We use a lot of abbreviations for common (and uncommon ) words everyday. Some examples would be saying "app" instead of application; "info" instead of information, and so on. We also use many initial abbreviations, and never think about what the initials actually stand for. We have been discussing the dumbing down of Americans, and losing our abilities to read and write cursive as the generations pass. As I was writing a post here, and adding a PS on the bottom; I stopped to think how we all use this abbreviation for the words "post script", and I wondered how many of the younger folks have grown up using the initials, and have no idea what they stand for, or what it even signifies if they do know the actual words. Some other ones would be BC>before Christ (now used as BCE >before common era) and AD>Anno Domini (year of our Lord); AM and PM> ante meridian, post meridian; etc> et cetera, just to name a few. What other ones are there ?
I hate to say it, but the younger generation has a whole dictionary full of terms and abbreviations that we'll never understand. Common ones we've started using - lol (laugh out loud), imho (in my humble opinion), ttfn (tata for now), bogo (buy one get one), yolo (you only live once). They actually have an urban dictionary for looking these things up. I came across one the other day, used in the title of a news article - ootd. I had no clue, and since I love puzzles, tried to figure it out by myself, then gave up and looked it up - outfit out the day.
PC........Personal computer or Politically correct, which, I might briefly expound upon. Having the same initials for both of the abbreviations is, at best a little antogonistic. One cannot have a "Personal Computer" and be "Politically Correct" at the same time. Having a PC is definitely not PC. While the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) might find your usage of their PC (it cannot be your PC if they are always on it, hence, it must be their PC) facinating. Especially when you are on FB (Face Book) making IED's (Improvised Explosive Devices, not to be confused with IUD's which DHS often does) in the your BR. (bathroom or bedroom) But, I digress. IMHO (in my humble opinion) Since my PC is technically their PC it cannot be PC to say "my PC," even if you were the one to purchase it. The very best it could be is "our PC." But then, we would have to bring up the number of PC's which are OPC's on a PC (per capita) scale. How many OPC's, PC does the DHS entitle itself to in relation to the ones that China and North Korea claim? Next, we will examine the other PC. Presidential Commission on Political Correctness with Personal Computers on a Per Capita Percentile Cap Scale. or...... PCPCPCPCPCS
BYOB bring your own bottle, FTB flick that bic, DYOT do your own thing. This is only what I've heard - I don't say these things.
We do have a lot of the new abbreviations that we use as words, as everyone has mentioned, and since the letters stand for expressions we all know and use, everyone knows what those mean. The thing that started me on this thread in the first place was the simple act of writing a "PS" to one of my posts on here . We do this all the time when we want to add something to a post, text or (originally) to a letter. Then, I started wondering how many people actually knew what the letters "PS" actually stood for, since they are not a commonly used phrase. Who nowdays says, "I am adding a post-script to my email". It is a phrase that used to be used, and now is almost completely known only by it's abbreviation. So, that started me to thinking about other appreviations that we commonly use all the time, but many people have NO idea what the letters actually represent. I would guess that if we asked many of today's teenagers what the AM and PM after the time mean, they would just say "day and night", or something similar. Even when they are reading their History books; do they actually know what BC/BCE or AD/CE actually are abbreviated from ?
Your post is exquisite!!! May I print and pass it around at work? I'm not sure that more than one other person there is going to 'get' it, but you are so intelligent and sharp and SNAP......
I have trouble remembering acronyms. That has never been a strong point for me, so I don't think it's a senior thing. As an EMT-paramedic instructor, I had to teach acronyms for a lot of things because many students can learn things better when something can be put in the form of an acronym, but that has never been the way I learned. I have a harder time memorizing the acronym than I would have understanding the concept behind it. For example, someone used BD in the forum today, to refer to some relative or friend or someone and, for the life of me, I can't think of what BD stands for. Brother's dog? Boyfriend's dentures? I don't have a clue. A week from now, I'll probably remember what BD stands for but I'll be confused by some other acronym.
I'm the same way, and the abbreviations don't seem to stick until I've seen them hundreds of times. It makes reading posts tedious sometimes, and I'm a slow reader anyway. I try not to use the less common ones for that reason, but maybe that annoys people who have learned them even more, IDK (I don't know, LOL)
Haha, PITA is a Greek type of bread. The ones I never get are when people say DH or DD...meaning Dear Husband or Dear Daughter...at least that's what I think it means....someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Beyond the occasional lol and some of the letters that get tied to that, acronyms bug the heck out of me. Even if the words are totally written out and I cannot makes sense of it, it’s history! That said, you can imagine what happens if I have to stop and figure out what the author is trying to convey with some artistic shorthand that was developed by some teen aged kids texting their friends. I saw a list of the stuff that was published for parents just so they could make sense of what their kids were writing. If I wish to write, in my opinion, I write out “in my opinion” which carries with it a lot more impact and is easier to read and understand than imo or imho, or immso, or irdhaobiwta.