On Thu, 6 Mar 2003, Frank Solensky wrote: > On Thu, 2003-03-06 at 11:30, Lloyd Wood wrote: > > On Thu, 6 Mar 2003, Frank Solensky wrote: > > > On Thu, 2003-03-06 at 06:22, Gibson, Mark wrote: > > > > >Finally, last para of sectin 4.5, "Mnemonics appearing in the > > > > Abstract" > > > > >and 'meaning of the mnemonics "IP" or "TCP" or "MIB"' -- you mean > > > > >acronym, not mnemonic. > > > > he should have said 'abbreviations'. > > > > > > http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=abbreviate*1+0 > > > > http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=mnemonic*1+0 > > > > http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=acronym*1+0 > > http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=acronym makes no mention of the > abbreviation being pronounced. That definition begins with 'A word...' Words are pronounced to be said. acronym noun [C] an abbreviation consisting of the first letters of each word in the name of something, *** PRONOUNCED AS A WORD **. (my emphasis) > G.B.Shaw's line about two great countries being separated by a > common language comes to mind two nations divided by a common language. > -- I never realized that English and American had those distinctions > before. Sigh. Do you like quoting dictionary definitions but don't know the background of how the definitions developed? (Where Samuel Johnson's tastes vs Noah Webster's and Ben Franklin's counts for an awful lot.) Are you horribly literal-minded but horribly illiterate? Can't help you there. > Likewise, http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=abbreviation isn't > limited to first letters of words. Since it's 'acronym' that is generally limited in such a way, this should not be of concern. L. <http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Personal/L.Wood/><L.Wood@ee.surrey.ac.uk>