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Acronyms and English language

padgett

By padgett
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padgett 25,000+ Points

padgett

Posted
Posted

Received some comments about my language use being somewhat incomprehensible so need to know how to improve. Am I using to many technical terms or acronyms ? Was surprised that some had trouble with the NMSL which was part of the 1974 Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act and the law of the land until 1996. Maybe better known as the double nickle or is that lost in time as well. Of course may have been the only one who liked 85 mph speedos (below was easy to read and above was watching other gauges). Now most of my cars have a digital HUD using GPS or is that too many acronyms also ? GM had HUDs in 1988 so old enough for here.

 

How about NHTSA ? FEA ? FMVSS ? PON ? I larned typing on a 66 WPM TTY and never have been able to touch type (or play the piano without looking at the keys).

 

If my use of English gives people trouble (and not just the glee club) please let me know how to fix. If there is a failure to communicate then I might as well not post.

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John_S_in_Penna 25,000+ Points

John_S_in_Penna

Posted
Posted
27 minutes ago, padgett said:

If there is a failure to communicate then I might as well not post.

 

Don't withdraw!  Just spell things out much more often.

 

Everyone has his own field of expertise, and people not in

that field don't have that specialized knowledge.  Yours must

be computers and telecommunications.  Someone else's

might be plastics production, or steel fabrication, or raising

chinchillas.  My thoughts:  Use acronyms rarely, and only if

they are very common.

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Mark Huston 5,000+ Points

Mark Huston

Posted
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One of my constant irritations, when I was working, was receiving work emails or memos with acronyms that were not spelled out.  This leaves the reader to try and figure out what the acronyms means which then causes the reader to miss the point of the message.   When I was in school we were taught that when using an acronym it must be spelled out the first time it is used in the document with the acronym following in parentheses.   

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Larry Schramm 25,000+ Points

Larry Schramm

Posted
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Mark, I agree. 

 

When I worked for GM, they actually had a document that showed all of the acronyms used by the corporation.  Part of the problem is different departments had different meanings for the same acronyms.  Being a person that worked a lot between different departments it could be a challenge at times.

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ply33 25,000+ Points

ply33

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, CarlLaFong said:

FWIW An acronym is a pronounceable word formed by the first letters of a term or an object. Scuba is an acronym as are NASA, NATO ASAP, FUBAR etc. IBM, ATT for example are initialisms

Learned my new thing for the day.

 

Unfortunately, it tells me that my use of TLA (three letter acronym) to describe initialisms has been wrong (“POS is a TLA").

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bryankazmer 5,000+ Points

bryankazmer

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And if you were in the military you probably were exposed to a particularly bad dose of this.  Lately every illness needs an initialism too, it seems.

 

I differ on the old 85 mph speedometers - a gauge which doesn't read the range of operation is sized wrongly.  Although it was amusing to see the needle go into the "uncharted zone."

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padgett 25,000+ Points

padgett

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I had an 85 speedometer (speedo) wrap back to the zero peg once. As far as I am concerned (AFAIAC) 0-85 covered the range I care about and is much easier to read than the 200 degree 0-160 mph speedo in my 6 cyl Caddy. (I use a Global Positioning System Heads Up Display (GPS HUD) digital speedo in the lower left corner of the windscreen (WS).

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Frank DuVal 10,000+ Points

Frank DuVal

Posted
Posted

That's LS/MFT.😉  I'm from Richmond, Home of Lucky Strike.

 

PON is not a common use term. I read it as Pontiac, since you own Pontiacs. I do use (R+M)/2 more. Wait, I mean I say I use 93 and EVERYONE into cars in the US knows what I mean! Have you ever seen a pump here in the US not labeled with the (R+M)/2 rating for octane? Like this:

Small 5 blender pump.jpg

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padgett 25,000+ Points

padgett

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LSMFT - Something about a finger ? Doug Clark and his group was popular in the Carolinas in the early 60s. (trying to avoid anything potentially offensive).

 

Sorry PON was before spelling things out: Pump Octane Number, suspect something peculiar to the USA (please).

 

ps "up to 10%" means "at least 9%".

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capngrog 5,000+ Points

capngrog

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, padgett said:

If my use of English gives people trouble (and not just the glee club) please let me know how to fix. If there is a failure to communicate then I might as well not post.

 

Please continue to post.  If we can't have a bit a fun with each other (especially in these times), what's the point anyway?  In my limited grasp of the English language, I need all the help I can get, and the use of Arcane Acronyms (AA) just confuses my Easily Befuddled Mind (EBM).  I salute those who learn English As A Second Language (EAASL), since I have enough problems with English As A Primary Language (EAAPL).  The foregoing illustrates that some acronyms are just made up on the spot and don't really mean anything.:P

 

Cheers,

Grog

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Grimy 25,000+ Points

Grimy

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Posted

Literally 50 years ago (maybe 51) I received a one-page change to an Army Regulation (AR), or maybe it was a DA Pam (Department of Army Pamphlet), whose topic was "Acronyms and Authorized Abbreviations."  The sum total of this one-page change was this:

 

"The auth ab for "authorized abbreviation" is "auth ab."

