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Re: XML Buzzwords. RFC

• To: Jeff Lowery <jlowery@s...>
• Subject: Re: XML Buzzwords. RFC
• From: Tom Bradford <bradford@d...>
• Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 16:41:02 -0700
• Cc: xml-dev <xml-dev@l...>
• References: <3549BAFD79A7D411A1CF00508B62B5BC0124B8ED@e...>
• Sender: tom

Jeff Lowery wrote:
> 
> > Actually, an acronym is a word (nym) formed from the beginning (acro)
> > letters of a set of words.  Being a word doesn't actually require that
> > it be pronounceable phonetically.  IOU is a word that's not pronounced
> > phonetically, but is an acronym.
> 
> XML, FUBAR, and SMURSH are all initialisms. SOAP, OASIS, and UNCLE are all
> acronyms.

It's an initialism only if you spell out the letters one by one... 
Fubar and Smursh are usually said phonetically.  Regardless, by
definition, all of these words qualify as acronyms, while some of them
qualify as both.

How about this:

+-Abbreviations------------+
| Mass (for Massachusetts) |
| Doc  (for Doctor)        |
| +-Acronyms--------+      |
| | SOAP            |      |
| | FUBAR           |      |
| | +-Initialisms-+ |      |
| | | XML         | |      |
| | | USMC        | |      |
| | | etc...      | |      |
| | +-------------+ |      |
| | etc...          |      |
| +-----------------+      |
| etc...                   |
+--------------------------+

-- Tom

• References:
  • RE: XML Buzzwords. RFC
    • From: Jeff Lowery <jlowery@s...>

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