ MarcusDigitz ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 00:47:35 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm sorry, I must have mistaken this sub reddit for today I learned. When did the name change to Today YOU learned?
platoprime ยท -12 points ยท Posted at 00:50:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'm not sure what point you're trying to make here. I didn't say your submission didn't belong in /r/TIL.
I did insinuate that it's a shitty repost though.
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/2drdgd/til_acronyms_are_said_like_words_while/
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/ex3p8/til_that_wtf_omg_fbi_etc_are_not_acronyms/
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/udgbo/til_the_word_acronym_is_only_used_when_the/
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/po3ek/til_its_only_called_an_acronym_when_you_pronounce/
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/cdv1t/til_difference_between_acronyms_eg_scuba_and/
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/fg8h2/til_the_difference_between_acronyms_abbreviations/
๐๏ธ MarcusDigitz ยท 12 points ยท Posted at 00:51:29 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If you were truly insinuating that, you did a shit job of it mate.
platoprime ยท -15 points ยท Posted at 00:52:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
That's why I clarified.
Mate.
๐๏ธ MarcusDigitz ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 00:54:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Glad you did. Either way, I learned this today and found it fitting for this sub. If it is a repost, I do apologize, that wasn't my intentions.
platoprime ยท -16 points ยท Posted at 00:56:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It also wasn't your intention to check if it was a repost.
Regardless the real complaint is that it is a lame TIL.
๐๏ธ MarcusDigitz ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 00:59:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It appears as though most people would disagree with you on that one. You're entitled to your opinion though, however shitty it may be. Have a good one.
platoprime ยท -3 points ยท Posted at 01:04:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You take yourself way too seriously.
๐๏ธ MarcusDigitz ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 01:08:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If you say so princess
platoprime ยท -3 points ยท Posted at 01:09:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Are you implying I'm a girl as an insult?
Creative.
๐๏ธ MarcusDigitz ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 01:11:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
More like you're behaving like a spoiled child.
platoprime ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 01:12:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Because I'm demanding things and throwing a fit when I don't get my way?
Brilliant.
TheAnimeKid87 ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 02:35:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So, I'm 16 and shook at me knowing this TIL and being concerned that yall are really like this...
platoprime ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 02:35:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Don't be shook fam.
TheAnimeKid87 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 02:45:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Don't be peak b
platoprime ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 02:47:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
2 l8
TheAnimeKid87 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 02:48:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nobody says that, but yes
platoprime ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:02:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Nobody says "too late"?
I'm pretty sure it's a common phrase.
TheAnimeKid87 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:07:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It was a reference
https://media.giphy.com/media/5QD0sIYGQH4Ck/giphy.gif
platoprime ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:10:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
To what?
TheAnimeKid87 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:12:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The show that surprisingly popular, RuPaul's Drag Race. It's actually interesting how so many people (read: teens) really like the show and talk about it, especially with the whole climate of Trump and everything else.
platoprime ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:16:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I just looked it up. That's crazy; it could never have been popular when I was your age and that was only twelve years ago.
TheAnimeKid87 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:19:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Oh, I thought you like were 40. Yeah, everybody loves it. The generational gap is really widening. But RuPaul was around 12 years ago, the show itself premiered in 2009 although it wasn't really mainstream popular until like 2 years ago tops. It was trending on twitter in the US and Europe (even though it hadn't actually come out here yet and it was 4am), I'm surprised you haven't heard of it
platoprime ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:20:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
The name RuPaul sounds familiar but only vaguely.
TheAnimeKid87 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:24:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2RHMYRB4YE RuPaul has been around for ages, I'm really surprised. Even I knew who he was way before I even knew he had a show.
barrybulsara ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:04:06 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What an anticlimactic end to the comment chain.
ElectronHick ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:49:59 on February 18, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Posting multiple sources of people posting the same thing that they learned is not a great stance when you are about to tell someone how shitty it is.
You have shown quite a few people are interested in this and that it is not interesting all in the same breathe.
Galaxy_Ranger_Bob ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:29:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
There is no such thing as a shitty repost. I have never seen this posted in this, or any other, subreddit before.
RSV4KruKut ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 00:14:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
We are Octopus!
AlmostTheNewestDad ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 00:22:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
They're sea creatures!
nimo01 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 00:33:48 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It crashed!!!
gwoz8881 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 02:41:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFyY2mK8pxk
Merriam Webster says octopuses can be correct
whataburgerlicious ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:40:14 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
don't be an asshat, ASSHAT
platoprime ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:54:01 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I am what you say I am.
whataburgerlicious ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:55:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
no you are what you are. it shows buddy
platoprime ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:59:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thanks I didn't know.
whataburgerlicious ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:34:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
welcome
TheRealJinyu ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:30:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Octi...pie?
