Acronyms and Abbreviations

 

Have you noticed that we live in a world of acronyms and abbreviations? They’re everywhere in our everyday language.

As a military man, I was brought up in such a world.  The military was notorious about such things. I was introduced to it at military college, RMC (Royal Military College).  We had CWCs (Cadet Wing Commanders) and LCDRs (Lieutenant-Commanders), LCOLs (Lieutenant-Colonels) and BGENs (Brigadiers-General). Its motto was abbreviated to TDV (Truth, Duty, Valour).  

But it was out in the real world of, in my case, the RCN (Royal Canadian Navy). There was an entirely new set of acronyms and abbreviations. The first ship I encountered was HMCS (Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship) Beacon Hill, an FFE (Escort Frigate), converted for cadet training. When I was posted to an exchange appointment to the USN (United States Navy) I was inundated by a whole new set of such things. When I asked what some of them meant, I was directed to the DicNavAb (The dictionary or naval abbreviations.) While there, I worked at the DesDevGru (Destroyer Development Group).  In my second year there, we merged with another group where I worked under the first Black Admiral in the USN, who possibly had the longest title as ComCruDesGruTwo/DesDevGru (Commander Cruiser Destroyer Group Two/Destroyer Development Group) (honest, I still have their plaque!).

Whereas in the past, the military had a near monopoly on this language, it is now so prevalent that we just take it for granted. The military primarily used them to ensure brevity in communication; they are now made up and used indiscriminately. How many times a day do you see such things as OMG, GST, TSX, NHL.  Last night, we saw POTUS (President of the United States) give the State of the Union Address to, among others, SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States).

Open any newspaper and see acronyms, primarily, on almost every page (usually except the comics). They are very prevalent in the business sections where every writer adds a few to his story, frequently without definition. It seems like insiders talk to bamboozle the average reader.

Then internet spawned a new breeding ground for acronyms and abbreviations. Text messages and some chat sites beg for brevity. I’ve seen messages that consist solely of such things, not a single whole word.  

You don’t talk about merchandise anymore, its ‘merch’. Usual has become ‘use’. Friends have become BFFs (best friends forever) or FWBs (friends with benefits).  I don’t know if other languages use such things as much as English, but they have become a fixture in this language. For once, wouldn’t you like to see a narrative written entirely with dictionary approved English whole words.

On that note I’ll say TTFN.