Acronyms and the dangers from not knowing what they mean.

[Angilion]

Not an acronym but I read product names a lot but never heard anyone say them. Like Asus is A-Zeus, I thought it was eh-suss...

On a related note, I recently started watching military history videos by a German historian, mainly about German military in WW2. Unsurprisingly, they pronounce the German words correctly. Quite a few are not pronounced at all like I thought they were after reading them in history books.

 

[Rroff]

On a related note, I recently started watching military history videos by a German historian, mainly about German military in WW2. Unsurprisingly, they pronounce the German words correctly. Quite a few are not pronounced at all like I thought they were after reading them in history books.

Things like W can be pronounced quite differently in German.

 

[v0n]

Things like W can be pronounced quite differently in German.

Things like "W" are pronounced quite differently (to English) in every European language. I can't actually think of a single one that pronounces "w" as "uu"/double-u/ʋ?

 

[Rroff]

Things like "W" are pronounced quite differently (to English) in every European language. I can't actually think of a single one that pronounces "w" as "uu"/double-u/ʋ?

True but some stuff beginning with W (I'm kind of including regional variation as well) can be pronounced completely different to what you'd expect beyond anything I've encountered with other European languages or at least from my perspective even how some of our pronunciations can confound non-native English speakers.

 

[TallPaul1878]

Come on, this has to be a joke

You can't go a week these days without a LGBT story being on the news.

You'd have to live in a pretty isolated cave not to know what it was

LGBTQIA. At least get it right you bigotted moron.

 

[Tunney]

One story comes to mind:

I write mobile apps for a living and used to work for a company that specialised in science and literary iPad apps. We wrote an app in conjunction with the Science Museum called Journeys of Invention.

Naturally, when it came to release the app, our social media team encouraged everyone to use the hashtag #joi when tweeting about the app. It was only on the day of release that someone tapped on the hashtag and found out that JOI is an existing hashtag used by sex workers.

 

[ttaskmaster]

Yeah that's how you pronounce nVidia.

It's not hard - Games have that title screen that tell you how!!

Aloominum sounds better than alyoumineum.

How many other elements are -um instead of -ium, though?
Caesum, Rubidum, Helum... nope. Most (but not all) are -ium.
Speaking of one that isn't - It's hilarious and annoying, though, the number of people who mispronounce Molybdenum... Molly-ba-den-dum?

CBT is a good one for that, with three possibilities and the amusing CBT with a motorbike - good grief, how badly designed is the seat!

Not really - It's a course that aligns your Cognitive Behaviour, literally changing the way you think and behave, so that you may enjoy the Theraputic benefits of motorcycling!!

LGBTQIA. At least get it right you bigotted moron.

I think you'll find it's now LGBTTQQIAAP, you ostracizing old dinosaur!!

 

[FoxEye]

I think you'll find it's now LGBTTQQIAAP, you ostracizing old dinosaur!!

Grampa, please.

We now write it LGBT;E-75, since actually writing those extra 75 letters is impractical, but it's important to let people know we're aware.

 

[ttaskmaster]

We now write it LGBT;E-75,

Jeez, kiddo.... I haven't seen that format since the days of LCD calculators... proper ones by Casio and Texas Instruments, I mean, not your smartphone app... and clearly you haven't learned to use either if you counted 75 letters in that!!!

That, or you're from somewhere backward and medieval like... I dunno, *Cornwall*.... so haven't actually seen a digital calculator yet and therefore wouldn't know that the correct answer and accurate display would show as: LGBTe+7.

 

[danoliver1]

A greek woman I work with wrote LOL on a sympathy card after a colleagues husband died luckily I stotted it, I asked her what LOL meant she said Lots Of Love and was mortified when I told her it meant Laugh Out Loud.

 

[Diddums]

This thread title is making my OCD go nuts.

 

[Clav]

nvm

 

[spoffle]

A greek woman I work with wrote LOL on a sympathy card after a colleagues husband died luckily I stotted it, I asked her what LOL meant she said Lots Of Love and was mortified when I told her it meant Laugh Out Loud.

Ignorance aside, I don't understand the mentality of using acronyms in such situations. When you're trying to say something meaningful, why try to use shorthand or acronyms? That is just mind blowing.

nvm

No, go on!

 

[Therealjoe]

When your psychologist tells you to do cbt and you google it.

 

[Doogles]

Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender. I had a good chuckle, at least no one got hurt and you got a good laugh out of it! OR maybe you are gay and this is a cover up story!

 

[Angilion]

Things like W can be pronounced quite differently in German.

That's part of it, but I was partly aware of that. What I wasn't expecting was the extent to which syllables were smoothed together. I should have expected it because of course people smooth the syllables of compound words together in a language they use routinely, but for some reason I didn't.

The narrator gets English pronunciation wrong sometimes. To me, it sounds like he's pronouncing English words he's not entirely familiar with as if they were French words. I suspect that English is his third language.

 

[V F]

Things like "W" are pronounced quite differently (to English) in every European language. I can't actually think of a single one that pronounces "w" as "uu"/double-u/ʋ?

What about haytche?

 

[Hiijinx]

Back in primary school, kids were talking about B.O and how bad it was. I had heard of it on TV but didn't really know what it was so when they asked me for my input, I said I never bought the stuff.

Much egg on my face.

 

[Malevolence]

I'm surprised at how many people, especially colonials, don't know that the USA PATRIOT Act is an acronym.

 

[Vern1961]

I'm fairly sure BMW is an acronym (depending on how close they are - Braindead Maniac Wallys ) but not sure if AUDI is one?