Changes

== Nomenclature ==

== Nomenclature ==

''Initialism'' originally described abbreviations formed from initials, without reference to pronunciation; but, during the mid 20th century, when such abbreviations saw more use than ever before, the word ''acronym'' was coined for abbreviations pronounced as words, such as ''[[NATO]]'' and ''[[AIDS]]''. Of the names, ''acronym'' is the much more frequently used and known; many use it to describe any abbreviation formed from initial letters.<ref name=AUE>

''Initialism'' originally described abbreviations formed from initials, without reference to pronunciation; but, during the mid 20th century, when such abbreviations saw more use than ever before, the word ''acronym'' was coined for abbreviations pronounced as words, such as ''[[NATO]]'' and ''[[AIDS]]''. Of the names, ''acronym'' is the much more frequently used and known; many use it to describe any abbreviation formed from initial letters.

Israel, Mark, [http://alt-usage-english.org/excerpts/fxacrony.html Alt.English.Usage Fast-Access FAQ : "'''Usage Disputes : Acronym"'''], accessed May 2, 2006: <blockquote>Strictly, an acronym is a string of initial letters pronounceable as a word, such as "NATO".  Abbreviations like "NBC" have been variously designated "alphabetisms" and "initialisms", although some people do call them acronyms.   

Israel, Mark, [http://alt-usage-english.org/excerpts/fxacrony.html Alt.English.Usage Fast-Access FAQ : "'''Usage Disputes : Acronym"'''], accessed May 2, 2006: "Strictly, an acronym is a string of initial letters pronounceable as a word, such as "NATO".  Abbreviations like "NBC" have been variously designated "alphabetisms" and "initialisms", although some people do call them acronyms.   

WDEU says, "Dictionaries, however, do not make this distinction [between acronyms and initialisms] because writers in general do not"; but two of the best known books on acronyms are titled Acronyms, Initialisms and Abbreviations Dictionary (19th ed., Gale, 1993) and Concise Dictionary of Acronyms and Initialisms (Facts on File, 1988).Merriam-Webster, Inc. ''Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage'', 1994. ISBN 0-877-79132-5. pp. 21–2: '''acronyms'''; A number of commentators (as Copperud 1970, Janis 1984, Howard 1984) believe that acronyms can be differentiated from other abbreviations in being pronounceable as words. Dictionaries, however, do not make this distinction because writers in general do not: "The powder metallurgy industry has officially adopted the acronym 'P/M Parts'" —''Precision Metal Molding'', January 1966. "Users of the term ''acronym'' make no distinction between those which are pronounced as words ... and those which are pronounced as a series of characters" —Jean Praninskas, ''Trade Name Creation'', 1968."It is not J.C.B.'s fault that its name, let alone its acronym, is not a household word among European scholars" —''Times Literary Supp.'' 5 Feb. 1970. "... the confusion in the Pentagon about abbreviations and acronyms—words formed from the first letters of other words" —Bernard Weinraub., ''N.Y. Times'', 11 Dec. 1978. Pyles & Algeo 1970 divide acronyms into "initialisms," which consists of initial letters pronounced with the letter names, and "word acronyms," which are pronounced as words. ''Initialism'', an older word than ''acronym'', seems to be too little known to the general public to serve as the customary term standing in contrast with ''acronym'' in a narrow sense."acronym." [http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/acronym ''Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary''], accessed May 2, 2006: "a word (as NATO, radar, or laser) formed from the initial letter or letters of each of the successive parts or major parts of a compound term; also : an abbreviation (as FBI) formed from initial letters : INITIALISM "[[David Crystal|Crystal, David]] (1995). ''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language'', Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-55985-5. p. 120: "However, some linguists do not recognize a sharp distinction between acronyms and initialisms, but use the former term for both.""acronym". ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English'' (1991), Oxford University Press. p. 12: "a word, usu[ally] pronounced as such, formed from the initial letters of other words (e.g. ''Ernie'', ''laser'', ''Nato'')"."acronym". ''Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary'' (2003), Barnes & Noble. ISBN 0-7607-4975-2. "'''2.''' a set of initials representing a name, organization, or the like, with each letter pronounced separately, as ''FBI'' for ''Federal Bureau of Investigation''." Others differentiate between the two terms, restricting ''acronym'' to pronounceable ''words'' formed from the initial letters of each of the constituent words, and using ''initialism'' or ''alphabetism'' for abbreviations pronounced as the names of the individual ''letters''. In the latter usage, examples of proper acronyms would be ''[[NATO]]'' ([[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: {{IPA|[ˈneɪtoʊ]}} or {{IPA|[ˈneɪtəu]}}) and ''[[radar]]'' ({{IPA|[ˈreɪdɑ(ɹ)]}}), while examples of initialisms would include ''[[FBI]]'' ({{IPA|[ɛf.biˈaɪ]}}) and ''[[HTML]]'' ({{IPA|[eɪtʃ.ti.ɛmˈɛl]}})."acronym" ''Oxford English Dictionary''. Ed. J.A. Simpson and E.S.C. Weiner. 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989. OED Online Oxford University Press. Accessed May 2, 2006.