Meteorite12 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 09:00:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Octipeople, get it right.
kind2311 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 01:43:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But NASA is not a proper word, just an initialism that reads like one, yes?
CletusVanDamnit ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:34:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
NASA is an acronym, because you read it like a single word. You don't pronounce it as N.A.S.A., letter by letter. SCUBA is another good common acronym. Government agencies are good at initialisms - FBI, CIA, NSA, and so forth. All read out letter by letter.
zoidberg_doc ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 02:34:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It gets pronounced as a word though. If it was an initialism you'd say en ay es ay
ComeAlongPonds ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 07:36:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Not Another Stupid Acronym
FatherJackal ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 02:31:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yea the distinction is silly, I've always called them the fibbie. To do with vowels making NASA sound right for English ears, whereas an f-b sounds difficult to make and doesn't sound natural.
CletusVanDamnit ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:27:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I've been trying to correct people on this for years when it comes up. I don't know why people don't know this.
Hey, while we are on the subject of incorrect uses, "peruse" means exactly the opposite of what you think. Unless, of course, you think it means to study intently and with great care. In which case, you're right.
triantafylooey ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:32:04 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So MAGA is an acronym?
coleman57 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 19:38:53 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I propose a new acronym: BIAK, meaning But I Already Know, as in But I already know that words mean what people use them to mean, not what some authority figure defines them as. When you say "it's only called", you are obviously making a factually wrong statement: people call "FBI" and "FYI" acronyms all the time. If you want to make a factual statement, you could say, "TIL that, strictly speaking, the word "acronym" refers only to abbreviations that are pronounced as if they were a word."
But this raises the question of how you distinguish between a strict-sense acronym and initialism. For example, I call HTML "hatemail", and HTTPS "hot tips", but nobody else does. And it would seem that Nixon's Committee to Re-elect the President was an initialization until some wag decided to call it CREEP, and it caught on cause he clearly was.
And what about "F.U."? It's neither: people don't say "FU", so it's not an acronym. But to be an initialization, it should, strictly speaking, be "FY", not "FU". I guess, come to think of it, it's not really "F.U." (unless it's Frank Underwood's cufflinks), it's really "F. you", which looks terrible in print.
Snarlynx ยท -2 points ยท Posted at 01:50:22 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I remember proving my AP English teacher wrong about this. Highlight of my classroom time that year.
Edit: I see we have some AP English teachers here.
DbowlGA ยท -13 points ยท Posted at 00:14:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I bet youโre fun at parties.
๐๏ธ MarcusDigitz ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 00:27:37 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
For having my mind blown over something like this? Maybe.
mqduck ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:24:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Your mind was blown by a narrower definition of "acronym" used only by pedants? Heck, your own link says:
UnconstitutionalSpy ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 02:47:57 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
ff-bih
Best_Pidgey_NA ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 02:50:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You mean you don't pronounce FBI as FeeBee?
Terripuns ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 02:56:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Jokes on you I say: fuh-bee (FBI) and see-eyah (CIA)
reiphoton ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:13:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
You mean Fibi isnโt real?
Bladewing10 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:27:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What do you call an acronym that is expanded?
Never
A
Straight
Answer
1point-21-jigowatz ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:30:38 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
NAMBLA?
Havokk ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:31:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I learn this long ago on reddit and correct/inform people. They never belive me. :-(
[deleted] ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:31:51 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Unless you're the US Press Secretary, then it's pronounced Effbyah.
FLA_Boy ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:32:47 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
anything learned here?
jasonhoblin ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:32:56 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
all this time...
greyjackal ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:33:31 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Fffbee
purified_water ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:33:34 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Yes no shit, welcome to the real world.
OzzyGeelv99 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:34:21 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What if I pronounce FBI as a word? 'efbeaye'
eggn00dles ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:34:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
What about DEA? I could see it both ways.
Dukelax510 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:35:15 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I swear I've learned more from Reddit than any textbook.
HitMan333 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:35:33 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
TIL that TIL is an initialism, not an acronym
kryptos19 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:36:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Thanks. The English major in me just had a mindgasm.
Eletheo ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 03:59:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Shouldnโt it be โa initialismโ instead of โanโ? Like โa unicornโ?
[deleted] ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:05:39 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
... and thus grammar Nazis and know it alls were given another meaningless tool to advertise their social retardation.
