Don Hillger wrote in USMA 26038:
Technically, SI should be called an "initialism" defined below as distinct from either an acronym or an abbreviation:
- An acronym is composed of the initial letters or parts of a compound term. It is usually read or spoken as a single word, rather than letter by letter. Examples include ADEOS (ADvanced Earth Observing Satellite) and Landsat (Land Satellite).
- An initialism is also composed of the initial letters or parts of a compound term, but is generally verbalized letter by letter, rather than as a single "word." Examples include ATS (Application Technology Satellite) and DMSP (Defense Meteorological Satellite Program).
- An abbreviation is a shortened for of a word or words that does not follow the formation of either of the above.
These definitions come from an acronym/initialism dictionary found in the reference section of most libraries.
Since SI is pronounced "ess-eye" it should be an initialism!
Don
The metric bible of the BIPM, 1998 edition, refers to "SI"
as an "international abbreviation". It is not an
initialism for the English title "International System of
Units". The best fit is to Don's definition of an acronym:
"An acronym is composed of the initial letters or parts of a
compound term . It is *usually* read or spoken as a single
word".
--
Joseph B. Reid
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