posted
I have irrational pet peeves. I'd probably be better off to just get over them. That said:
I HATE the jargony truncation of words. Why do we do this? Are we trying to be more efficient? What?
Examples:
crit: a vulgar anglo-saxony truncation of the beautiful French word critique. What, are you a serious art kid now that you call it a crit? Frankly, it just sounds obscene.
carbs: what brainwashed Atkins disciples have nightmares about. It's always good to give the enemy a sweeping negative slur for a name. No, we're not avoiding simple sugars or starches in our diet in favor of the more healthy complex carbohydrates and dietary fibers; nope, we just hate carbs. Don't ever tell me you're trying to "cut carbs" or I might blow a fuse.
tute, or, variently, 'tute: abbreviated Mormon term for "institute." Come on, it was bad enough when we told everyone that we hung out at something that sounded like a mental institution - now it has to sound like a juvenile euphemism for an impolite bodily function.
pecs, abs, glutes: I know that you're trying to convince us of your lofty status as a gym attendee, but frankly, we don't want to hear about your gluteus maximus. Especially not in a flippant jargony way. Please find a way to detour the conversation around these words.
Any truncated word pertaining to the jargon of your profession. Really. I know what your job is. I believe that you're a florist without you referring to baby's breath off the cuff as "gyp." I know your computer knowledge is superior than mine without you pulling out obscure truncations or, worse, acronyms. Just cut it out.
That is the end of the rant. Please carry on.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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posted
I've always hated convo and natch. I'm sure there are others, but those are the first ones I thought of.
Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
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Yeah, I hear you. Everytime I hear the word "Carbs" I get so irratated. Why the hell can't they say carbohydrate instead of shortening it? And transfats are much worse than carbohydrates... grr...
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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There are some abbreviated words that make me really happy though, but only if used sarcastically.... such as "whatev" and "obvs" (for obviously)
But I definitely agree with the others. Are they afraid of wasting two more syllables worth of air? Posts: 22 | Registered: May 2003
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Hm. See, I rarely truncate words when I speak, but I'll do it often enough when I'm on AIM. Normally because I'm trying to get words out faster, more in line with the speed of my normal speech patterns.
So, I admit, I've used convo on more than one occasion, just cus conversation takes a bit more time to type (it's all over the keyboard!).
I'll also use things like gotch or no prob, or the ubiquitous 'k from time to time. Though I don't use these formations when I speak.
However, I do use shortenings when it comes to professional things, just because that's the way I talk at work. I'll say GEPA in place of Grade Eight Proficiency Assesment, just like I'll use SAT for Scholastic Aptitude Test. Same goes for things like IEP, 504, PDP, or any other acronyms.
Though, it does bug me when people say "sped" for Special Education... which, to me, is an annoying truncation. And when people say "nickle-B" for NCLB (No Child Left Behind). Those are just silly. Posts: 75 | Registered: Mar 2003
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My least favorite (or should I say fav ) Mormon truncated words are mish (mission) and bish (bishop). "So, you had to go talk to the bish." "Was that before the mish?" Just makes me cringe! Posts: 1635 | Registered: Aug 2002
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Ooh... thought of another one. I had an old roommate who would talk often about her visits with the gyno. Ack!
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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Language isn't a static thing; it evolves. I'm sure there are plenty of truncated words that you use all the time that people cringed at years ago. For example, butt, ad, and all those contractions you used in your post. Posts: 1658 | Registered: Sep 2003
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I didn't know you could spell it like that. I say it all the time, but when I spell it out I always type 'cause.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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I live in Spanish. That's short for Spanish Fork. My wife and I are not yet small town enough to be comfortable with that one.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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But blackwolve... typing 'cause takes the same number of keystrokes as because, no?
All about the efficiency on AIM... though, for the most part, I try to keep my spelling, punctuation, capitalization and grammar as close to legit as possible online.
Oop... there I go again, using legit for legitimate...
::hides from Annie::
Posts: 75 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I have to say that I am a big fan of truncated words, and I to keep using them. Although I must say that I don't use many of the ones mentioned on this thread besides carbs.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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No, I believe that it's the Rack. It's firmly established that the word is divided as hat-rack, not ha-trackPosts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
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I generally try to use abbreviations and acronyms only for commonly known institutions or people such as UCLA or JFK.
In some cases when I post, I may spell a person's name out on first reference (e.g. Orson Scott Card) and then use his initials (OSC) on later references.
But I'm with you Annie, on the issue of carbs, not the least because I believe that carbohydrates (particularly the complex ones and dietary fiber) are getting a bad rap thanks to the late Dr. Atkins.
