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- Xref: sparky comp.bbs.misc:268 alt.folklore.computers:10986
- Newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc,alt.folklore.computers
- Path: sparky!uunet!psgrain!qiclab!leonard
- From: leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
- Subject: Re: New York Times article on BBS's
- Message-ID: <1992Jul23.041525.5250@qiclab.scn.rain.com>
- Reply-To: 70465.203@compuserve.com
- Organization: SCN Research/Qic Laboratories of Tigard, Oregon.
- References: <1992Jul20.080858.145@sdg.dra.com> <rdippold.711661229@cancun> <mtpins.711668470@icaen.uiowa.edu> <14kv1kINNg06@darkstar.UCSC.EDU>
- Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 04:15:25 GMT
- Lines: 36
-
- unknown@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (tuu) writes:
-
-
- >In article <mtpins.711668470@icaen.uiowa.edu> mtpins@icaen.uiowa.edu (Michael T Pins) writes:
- >}Keep in mind that most computer "terms" are concatenated abbrev's.
- >}In this case, SYStem OPerator. Pronounce them accordingly.
-
- > I really dislike this argument, but I used to use it myself....
-
- > I dislike it because it's NOT true. There are many many terms that
- >are abbreviations/acronyms that are *not* pronounced the way in which the
- >original words are. There are only two I can think of at the moment, one
- >of which is a computer term.
-
- > BASIC -- if the rule was true, we'd pronounce it "bahsick" rather
- > than "baysick"
-
- > AMFAR -- American Foundation for Aids Research (how in hell this
- > popped into my mind I do not know).. But if the
- > rule was true, it'd be pronounced "amfair" rather than
- > "amfar"
-
- Neither of your counter examples applies. They are both *acronyms*
- constructed from the initial letters of a phrase. In such cases, prounciation
- is pretty much determined by what it looks like.
-
- On the other hand, "sysop" is formed by combining *syllables*. It's in
- effect a contraction of the words "system operator". And the path may
- have been that system got frequently shortened to "sys" and operator
- got shortened to "op". *Then* they got combined.
-
- --
- Leonard Erickson leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com
- CIS: [70465,203] 70465.203@compuserve.com
- FIDO: 1:105/56 Leonard.Erickson@f56.n105.z1.fidonet.org
- (The CIS address is checked daily. The others infrequently)
-