WDEU says, "Dictionaries, however, do not make this distinction [between acronyms and initialisms] because writers in general do not"; but two of the best known books on acronyms are titled Acronyms, Initialisms and Abbreviations Dictionary (19th ed., Gale, 1993) and Concise Dictionary of Acronyms and Initialisms (Facts on File, 1988).Merriam-Webster, Inc. ''Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage'', 1994. ISBN 0-877-79132-5. pp. 21–2: '''acronyms'''; A number of commentators (as Copperud 1970, Janis 1984, Howard 1984) believe that acronyms can be differentiated from other abbreviations in being pronounceable as words. Dictionaries, however, do not make this distinction because writers in general do not: "The powder metallurgy industry has officially adopted the acronym 'P/M Parts'" —''Precision Metal Molding'', January 1966. "Users of the term ''acronym'' make no distinction between those which are pronounced as words ... and those which are pronounced as a series of characters" —Jean Praninskas, ''Trade Name Creation'', 1968."It is not J.C.B.'s fault that its name, let alone its acronym, is not a household word among European scholars" —''Times Literary Supp.'' 5 Feb. 1970. "... the confusion in the Pentagon about abbreviations and acronyms—words formed from the first letters of other words" —Bernard Weinraub., ''N.Y. Times'', 11 Dec. 1978. Pyles & Algeo 1970 divide acronyms into "initialisms," which consists of initial letters pronounced with the letter names, and "word acronyms," which are pronounced as words. ''Initialism'', an older word than ''acronym'', seems to be too little known to the general public to serve as the customary term standing in contrast with ''acronym'' in a narrow sense."acronym." [http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/acronym ''Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary''], accessed May 2, 2006: "a word (as NATO, radar, or laser) formed from the initial letter or letters of each of the successive parts or major parts of a compound term; also : an abbreviation (as FBI) formed from initial letters : INITIALISM "[[David Crystal|Crystal, David]] (1995). ''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language'', Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-55985-5. p. 120: "However, some linguists do not recognize a sharp distinction between acronyms and initialisms, but use the former term for both.""acronym". ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English'' (1991), Oxford University Press. p. 12: "a word, usu[ally] pronounced as such, formed from the initial letters of other words (e.g. ''Ernie'', ''laser'', ''Nato'')"."acronym". ''Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary'' (2003), Barnes & Noble. ISBN 0-7607-4975-2. "'''2.''' a set of initials representing a name, organization, or the like, with each letter pronounced separately, as ''FBI'' for ''Federal Bureau of Investigation''." Others differentiate between the two terms, restricting ''acronym'' to pronounceable ''words'' formed from the initial letters of each of the constituent words, and using ''initialism'' or ''alphabetism'' for abbreviations pronounced as the names of the individual ''letters''. In the latter usage, examples of proper acronyms would be ''[[NATO]]'' ([[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: {{IPA|[ˈneɪtoʊ]}} or {{IPA|[ˈneɪtəu]}}) and ''[[radar]]'' ({{IPA|[ˈreɪdɑ(ɹ)]}}), while examples of initialisms would include ''[[FBI]]'' ({{IPA|[ɛf.biˈaɪ]}}) and ''[[HTML]]'' ({{IPA|[eɪtʃ.ti.ɛmˈɛl]}})."acronym" ''Oxford English Dictionary''. Ed. J.A. Simpson and E.S.C. Weiner. 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989. OED Online Oxford University Press. Accessed May 2, 2006.