SlightPower ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 04:26:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Well it doesnโt matter, cause the best acronym and initialism is OWCA
If you donโt get the reference please leave.
crushedcreditcard ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:38:25 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
But "nasa" isn't a fucking real word. We just pronounce it as a word rather than individual letters. Perhaps "AIDS" better suits your definition.
PinkCookiez ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:50:50 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If FBI was an acrobym, it would be pronounced Phoebe
WolfAkela ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 05:52:28 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
GIF?
DarkRollsPrepare2Fry ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 06:13:13 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Itโs pronounced Fibi FYI
fridgeridoo ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 16:37:19 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
OP is a
faggotan initialismincraved ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 17:13:43 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Except no one ever says initialism, so k
PiesAndLies ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 03:00:41 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I just screamed out loud. This too good.
h4ll1k ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 03:01:07 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
so is OP an acronym or an initialism for you guys? just wondering...
CletusVanDamnit ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:37:20 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Initialism. Pronounced as "O.P.," individual letters.
KingsRangerr ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 03:03:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So Lol is an acronym, while Wtf is an initialism?
Icutsman ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:32:18 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Depends on how you use it. If you say 'lawl' then it's an acronym. Otherwise, if you say 'ell oh ell', then it's initialism.
CletusVanDamnit ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:38:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Lol could also be an Initialism. Pronounced as both el oh el or "lawl." Wtf is an initialism, yes.
archpope ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 03:22:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I pronounce OBGYN, but most people say it as individual letters. So for me it's an acronym, but for others it's an initialism.
AppleDane ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:33:05 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's neither, it's an abbreviation. People say "O-B", but that's just short for obstetrician. And it's "OB-GYN" or "OB/GYN".
jack_suck ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 03:22:52 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Follow up English question.
With a word that you sometimes say as an abbreviation and sometimes you use an initialism, do you write an "a" or "an" in front of it.
a fbi - "a fibby"
an fbi - "an ef bee eye"
CletusVanDamnit ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:41:11 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
While grammatically they always teach you "an" only goes before a vowel, that's not actually accurate. It's just as "correct" to put "an" before a word that has a vowel sound, such as you stated here.
"I'm an FBI agent" is grammatically correct, but so is "I'm a FBI agent."
Chaxterium ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:52:16 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It depends on the sound you make at the beginning of the word. For example, you would say 'he's a NASA employee" but you would also say "he's an FBI agent". NASA, when spoken as a word, starts with a consonant sound, whereas FBI when spoken as an initialism starts with a vowel sound (eff).
The example you've used is correct.
jack_suck ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 06:23:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Because you can say FBI in two different ways "eff bee eye" or "fibby" this means that both ways are correct ... so which way is correct? :)
-Tom- ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 03:24:49 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
There are people out there who pronounce "NHTSA" as "Nitsuh". That infuriates me
cybrfck ยท -1 points ยท Posted at 03:26:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I'VE BEEN LIVING A LIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE
[deleted] ยท -5 points ยท Posted at 01:31:32 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
BotchedAttempt ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:59:44 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
If you're going to lie about something, at least make it something that's harder to verify. Search this subreddit for "initialism," and sort by new. The last time this was posted was well over a year ago.
Beesenitch ยท -6 points ยท Posted at 02:12:24 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
I HONESTLY don't get how NASA counts but FBI doesn't.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration - NASA
Federal Bureau of Investigation - FBI
Beesenitch ยท 11 points ยท Posted at 02:13:42 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Sigh
I'm a complete idiot. OF COURSE I'd get the difference only AFTER posting on Reddit for the world to see.
Citadel_CRA ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:24:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
This is one of those things I'd dwell on at night randomly in five years.
AppleDane ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 03:29:02 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
There, there... We all go a bit retarded once in a while.
[deleted] ยท -2 points ยท Posted at 01:39:03 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
MarceeR ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 03:09:45 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Maybe because you spelled it wrong?๐
Poppet_Bush ยท -4 points ยท Posted at 03:26:46 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
So LOL is an initialism but what is WTF then?
Chaxterium ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 03:55:12 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's an initialism. Just like LOL.
Poppet_Bush ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:06:27 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
It's a meta joke.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/comments/7xue7o/wtf_automatically_translates_to_what_the_fuck_in/
Chaxterium ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 04:07:17 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
Ah. My bad.
PSNB ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 04:07:09 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
How do you say "WTF"?
Jay911 ยท -5 points ยท Posted at 03:28:08 on February 17, 2018 ยท (Permalink)
FBI is pronounced as a clusterfuck in my opinion.