[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message] RE: Is "XML" an abbreviation or an acronym?
> > The definition starts "acronym - a word formed..." seems to > me to a clear statement that it must be a word. You are reading that as "a thing is an acronym if (a) it is a word, and (b) it is formed ..." But I think the correct reading is constructive rather than restrictive: One way of forming new words is to construct them from the initial letters of a phrase, and we call a word that is formed in that way an acronym. I think the only clear thing to emerge from this ludicrous discussion is that acronyms are distinguished from other kinds of abbreviation mainly by the way that they are pronounced. So use <abbr>SQL</abbr> if you want you audio-browser to say ess-cue-ell, and use <acronym>SQL</acronym> if you want it to say "Sequel". In the case of XML, use <abbr>. Michael Kay http://www.saxonica.com/
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