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Initialisms in common speech are the linguistic equivalent of a code smell; people are right to react negatively towards them (and the appropriate degree of neg
by YurgenJurgensen 2y ago
Initialisms in common speech are the linguistic equivalent of a code smell; people are right to react negatively towards them (and the appropriate degree of negative reaction increases with the length of the initialism in question).
- lazyasciiart 2y agoNo they aren't. RSVP, DIY, PhD, ASAP, BYO, TMI... there's no reason to dislike them any more than there's a reason to dislike adjectives.
- Grustaf 2y agoIt's a very American thing to pepper your speech with euphemistic initialisms, a lot of people outside the US find it cheesy and annoying.
- drewcoo 2y agoRSVP is from French. I wish I could cleverly work in a "QED" here (from Latin) but it just doesn't fit.
- Grustaf 2y agoI was talking about spoken language, not the existence of initialisms per se. Though I'd wager they are a lot more prevalent in written American English than in most other languages as well. Nobody else would think of inventing an initialism-euphemism for body odour (which I guess already is a euphemism for "smell" for example. Or "significant other". By the way, QED is just a calque from Greek. (Like most things Roman...)
- vlunkr 2y agoStupid Americans and their checks notes acronyms.
- Grustaf 2y agoCan you find a non-American that doesn't find it cringe to use "BM" for "poo"?
- nobody9999 2y ago>Can you find a non-American that doesn't find it cringe to use "BM" for "poo"? As an American, I'd find it hard (at least in my circles) to find an American who doesn't find it cringe worthy. In fact, I don't think I've heard anyone use that term in at least forty years.
- zeroonetwothree 2y agoThey are quite prevalent in Russian as well (though I am not sure if American English is actually “peppered” as you claim).
- lazyasciiart 2y agoFunny, when I was born and grew up outside the US it was very common there too. Perhaps you'd like to scope your claim down to a specific group of people who find it annoying?