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From: <>
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2008 10:04 AM
To: <>
Subject: Re: [xml-dev] Is "XML" an abbreviation or an acronym?
> "abbreviation - a shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase,
> used to represent the whole, as Dr. for Doctor, lb. for pound.
>
> acronym - a word formed from the initial letters or groups of letters
> of words in a set phrase or series of words, as OPEC from Organization
> of Petroleum Exporting Countries."
>
> The dictionary is quite clear so I cannot understand the confusion. To
> qualify as an acronym, the abbreviation must form a *word*. To qualify as
> a word it must appear in a dictionary, not just in the tautological sense
> that common abbreviations appear in dictionaries, but with a meaning from
> a different context. So GNU is a genuine acronym since it appears in the
> dictionary as an animal. XML is definitely not. The only confusion can
> occur when the abbreviation is pronounceable other than as individual
> letters so that it might qualify as a word rather than just a sequence of
> letters. A purist might disagree with the above dictionary since opec is
> not otherwise a word despite being pronounceable. The true art of acronym
> formation is not only to form a genuine word, but one that has some
> relevance to the original context, though I cannot think of a good example
> at the moment. Anyway XML certainly does not qualify!
>
> Mike
>
In that case radar and laser would not be acronyms, doesn't seem right at
all.
Joe
http://joe.fawcett.name