 

I kid you not!  I kept that page for umpteen years before it fell apart from old age.The current reference is AR25-52, "Authorized Abbreviations, Brevity Codes, and Acronyms"  and you can study it at

https://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/ar25-52.pdf

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C Carl 10,000+ Points

C Carl

Posted
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You can actually pronounce SPRAOO. Acronym for “Society for the Preservation and Resurrection of Archaic and Obsolete Obscenities”. So some son of a bawd cuts you off abruptly when you are driving along in your old iron. You can get personal satisfaction from severely cussing him out in the vilest ,(although cryptic- hear that Padgett o master of crypticism ?), of terms. Little fear of repercussion nor neither offending the tender ears of innocent bystanders within earshot.   -   Carl 

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TAKerry 25,000+ Points

TAKerry

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I guess Im too old and stupid, I dont have a clue what most of you are talking about!  I do remember the 55 miles per hour speed limit, though it was probably taken away around the time I started driving (1980). Funny thing about that, my car (77 t/a) has a 3 speed automatic transmission, and 2:73 gearing at the rear. The 'sweet spot' seems to be 55-60 miles per hour. Whilst traversing the highway one afternoon it hit me like a rock to the head, the maximum speed limit when this car was new was 55, I figured the engineers got it just right (that should keep this post within the car world)

Padgett- To answer your original question, keep on keepin' on. I love to read your post's. I mean this with all due respect and sincerity but its what I imagine Dennis Miller's post would be like.

I took a typing class as a senior in high school as a filler, I already had enough credits to graduate and it seemed like the class with the most girls in it. I ended up being top in the class and my cousin who was in there for the same reason was no. 2. We were the only 2 boys and all of the girls were a bit offended that we topped them on their turf. Looking back one of the most useful classes I took in high school.

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Paul Dobbin 25,000+ Points

Paul Dobbin

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I too, took typing in High School and was the only guy in the class.   After that the Air Force made me a draftsman and photo interpreter of air target charts, without computers,   Later my typing ability

paid off in completing college.   Now most of my typing is here on the AACA Forums, with an occasional article for the V8 Times or the local club newsletter.   When I got involved in the hobby,

a guy who could type and had a copy machine was called, Newsletter Editor. 

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John348 25,000+ Points

John348

Posted
Posted (edited)
15 hours ago, GregLaR said:

Can we talk about me instead please?

I really lose interest if the focus is not on me and my super powers.

 

As Mr Burns picture in GreaLaR's Avitar would say

EXCELLENT

 

Mr P,

So just so you know, it is not just me!  You honestly think we all know what NSML meant? that was 50 years ago! 55 MPH is only one letter more and would tell us what you were trying to talk about.

 

 POM?,,,,,,,, come on (I can't resist) WTF?

 

Spell it out and loose the acronyms,  

Edited by John348 (see edit history)
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Walt G 25,000+ Points

Walt G

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, padgett said:

Interesting. Other than WPM TTY every one of the acronyms I mentioned was automotive related.

Automotive related from what era?!?  Some of us here mostly have collected and focus on pre WWII era vehicles ( I have for 60+ years) . For that era wb ( wheelbase) hp ( horse power) are about it. Most  of the acronyms relate to post 1970 vehicles/equipment and mind set , as do a lot of the posts/threads /comments here. It is why I started the "period Images" photograph and image thread, kinda felt that the pre 1945 era was taking a back seat . It seems a few others felt the same way from the response to that thread that will be a year old next month. I am not totally an old  FART ( Friend of Ancient Road Transportation) as I know what NOS means , but am at a stage where I just pass over reading a lot of things that the person saying them wants all who read same to be up to the "modern" pace they are.

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padgett 25,000+ Points

padgett

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a) Always liked "I hope when you get home your mother comes out from under the porch and bites you."

b) Found that when in the service (discharged as a E6) many had trouble forming sentences and needed something to fill in the gaps. Never did care for many four letter words, wasn't creative.

c) My high school (HS) did not have typing. Did have a two hour lunch to go to the beach. Major sport was tennis.

d) NOS ? New Old Stock or Nitrous Oxide ? YWTK (yout wants to know - TV (television) series 1951-1957)

e) Seem to be in a Chrono-Synclastic Infundibulum  since double nickel always reminded me of the WWII Texas saying "at 35 mph you don't ever get there" & original (1896) London to Brighton celebrated the repeal of the red flag act

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John_S_in_Penna 25,000+ Points

John_S_in_Penna

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My thoughts to help improve the forum:

People should post primarily when they

have some good insights to share, and when

their comments will be helpful and relevant. 

That way, their postings will be eagerly read,

because they've established a reputation.

 

If a thread is discussing repairing the transmission

of a Chalmers car, for instance, I'll read but keep quiet.

 

There are a few forum members whose postings,

even long ones, I'll eagerly go to just because I see

their names.

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Str8-8-Dave 5,000+ Points

Str8-8-Dave

Posted
Posted (edited)

The way a technical good writer will educate readers who may not be knowledgeable about a particular acronym looks like this:

 

A   CHMSL  (Corporate High Mount Stop Lamp) was mandated by FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) in 1980.

 

After you lay this groundwork you can reasonably use just the acronym without having to explain to the reader what it means again. 

Edited by Str8-8-Dave (see edit history)
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Frank DuVal 10,000+ Points

Frank DuVal

Posted
Posted

Was it more than 5 minutes ago? Then, YES, I forgot!😆

 

Even the DOD instruction I have says to spell out the acronym in every report the first time you use it, then you use the acronym alone the rest of the report.

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John_S_in_Penna 25,000+ Points

John_S_in_Penna

Posted
Posted (edited)

Actually, good writing uses initials and acronyms

rarely, if ever.  We're pretty informal here, but

let me give an example.

 

"The American Society for Testing and Materials

has established a new standard for high-strength

structural steel.  The society will publish it

in the Journal of Light Construction, says the

journal's technical editor."

 

There's no need for "ASTM" and "JLC" and other

alphabet-laden terms in such an article.  "The society"

is used instead of its initials;  "the journal" instead 

of JLC.

Edited by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)
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