Unit 1 Acronyms

(Lecture)

Acronyms in English for IT –

Some formal and practical issues
 Unit 1 - Structure
Unit 1.
◼ 1.1. Acronyms in English for IT – Some formal and
practical issues (Lecture)
◼ 1.2. Practice on acronyms in English for IT
(Exercises)
Possible issues related to acronyms

Pronunciation: GUI, FAQ, i.e., e.g. ...

Meaning: HQ, BPM ...
Spelling: MBps, mbps ...

Usage – which contexts?

Why are there so many acronyms?
Understanding / translating acronyms
...
A. Introduction: Acronyms in the IT
context
Which IT context?
 Which IT context?

Other IT
contexts in
which acronyms
are prominent?
Netcronyms?
B. Defining acronyms

acronyms
vs.
abbreviations
vs.
initialisms
Acronyms and/or initialisms? / 1
An acronym can be defined in two different ways:
1
(in a narrow sense) as an abbreviation that is pronounced
as a word, such as NATO, LASER or RADAR, as opposed
to initialisms, in which each letter is pronounced
separately (CD, PC)
2
(in a broader sense)
‘acronyms’ are now often used synonymously with
‘initialisms’, regardless of the pronunciation (for an
example see the list of acronyms in the BCS Glossary of
Computing and ICT)
Acronyms and/or initialisms? / 2

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acronym
Acronyms and/or initialisms? / 3

https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=acronyms
BCS (British Computer Society) Glossary
The BCS Glossary is the most
authoritative and comprehensive
work of its kind on the market
today. This unrivalled study aid and
reference tool has newly updated
entries and is divided into themed
sections making it more than just a
list of definitions. Written in a style
that is easily accessible to anybody
with an interest in computing, it is
specifically designed to support
those taking computer courses or
courses where computers are used,
including GCSE, A-Level, ECDL etc.
Acronyms vs. abbreviations
Acronyms Abbreviations
LSI Ltd.
<< large
<< Limited
scale
integration Vs.
<<
P2P, f2f …
versus
<< peer to peer

LASER
<< Light Amplification by
Stimulated Emission of
Radiation
Acronyms vs. abbreviations
Acronyms Abbreviations
LSI Ltd.
<< large << Limited
scale Vs.
integration <<
versus
P2P, f2f … ______________________
<< peer to peer Wi-Fi
<< wireless
LASER fidelity
<< Light Amplification by
Stimulated Emission of
Radiation
COVID? (also: blending)
C. Translating (phrases behind)
acronyms: Word order
1 Are acronyms translated / translatable (Eng > Cro? )
Two options:
a) NBA, IBM, PC ...
b) EU, GDP, IMF, ICT ...

2 How are phrases behind acronyms translated (Eng > Cro? )

a) sometimes an accurate (word-by-word translation)
= importance of word order !
b) sometimes a descriptive translation, not literal
ATM (automated teller machine) –
bankomat
Translating (phrases behind) acronyms / 1
TIP 1:
In translating noun phrases it is essential to pay
attention to word order, i.e. identify the key word
(noun) in the phrase and it position.
Sometimes two options are possible (DB).
Consider the position of the keyword (noun), e.g. the noun
‘system’ in DBMS
Backward translation
Same or different word order in Eng / Cro?

IQ vs. AI
• Intelligence Quotient
• Artificial Intelligence
LDAP
• Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
• Lagani protokol za pristup direktorijima
URL
• Uniform Resource Locator
• Uniformni resursni lokator
Translating (phrases behind) acronyms / 2

TIP 2:
• Nouns often become adjectives in Croatian = nouns
used attributively

ISP > ‘Internet’ used as an adjective

(What kind of a service?)

! DB > ‘data’ used as an adjective

(What kind of a base?)
Page 6 / 1

Decide which of the acronyms in the box are translated into

Croatian by (A) changing the word order and (B) keeping the
same word order as in English.

IEEE (A)
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Institut inženjera elektrotehnike i elektronike
Page 6 / 2

Decide which of the acronyms in the box are translated into

Croatian by (A) changing the word order and (B) keeping the
same word order as in English.

FOI (B)
• Faculty of Organization and Informatics
• Fakultet organizacije i informatike
Page 6 / 3

Decide which of the acronyms in the box are translated into

Croatian by (A) changing the word order and (B) keeping the
same word order as in English.

UI
WTO
ECTS
ROM
CAM/CAD
ICT
GDPR
Page 6 / 3

Decide which of the acronyms in the box are translated into

Croatian by (A) changing the word order and (B) keeping the
same word order as in English. Examples:
ECTS (A)
European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System
Europski sustav prijenosa i prikupljanja bodova

GDPR (A)
General Data Protection Regulation
Opća uredba o zaštiti podataka
D. Some aspects of acronym usage
• Practical aspect: language economy
• Social aspect
Why acronyms are so popular / 1
1. Practical aspect: language economy

• acronyms in computer jargon / technical jargons of

different disciplines and subdisciplines: important
aspect of professional terminology
• new items are created by analogy with existing
items
• short = easy to use ?
Example 1: Netspeak / netcronyms
1. Practical aspect + or - ?

