g. Abbreviations: acronyms and initialisms
Abbreviation is most commonly formed by taking initial letters of multi-word sequences to make up a new word. For example, FAQ for
frequently asked question . One can also find abbreviations that incorporate
non-initial letters. As an example, ASAP stands for as soon as possible.
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If we take a look into abbreviation, it will give differences of abbreviation by
its spelling and pronunciation. So, abbreviations can be grouped into two
part, abbreviation non-initial called acronyms and abbreviation by taking initial named initialisms.
g.1 Acronyms
Acronyms acr-o ‗tip, point‘ + onym ‗name‘ are a special type of
shortening. A typical acronym takes the first sound from each of several words and makes a new word from those initial sounds and resulting initials
that pronounced like any other word.
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The spelling of acronyms may differ with regard to the use of capital letters. Usually capital letters are used,
which can be interpreted as a formal device that clearly links the acronym to its base word.
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The acronyms are, for example: NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NATO North Atlantic Treaty
Organization . Often, however, to make an acronym pronounceable, we
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Ibid, p. 161
88
Donka Minkova Robert Stockwell, op.cit., p. 16
89
Ingo Plag, op.cit., p. 163
take not just the initial sounds but, for example, the first consonant and the first vowel together such as radar from radio detecting and ranging.
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g.2 Initialisms
If the letters which make up the acronyms are individually pronounced, like COD, such acronyms are called initialisms. The word
initialisms based on Oxford English Dictionary means ‗a significative group
of initial letters‘.
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The examples of initialisms, NBC National Broadcasting Company, BBC British Broadcasting Company, FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation . Classifying a new form as either an
acronym or initialism is not always easy or possible. The words CD-ROM compact disk read-only memory
or JPEG Joint Photographic Experts Group
are initialism-acronym hybrids. Sometimes one and the same word can be pronounced either as initialism or as acronym such as FAQ
Frequently Asked Question .
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h. Eponyms
There are new words based on names epi- ‗upon‘ onym ‗name‘. So,
eponym is a new word that is formed from a name of an inventor or discoverer. Eponym mostly appear in fields like biology, physics, chemistry,
etc. quite often eponym come from an individual name, a character familiar
90
Donka Minkova Robert Stockwell, loc.cit.
91
Ibid
92
Ibid, p. 17
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