Acronyms thread - Page 2

Skanky Burns · May 30, 2002, 23:15

OMG - Oh My God
OMFG - Oh My F*cking God

SG:

Zoid · May 31, 2002, 05:56

UR, what´s wrong with the "abbrieviations"-threads in the CIV3-general?

Zoid · May 31, 2002, 05:57

Altough it IS a clever way of upping your post count

Urban Ranger · May 31, 2002, 06:02

Quote:

Originally posted by Sagacious Dolphin
Abbreviations aren't the same as acronymns. The later is a subset of the former.

Nah.

Abbreviations: attn (attention), mgnt (management)

Acronyms: NATO, NORAD, USA

Skanky,

I haven't been to Civ3 - General after it was turned into a flaming war ground among the newbies.

Asher · May 31, 2002, 06:11

Quote:

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Nah.

Abbreviations: attn (attention), mgnt (management)

Acronyms: NATO, NORAD, USA

And by which logic are Abbreviations the same as Acronyms, then?

aaglo · May 31, 2002, 08:50

KTOS - Kill Them On Site

-Jrabbit · May 31, 2002, 09:17

BTW, I've always seen it as TANSTAAFL, *not* TINSTAAFL.
= There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

BTW = By The Way

Immortal Wombat · May 31, 2002, 10:07

Quote:

BTW, I've always seen it as TANSTAAFL, *not* TINSTAAFL.

that's 'cos americans don't do grammar.

Dauphin · May 31, 2002, 13:31

Quote:

Originally posted by Urban Ranger

Nah.

Abbreviations: attn (attention), mgnt (management)

Acronyms: NATO, NORAD, USA

Acronyms are a specific kind of contraction. And what is an abbreviation if not a contraction?

H Tower · May 31, 2002, 13:33

and brits don't do... nevermind

Dauphin · May 31, 2002, 13:34

Quote:

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
BTW, I've always seen it as TANSTAAFL, *not* TINSTAAFL.
= There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

Double negatives. Wonderful stuff.

KrysiasKrusader · May 31, 2002, 14:34

A friend pointed out this thread to me, as I am fairly new to PBEM gaming and was confused with some of the messages I was recieving. Now I comprehend a little more.

However, I have a question:

Why would people use acronyms, especially since some of us are from different countries as well as linguistic backgrounds, instead of communicating clearly and accurately ?

moomin · May 31, 2002, 14:46

Quote:

Originally posted by aaglo
KTOS - Kill Them On Site

Is that the Internet version?

Kill them on sight.

J Bytheway · May 31, 2002, 15:49

Quote:

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
BTW = By The Way

I sometimes have trouble with this one. Can't figure whether they're talking about me

.

I always thought that an acronym was an abbreviation that you said as a word, like NATO, but not EU - but my dictionary says otherwise - formed from the first letters of words.

Zoid · June 1, 2002, 14:34

FYI, here´s the link to the abbrieviations-thread in the CIV3-general forum. http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...threadid=26248

J Bytheway · June 1, 2002, 15:29

Quote:

Originally posted by Immortal Wombat
ACOL = hell

No, really what does ACOL mean?

Chowlett · June 1, 2002, 16:17

Alpha Centauri OnLine, I believe. It's another forum - started out as an AC forum, but I believe has since descended into a purely OT site, and a very anarchic one at that.

Immortal Wombat · June 1, 2002, 18:23

its anarchism is over, it is now dead. or as its remaining 4 denziens prefer it: undead.

Skanky Burns · June 1, 2002, 21:54

Quote:

Why would people use acronyms, especially since some of us are from different countries as well as linguistic backgrounds, instead of communicating clearly and accurately ?

Most of these abbreviations are used in online games, like real-time strategy or role-playing games. Regardless, in these games time is all-important, and the difference between typing "KOS U" and "I will endeavour to kill you whenever I spot your evil self." could mean the difference between you actually having a chance in combat, or you sitting there getting hit whilst you are typing.

These then become used in forums because of people's general laziness.

Basically it saves time, and for people who are there long enough it is easily understood. I've even picked up a little Finnish from hanging around in some games!

BRB - Be Right Back.

Asher · June 1, 2002, 21:59

AFK - Away From the Keyboard
BBL - Be Back Later
TTYL - Talk To You Later

Urban Ranger · June 1, 2002, 23:47

Quote:

Originally posted by Sagacious Dolphin
Acronyms are a specific kind of contraction. And what is an abbreviation if not a contraction?

You'd be right if you say both are forms of contractions. The thing is acronyms and abbreviations follow different rules.

So I am a bit pedantic.

Straybow · June 3, 2002, 13:27

An acronym is a word or name, that's what the -nym suffix means. It is especially applicable if the form is pronounceable, such as "NASA." So SMAC is an acronym, but ROFL is not, unless someone starts a software company called Roll On Floor Laughing.

IPTU (I'm pedanticer than you).

-Jrabbit · June 3, 2002, 13:39

Quote:

Originally posted by Immortal Wombat

that's 'cos americans don't do grammar.

Errors =
that's -- should be capitalized
'cos -- slang foreshortening
americans -- should be capitalized
don't do grammar -- poor verb choice

Perhaps you mean "That's because Americans have poor grammar."

Thanks for generalizing.

BTW, "TANSTAAFL" was the name of a folkie performance venue at my university (dating to the early-mid 70s). Most of us knew the name long before we knew that it was an acronym. Before this thread, I had never seen the acronym TINSTAAFL. It's a question of common usage, not proper grammar.

Immortal Wombat · June 3, 2002, 14:23

I don't do grammar either on BBs. and in fact, I'd never seen either before this thread, and only ever heard it said as "there's no such thing..." *shrug*

Scouse Gits · June 3, 2002, 15:21

Tanstaafl - is that not originally from Heinlein? "Moon is a Harsh Mistress" IIRC??

SG[1]

Dauphin · June 3, 2002, 17:55

Quote:

Originally posted by Urban Ranger

You'd be right if you say both are forms of contractions. The thing is acronyms and abbreviations follow different rules.

So I am a bit pedantic.

I wasn't the one that said they were the same, you were.

Besides acronyms are still abbreviations. Abbreviate - to reduce to a shorter form intended to stand for the whole.