And I particularly hate having to take time to figure out acronyms, especially in author newsgroups, when people make an acronym out of the title of a book. For example, I've seen The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein abbreviated (without explanation) as TMiaHM by RAH. This takes me much more time to figure out than it would have taken the poster to spell out The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein in the first place.
Of course, this is why I never go into chat rooms; I just can't keep up with with the conversation because I spell things out and I'm a slow typist to boot.
Posts: 241 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Boy, it's a good thing you guys can't hear me speak. I'm from middle-of-nowhere PA where we run everything together and shorten everything else. I don't use most of the abbreviations that have been mentioned (I won't talk about my relationship with carbs--ohydrates), but the whole "Jeet yet?" thing is no joke. When I slow my speech down and enunciate, I actually feel handicapped, and then I get confused because my mind already works faster than my lips. I guess I can't let jargon get to me. Not only have I been a part of jargon-laden organizations, I have a brother in the Navy (they've got their own language: acronyms), my mother was a nurse, and I work in a hospital. I even catch myself using online abbreviations out loud ("loter," "foter," "rotkey," etc.). I am more frustrated by "aks," "prequisite," and "irregardless."
But that's just me.
Posts: 1090 | Registered: Oct 2003
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quote: Though, it does bug me when people say "sped" for Special Education... which, to me, is an annoying truncation.
"sped" is pretty common at all the schools I've ever been to and I'd have to say it's pretty anoying. Instead of "sped" a few of us have taken to calling these the alphabet kids. This isn't really truncated but more of a play on the fact that each of these kids come with a label. Such as: LD, DH, MR, SBH, LMNOP...
Posts: 1294 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Hey, Dan, did you make up the 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid buffer?
Why, yes I did, I've got the 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid buffer right here. Why are you using the 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid buffer, anyways? Wouldn't a 3-(n-morpholino) propanesulfonic acid buffer be more appropriate?
No, 3-(n-morpholino) propanesulfonic acid doesn't buffer at the pH range I want.
... I think HEPES and MOPS is a lot easier for everyone.
Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Bobble, you are so right. I don't even want to know what EDTA is really called and while I can pronounce NADH, I'd prefer to spend my time doing something useful. The only place any of those names show up are on the abbreviation sheets our safety people make us keep.
Posts: 318 | Registered: Apr 2002
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I really hate it when people type this "hacker" language. Things like using 3 for e and stuff.
Posts: 2489 | Registered: Jan 2002
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nobody owns me, even if they think I can't understand their lame typing.
I'd be carefull of shortening the word "come" mr_porteiro_head, it might start sounding like something else.
Posts: 2489 | Registered: Jan 2002
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We had a saying when I was an undergrad: "If you call a fraternity a frat, what do you call country?"
The only objection I really have to Annie's post is the implication that professionals use jargon to show off. Although I'm sure some people do this, jargon serves both precision and efficiency purposes, and the two are closely related.
posted
Professionals can talk to each other in jargon when it serves a purpose. If they talk to anyone else, however, they're just showing off.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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They are not "just" showing off, although sometimes they may be doing that. When you get used to saying something in one way, you forget to change gears and speak differently to outsiders.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Haha, Washington is so full of acronyms it's ridiculous. Some of them are really common (FBI, CIA), but most are not.People here don't use them to show off, but you can get *so* lost if you don't know what they're talking about. Off the top of my head, I can think of DoE, DoD, IMF, WTO, VOA, DIA, CIA, FBI, DoS, IBB, WHO, CID, FAA, IAEA, NPS....the list goes on...there's probably one that's STD...you never know.
What *really* annoys me, though, is the town we just moved to. We live in Easton, PA, which is right across from the town in New Jersey called Phillipsburg. Which locals call P-burg.
posted
My hometown is Stevensville, and the locals all shorten it to "Stevi." This is pronounced Montana style - with a long I at the end. When you're new in town and refer to the "Stevie Drive Thru," you're mocked incessantly. Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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Utahns seem to like shortening town names. Kearns is K-town, Spanish Fork is Spanish, American Fork is A.F., and Pleasant Grove is P.G. Yeah, I don't get it, either.
Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
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quote: Outsiders, or the "unwashed" as I like to call them.
Hey, I was originally going to call them ignorant, which while factually correct, I figured would get somebody's skivvies in a bind. Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Since my screen name is a bit long for some people's tastes, I've decided to let everyone know the proper truncations of "sarcasticmuppet", rated in order of which ones I like best:
sarmup sarky smarky sarcasticmup smuppet smup
"Sarcasmo" is never, ever acceptable.
Thank you, and God Bless America.
Posts: 4089 | Registered: Apr 2003
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) Mormon truncated words are mish (mission) and bish (bishop). "So, you had to go talk to the bish." "Was that before the mish?" Just makes me cringe! ![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
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