EXERICES IN LEXICAL MORPHOLOGY: PART 2 ACRONYMY

26. find out the full forms of the following

acronyms:

1. AIDS = Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

2. BASIC = Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code
3. RAM = radnom access memory
4. TESOL = (1) teaching English to speakers of other languages. Cf. ESOL. (2) Teachers of
English to Speakers of Other Languages.
5. UNESCO = United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
6. laser = light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation
7. radar = radio detection and ranging
8. AC/DC = (1) alternating current / direct current, (2) slang an offensive way of describing someone who
is BISEXUAL (=sexually attracted to men and women)
9. BBC = British Broadcasting Corporation
10. DIY = Do It Yourself
11. JVC = Japan Victor Company (a Japanese consumer electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan
which was founded in 1927. The company is well known for debuting Japan's first
televisions, and inventing the VHS system. VHS is itself an acronym (Video Home System)
12.MP = (1) member of Parliament, (2) Military Police, (3) Mounted Police
13.PM = (1) post meridiem (2) post mortem
14.POW = prisoner of war
15.VIP = very important person
16.jeep = alter. of G.P. (for General Purpose) Vehicle
17. DVD-ROM = DVD= orig. d(igital) v(ideo) d(isk); then d(igital) v(ersatile) d(isk); ROM = read-
only memory
18. ASAP / asap = as soon as possible
19. UFO = unidentified flying object
20. VAT / vi: eɪ ‘ti:, væt/ = Value Added Tax

Other examples:

UNICEF = United Nations Children's Fund (used to be called: United Nations' Children's Emergency Fund)
AD = Anno Domini
AM = ante meridiem
AP = Associated Press
CD = compact disc
CIA = Central Intelligence Agency (a US federal bureau responsible for intelligence and counterintelligence
activities outside the US)
CNN = Cable News Network
FBI = Federal Bureau of Investigation (a bureau of the US Department of Justice that deals with matters of
national security, interstate crime, and crimes against the government)
GP = (1) general practitioner, (2) Grand Prix
VCR = video cassette recorder
WHO = World Health Organization
yuppie = y(oung) u(rban) p(rofessional) p(erson) + -ie

New acronyms:

CHAOS = Can't have anyone over syndrome; not inviting guests to one's house because it is too messy or
cluttered.
B2B adjective. Business-to-business; describes transactions in which one company sells a service or product
directly to another company
EXERICES IN LEXICAL MORPHOLOGY: PART 2 ACRONYMY

NIMBY = not in my back yard. A person who hopes or seeks to keep some dangerous or unpleasant feature
out of his or her neighborhood. —NIMBYism . The attitude of such a person

People are now thoroughly alert to the dangers of hazardous chemical wastes.The very
thought of having even a secure landfill anywhere near them is anathema to most Americans
today. It's an attitude referred to in the trade as NIMBY — "not in my backyard."

SARS = Severe acute respiratory syndrome; a highly contagious, pneumonia-like illness with symptoms that
include high fever, shortness of breath, and coughing. — v.
AFK = away from keyboard (used in internet chatting)

Examples from Serbian:

SFRJ
SRJ
SCG

PTT
RTS
SPS

NIN
JAT
SANU
NIS
TANJUG (sličnost sa slivenicama)
NOLIT (sličnost sa slivenicama)

Using the available examples, identify the two main formal types of acronymy and their varieties. comment
on the lexemic status of acronyms.

ACRONYMS (or LETTER-WORDS) are lexemes, not abbreviations. Why? Uprkos tome što se pretežno
pišu verzalnim/velikim slovima, ove leksičke jedinice imaju status reči, jer predstavljaju jedan jezički znak, s
izgovornim i pravopisnim oblikom (iako, doduše, ponekad ponešto neuobičajenim; NB akcenat u
srpskom: /pe te 'te/ (er te 'es/), gramatičkom funkcijom, jedinstvenim značenjem i samostalnom upotrebom.
Značenjski posmatrano, povezanost s punim oblikom kod većine akronima vremenom bledi i polako nestaje,
zbog čega se oni najčešće poimaju kao proste i semantički neprozirne reči sa sopstvenim značenjem i
samostalnom upotrebom – njihova etimologija ostaje poznata jedino stručnjacima i/ili zaposlenima u
relevantnoj oblasti, a potom i zainteresovanim lingvistima i leksikografima.

Two types:
1. letter acronyms (pronounced
letter-by-letter): AD, BBC,
CNN, ...
2. word acronyms
(pronounced as words):
AIDS, jeep, laser, ...

recursive acronym noun. An acronym that refers to itself, usually by incorporating the acronym as the first
word in the expanded phrase. VISA (VISA International Service Association).