My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2go2 NY 2C

my bro, his GF & thr 3 :-@ kids FTF. ILNY, it’s a
gr8 plc.

= My summer holidays were a complete waste of time.

Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother,
his girlfriend and their three screaming kids face to
face. I love New York. It’s a great place.
Example 2
1. Practical aspect + or - ?

*short & easy to remember

* ‘coded language’ BE A DIY VIP WITH RFID
* double / multiple meanings
* deterioration of spelling CU BBQ
*new items created by analogy: LAN, WLAN, PAN …
* no fixed rules: PHP (PHP Hypertext Preprocessor)
CX, UX, DX …
Example 3
Acronyms that tell a story (1)
Abstract
This paper proposes a novel model for automatic
construction of business processes called IPCASCI
(Intelligent Business Processes Composition
Based on Multi-Agent Systems, Semantics and
Cloud Integration). The software development industry
requires agile construction of new products able to adapt
to the emerging needs of a changing market. In this
context, we present a method of software component reuse
as a model (or methodology), which facilitates the semi-
automatic reuse of web services on a cloud computing
environment, leading to business process composition.
Example 4
Acronyms that tell a story (2)
Project EDWARD
Why acronyms are so popular / 2
2. Social aspect
Lg as a means of identification
• feeling of belonging to a certain group
• (age group / peers, social group, professional
group) - a discourse community

‘Secret language’ (code) shared by insiders

• e.g. using computer ‘lingo’
• making a statement about yourself by using it
• technical texts aimed at a close circle of specialists
Example 1 >>

Call for Submission & Advance Registration Deadlines

Submission Deadlines for:

CCNC <> // ANTS <> // NOMS <> // VNC <> //

WCNC <> // CogSIMA <> // OFC <> // ICC <> //
NetSoft <> // ISPLC <>

Advance Registration Deadlines for:

CNS <> // DySPAN <> // P2P <> // COMCAS <> //

HealthCom <> // SmartGridComm <>
OnlineGreenComm <> // GLOBECOM <> // WF-IoT
<>
Example 1 continued
CCNC
• IEEE Consumer Communications & Networking Conference (CCNC
2016)
ANTS
• IEEE International Conference on Advanced Networks &
Telecommunications Systems
NOMS
• IEEE Network Operations and Management Symposium (NOMS
2016)
VNC
• IEEE Vehicular Networking Conference (VNC 2015)
COMCAS
• IEEE International Conference on Microwaves, Communications,
Antennas, and Electronic Systems (COMCAS 2015)
https://www.ericsson.hr/etk/revija/Br_2_2003/pokretne_mreze.htm#krati
ce
 RU
RDY?
Page 9: The Norwegian researcher Richard Ling has done a
great deal to clarify the age background of texters. In a study
reported in 2005, teens and young adults (up to the mid-20s)
were, as expected, the most enthusiastic users of SMS: more
than 85 per cent of this age group sent SMS messages on a
daily basis. At the other end of the age scale, only 2.7 per cent
of people over 67 texted daily. Also as expected, teens and
young adults were the biggest users of texting abbreviations,
and there was a rapid decline of use with age.
Difficulties with acronyms are by no means restricted to
texting. They pose problems in any context where we are
unfamiliar with the subject-matter: The PHCT are going to be
looking at the CRS with the CPO. That is: ‘The Primary Health
Care Team are going to be looking at the Client Record System
with the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’. I found this in an
internal hospital memorandum.
Even with the more extreme cases of abbreviation, the
problem of unintelligibility is far less than some have
suggested. As one texter said: f u cn rd ths thn wats th prblm?
Page 9 /
(from Txtng – The Gr8 Db8 by David Crystal, 2008)
1. Find two factors that determine the (more frequent) use
of abbreviations and acronyms.

2. Find an example of a group using acronyms in

professional communication.

3. Which factor has a great impact on the understanding

of abbreviations and acronyms?

4. Find the word derived from the adjective which means

‘being such that understanding or comprehension is
difficult or impossible'.

5. Identify the attitude of the writer of the passage below

towards the ease / difficulty of dealing with acronyms.
 The Norwegian researcher Richard Ling has done a great
deal to clarify the (1) age background of texters. In a study
reported in 2005, teens and young adults (up to the mid-20s)
were, as expected, the most enthusiastic users of SMS: more
than 85 per cent of this age group sent SMS messages on a
daily basis. At the other end of the age scale, only 2.7 per cent
of people over 67 texted daily. Also as expected, teens and
young adults were the biggest users of texting abbreviations,
and there was a rapid decline of use with age.
Difficulties with acronyms are by no means restricted to
texting. They pose problems in any (2) context where we are
unfamiliar with the subject-matter: The PHCT are going to be
looking at the CRS with the CPO. That is: ‘The Primary Health
Care Team are going to be looking at the Client Record
System with the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’. I found this in
an internal hospital memorandum.
Even with the more extreme cases of abbreviation, the
problem of unintelligibility is far less than some have
suggested. As one texter said: f u cn rd ths thn wats th prblm?

(1), (2) factors which may determine the frequency of usage

and comprehensibility of acronyms and other abbreviations