miércoles, 1 de octubre de 2008

What is an acronym?

An acronym is an abbreviation of several words in such a way that the abbreviation itself forms a word. According to Webster's, the word doesn't have to already exist; it can be a new word. Webster's cites "snafu" and "radar", two terms of World War Two vintage, as examples. Implicit is the idea that the new word has to be pronounceable and ideally easy to remember.

Frequently, acronyms are formed that use existing words (and sometimes the acronym is invented first and the phrase name represented is designed to fit the acronym). Here are some examples of acronyms that use existing words
1. CNN: Cable News Network.

2. UFO: Unindentified Flying Object.

3. SCUBA: Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

4. IBM: International Business Machines.

5. VHS: Video Home System.

6. DVD: Digital Versatile Disc.

7. SNAFU: Situation Normal: All Fucked Up

8. LASER: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

9. RADAR: Radio Detection and Ranging.

10. NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

11. FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions.

12. CD-ROM: Compact Disc - Read Only Memory.

13. DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid.

14. JPEG: Joint Photographic Experts Group.

15. ATM: Automated Teller Machine/Asynchronous Transfer Mode.

16. BCE/A.D.: Before Common Era/After Death

17. EU: European Union

18. NAFTA: North American Free Trade Agreement.

19. 4WD: 4-Wheel Drive: Four Wheel Drive.

20. AWD: All Wheel Drive.

21. CIA: Central Intelligence Agency.

22. FUBAR: Fucked Up Beyond All Reason/Recognition/Repair.

23. FIDO: Fuck/Forget It, Drive On

24. ABS: Antilock Brake System.

25. TLC: Tender Loving Care

CONFUSING AND BORROWING WORDS, SLANGS

Confusing Words

is a collection of words that are troublesome to readers and writers. Words are grouped according to the way they are most often confused or misusSome of these words are homonyms (words that sound alike but are spelled differently) and some are just commonly confused.

Example:


lay :to set down or place something
lie :to recline; to tell a falsehood


affect to influence, to pretend (verbs); feeling (noun)
effect a result; being in operation (nouns); to make happen (verb)

Borrowing Words
One way of creating new words is to borrow or take from other languages. English has been taking words from :
Latin. Greek, Frensh, Spanish, Arabic and Chinies….etc.

examples:

Algebra ,Zero ,Alchemy Alcohol, Sugar,Cotton, Coffee, Hakim,Jasimen, Magazine ,guide, racket , march, Tarif, Arsenal, orange, Jar, Apricot, Lemonade osque, Musk , and some others

Slangs

Slang is casual spoken language which differs from dialectical speech and JARGON as well as formal speech. Some linguists think of slang as the sprinkles of color in a language, since slang is often unique, unusual, and sometimes startling. As a general rule, slang is not used in formal spoken language, or in writing, unless the speaker is attempting to achieve a deliberate effect. Some slang terms, however, make the jump from slang to accepted common usage, as was the case with “OK.”

Examples:

  • evil: great; excellent. (Maldito)

Your car is really evil!"

  • eyepopper: something or someone visibly astounding.

Wow, that girl is truly an eyepopper!"

  • face-off: confrontation.

I think it's time we had a face-off."fart

  • "flashback: sudden memory. (un recuerdo)

In Little Tokyo I had a flashback to my days living in Japan.

  • "flick: movie.

Let's go out tonight and watch a flick.

  • "fox: attractive, alluring person.

Is it true that Brad Pitt is a fox?"