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| + | Our sister encyclopedia, Encarta, informs us that "There are four main kinds of abbreviations: shortenings, contractions, initialisms, and acronyms." <ref name=encarta>[http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861582945/abbreviation.html]</ref> |
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| | + | ==Using the initial letters of each word== |
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| | + | So-called '''Initialisms''' are a form of abbreviation in which a phrase is abbreviated to the first letter of each word in the phrase; familiar examples include |
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| | + | *''[[CPA]],'' for ''Certified Public Accountant'' |
| | + | *''[[CBS]],'' for ''Columbia Broadcasting System'' |
| | + | *''KJV,'' for ''[[King James Version]].'' |
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| | + | Initialisms are distinguished from [[acronym]]s in that initialisms are pronounced as individual letters, while acronyms are pronounced as if the letters spelled out a word (which they may in some cases do). As Encarta says, "Acronyms are initialisms that have become words in their own right." <ref name=encarta /> The use of the word "acronym" to ''include'' initialisms is increasingly accepted. |
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| | + | Both initialisms and acronyms are defined by custom; sometimes they do not strictly follow the rule of using every initial, or only the first initial. Unimportant words may be omitted. In the case of acronyms a certain amount of creativity may be employed. |
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| | + | *''[[FBI]],'' for ''Federal Bureau of Investigation''' |
| | + | *''[[AFL-CIO]],'' for ''American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations'' |
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| | + | Examples of acronyms include: |
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| | + | *''[[USA PATRIOT]]'' Act, for ''Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act'' |
| | + | *''TULIP,'' for Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints (the core tenets of [[Calvinism]]). |
| | + | *''[[Roy G. Biv]],'' for ''Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet'' (the conventional description of the colors in the [[spectrum]]). |
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| | + | ==Notes== |
| | + | <references /> |
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| | + | ==External Links== |
| | + | *[http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/acronyms-grammar.aspx Grammar Girl explains initialisms and acronyms] |
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| | + | [[Category:Linguistics]] |