dancefloorlandmine: (Words)
dancefloorlandmine ([personal profile] dancefloorlandmine) wrote2008-07-04 01:40 pm
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[Grammar/poll] Quick check ...

Should the plural of an acronym have an apostrophe?

[Poll #1217630]

I know what the Times and Oxford style guides say, but I was wondering about the opinions of my readership on the wonderful wibbly wobbly world wide web.
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[identity profile] valkyriekaren.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 01:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Technically if you don't say it as a word (GATT, DEFRA, Asda) it's just an abbreviation. But the terms are used pretty interchangeably these days.

[identity profile] d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 01:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Isn't it more of a string of abbreviations than a single abbreviation, because it is made up of several separate words?

[identity profile] valkyriekaren.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 02:15 pm (UTC)(link)
It's an abbreviation of the phrase, smartypants.

[identity profile] d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 02:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Bah! [grin]

[identity profile] djpsyche.livejournal.com 2008-07-05 10:24 am (UTC)(link)
It appears in England, abbreviations that are pronounced as words are not written with all capital letters, whereas abbreviations where each letter is pronounced on its own are: Aids vs GCSEs. In America all abbreviations are capitalised: it's AIDS.

[identity profile] d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com 2008-07-05 10:52 am (UTC)(link)
It used to be AIDS here, when it was first in the media, and the initial campaigns were running - it appears to have shifted from acronym to proper noun in the intervening years.
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