Dear Bill, Sorry about that. I am in the midst of changing computers. It may be that I inadvertently sent it twice but this was entirely unintentional.
Cheers, Pat Naughtin LCAMS Geelong, Australia on 2003-06-12 19.08, Bill Potts at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Pat: > > Your message, below, appears to be an exact duplicate of your USMA: 26025. > > Bill Potts, CMS > Roseville, CA > http://metric1.org [SI Navigator] > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Pat Naughtin [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2003 00:54 >> To: Bill Potts; U.S. Metric Association >> Subject: Re: [USMA:26021] RE: my German friend never heard of SI >> >> >> Dear Bill and All, >> >> I have followed your discussion in support of a rigorous definition of the >> word, acronym, and I can see the distinctions that you are making. >> >> However, I have always understood that the designers of Le Système >> International d'Unités alway intended that the letters SI should >> be a symbol >> for Le Système International d'Unités as it is a symbol for The >> International System of Units. >> >> In this sense the word 'symbol' was intended in its algebraic sense. I >> believe that the designers of SI were deeply impressed by their success in >> forming an algebraically sound system of units that was profoundly >> coherent.. >> >> They were not about to let the name for this system be either an >> 'abbreviation' or an 'acronym'; it had to be a symbol in the same >> sense that >> the symbol for metres per second (m/s) is made up of the three symbols >> metres, m division, /, and seconds, s. >> >> Cheers, >> >> Pat Naughtin >> Geelong Australia >> >> Pat Naughtin is the editor of the online newsletter, 'Metrication matters'. >> You can subscribe by sending an email containing the word subscribe to >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> on 2003-06-12 12.54, Bill Potts at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >> >>> A definitive description of what an acronym is and is not is in >> the New York >>> Public Library Desk Reference. Here it is: >>>> Acronyms are pronounceable formations made by combining the >> initial letters >>>> or syllables of a string of words. Some abbreviations look like >> acronyms, but >>>> are listed as abbreviations because they are not pronounced as >> words, for >>>> example, CIA (usually pronounced "C-I-A") and DAR (usually pronounced >>>> "D-A-R"). A few acronyms may be pronounced either as words ("REM") or as >>>> abbreviations ("R-E-M"). >>> So, unless SI is usually pronounced as "si" (see) or "sigh," it >> is simply an >>> abbreviation. "S-I" (ess eye) puts it squarely in the >> abbreviation category. >>> >>> Incidentally, I wear several hats (figurative ones), of which >> one is that of >>> professional writer (two published books, many papers and presentations, >>> several articles, and a number of manuals, seminars and >> courses), so I've been >>> around this particular block (the acronym argument) quite a few times. >>> Bill Potts, CMS >>> Roseville, CA >>> http://metric1.org [SI Navigator] >>> >>> >>>> -----Original Message----- >>>> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of >>> Norman & Nancy Werling >>> Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 19:00 >>> To: U.S. Metric Association >>> Subject: [USMA:26020] RE: my German friend never heard of SI >>> >> Re: Acronyms >> >> My Webster's New World Dictionary, Second College Edition, latest © in > 1976 >> says that radar is an example of an acronym, "radio detecting and ranging" > (ra >> d a r). Until I got interested in this acronym debate, I certainly did > not >> kknow that about the word 'radar'. >> >> BTW, I pronounce "SI" as "ess eye". >> >> Norm >> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> To: U.S. Metric Association <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>> Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 21:44 >>> Subject: [USMA:26019] RE: my German friend never heard of SI >>> >>> In a message dated 2003-06-11 20:40:43 Eastern Daylight Time, >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: >>> >>>> *acronym* A word formed by the combining of initial letters of a series >>>> of words or syllables and letters of a series of words or a compound > term. >>>> Funk &Wagnalls Dictionary, International Edition. >>>> >>>> In my opinion, the two-character "symbol" *SI* may be correctly called >>>> an "acronym" or an "abbreviation." >>>> >>> >>> The word usually has to be pronounceable as such to be a true acronym. > The >>> New York City Transit Authority had a subsidiary formed when they took > over >>> the Fifth Avenue Coach Lines in 1962 called the Manhattan And Bronx > Surface >>> Transit Operating Authority; New Yorkers actually pronounced the word > made >>> from the initials of this. >>> >>> cm >>> >
