. The Grammatical Term, “Abbreviation” .
It’s Meaning And Usage In The Common Tongue Of The English Language
The Grammatical Term, “Abbreviation“ is a term which refers to a shortened, contracted form of a word or (sometimes) phrase.
For Example:
Wisconsin (the state I grew up in) is abbreviated as, WI
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]P[/su_dropcap]reviously It was abbreviated as, Wisc. – then, Wis. – and now simply as WI – notice that the periods after the abbreviation disappeared and then, the abbreviations actually got… abbreviated. This is how it is for all the states in the United States.
The United States of America is abbreviated as, “USA” – or even more simply as, “US”
Other Forms of Abbreviation:
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]O[/su_dropcap]ften-times words are “informally” abbreviated. For example the word, “University” becomes, “Univ.”. This is usually done to save space or time and energy in writing or typing.
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[su_dropcap style=”flat”]T[/su_dropcap]here are other ways of abbreviating when it is a matter of the physical (or virtual) space that the word is to be contained within. This is usually done with words which might not be clearly comprehended by just using the first few letters (as above). In this case – quite often – the vowels are taken out of the word.
For Example:
Something becomes smthng (or smth)
Management becomes Mngt.
Freaking Awesome!!! becomes Frkng Awsm!!!
And Then…
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]A[/su_dropcap]nother popular form of Abbreviation is the “Acronym”. These are created by taking the first letter of a string of words (usually the name of an organization) and making a word out of them.
For Example:
NASA = The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NATO = The North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NKOTB = (a failed attempt at abbreviating) The New Kids On The Block
NASCAR = Non-Athletic Sport Centered Around Red-Necks
(Of course there are millions of Acronyms which don’t start with the letter “N” but I was on a roll there, so I went with it.)
We’ll deal with Acronyms more thoroughly in another post dedicated specifically to that topic.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]B[/su_dropcap]ut, it should also be noted that a lot of abbreviations are specific to different fields of interest, different companies, and different social groups, and therefore may be the same as in other groups where-in the abbreviation represents a completely different word.
For Example:
The WWF = The World Wrestling Federation… OR The World Wildlife Foundation
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]A[/su_dropcap]nd If you have ever played the role-playing game, “Dungeons and Dragons” (abbreviated “D&D”) then you are sure to recognize these… (I mean the abbreviations below… not the nerds in the picture) 😀
Str. = Strength
Int. = Intelligence
Wis. = Wisdom
Dex. = Dexterity
Con. = Constitution
Cha. = Charisma
However, you may notice that…
Wis. is also the same as the abbreviation for the state of Wisconsin.
Dex. could also refer to the Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) prescription drug, Dexedrine… (a favorite of techno music producers)
Int. could stand for Intermediate.
So the meanings are not always so “clear-cut“.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]F[/su_dropcap]inally, there is the most despicable form of abbreviation (despicable to us folks who really like words and comprehend the incredible importance of using them correctly). And that despicable form is… “Text Speech”
For Example:
TTYL = Talk To You Later
BRB = Be Right Back
YAAAH = You Are An AssHole!!! (I’m kidding, I just made that one up… but that is an important point… You can make them up as you go along…) 😀
I hp tht ths hlpd Sty tnd fr mr info abt abbrvtns n othr grmmr stf incldgn lts f othr awsm sht!
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Continue Learning
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See Also:
Abbreviation & Abbreviations — (Pronunciation Portal)
Learn More About The Word “Abbreviation” On Wiktionary
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Have An Excellent Day!
(And don’t use “text-speech” unless your are on your phone!!!)
😉
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