Initialisms

Consider VIP, which stands for Very Important Person. Instead of saying the whole phrase, we can shorten it to three letters. Initialisms are a convenient way of giving information quickly and are popular in technology and online communication - like texting or messaging (think of LOL and OMG).

An initialism can also be made from the initial letters of brand names, for instance, the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation).

What is the meaning of an initialism?

An initialism is an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of words in phrases. It is usually pronounced as individual letters (not as a word on its own). For example, FBI stands for Federal Bureau of Investigation. Initialisms are commonly used in academic, technical, and government settings as a shorthand for complex phrases or terminology.

What are some examples of initialism?

Initialism examples includes DVD, CD, OED, FBI, and FAQ.

Now look at the following and decide what the initialisms are:

• Automated (or Automatic) Teller Machine
• Be right back
• HyperText Markup Language.

In everyday language, these become ATM, BRB and HTML respectively.

Fig. 2 - Initialism are also used in everyday language.

Initialism list in social media

What is the difference between an acronym and an initialism?

Acronym is another quite recent word (from Greek acr- (tip, summit) and -onym meaning name). It is a different kind of abbreviation, and is made with the initial letters of a group of words and pronounced as a word on its own. For instance, NATO is the acronym for North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

An initialism, by contrast, is a set of initials representing a name, company, or group, and which cannot be spoken as words: they are spoken letter by letter. For instance, CNN (Cable News Network) cannot be spoken as a word, nor can DVD or OMG.

Some initialisms have interesting histories; the two most often debated are 'OK' and 'SOS'.

History and theory of 'OK' Initialism example

The initialism OK is universally understood to mean 'accepted', 'yes,' 'good,' and so on. But what do the letters really stand for?

Many theories exist based on the similarity of OK to words in other languages. Some of these theories suggest that:

• It is a corrupted form of the Scottish phrase och aye ("oh yes").
• It is borrowed from the Greek phrase όλα καλά (óla kalá), meaning "all good". (In Greek the abbreviated form ok Is commonly used).
• It's a Civil War nickname for biscuits.
• It's an abbreviation for the telegraph term Open Key.
• It comes from the Native American Choctaw word 'okeh' for 'it is so'.

The Choctow theory was supported by US President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), who would write 'okeh' on papers he approved. This may be where the 'okay' form comes from.

The Choctow theory continued to be accepted in Webster's dictionary until the 1960s when the etymologist Allen Walker Read traced 'ok' back to a newspaper article printed in 1838 in Boston. The writer had used a humorous abbreviation 'ok' for the misspelt phrase 'orl correct' (for 'all correct'.) The editor liked the term and began to use it, then other newspapers began to use it too. 'Ok' was further popularized during the presidential election of 1840 by a politician called Martin Van Buren, who was given the nickname of "Old Kinderhook" because of his hometown of Kinderhook, NY.

(There are people today who still believe 'Old Kinderhook' is the real origin of 'ok').

Fig. 3 - The possible origins of 'O.K.'

History and theory of 'SOS' Initialism example

SOS is the standard signal used in Morse code to call for help or rescue and is internationally recognized. But what does it really stand for? Save our socks?

The most popular explanation has been that it stands for 'Save Our Souls', followed by 'Save Our Ship'. However, neither of these apply. In fact, 'SOS' was first coined in 1910 as a Morse code signal to replace the earlier signal CQD. (Originally 'CQ' was used as the general alert to another ship, followed by 'D' for danger).

SOS is easy to type out in Morse code (‧ ‧ ‧ - - - ‧ ‧ ‧) and easy to understand, even in poor conditions, so it was adopted to replace CQD.

In different contexts SOS can also stand for:

• Struck Off Strength, a military term for any person, vessel or aircraft taken out of service.
• Secretary of State (with a small 'o': SoS).
• In online messaging or chat:
• Someone over the shoulder
• Someone special
• Same old stuff

Fig. 4 - SOS is the standard call for help.

Initialism or acronym?

Here's what the Merriam & Webster dictionary has to say about initialisms or acronyms:

( Merriam-Webster Dictionary )

There are different types of acronyms. Some are made up of syllables (eg FOREX = Foreign Exchange), others are made up of letters, and some are a mixture of both. No wonder it gets confusing! But as a rule of thumb, if you can say it as a word, the chances are that you can safely call it an acronym without getting called out by the grammar police!

If on the other hand, you can only really read it out as a string of letters, it is probably an initialism.

Both acronyms and initialisms are examples of abbreviations.

An initialism is an abbreviation that consists of the first letter or letters of words in a phrase, such as EU (for European Union) and BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation). An initialism is also called an alphabetism.

Initialisms are usually written in capital letters, without spaces or full stops. Unlike acronyms, initialisms are not spoken as a single word; they are spoken letter by letter.