Re: Moderator note

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Terry Fritz" <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>

Hi Ian,

Laser is an acronym because the abbreviation L A S E R forms a common WORD 
with a vowel and all that...

WAC, BASIC, SNAFU, are all "words" formed from an abbreviation and in 
common use, and thus are acronyms.

USA is not an acronym since it is not a word "uesay".  USSR is not an 
acronym either because it is not used as a single "word".  USSR is an 
abbreviation (no vowel either).

PDT is pronounced Pee Dee Tee...  Not a word, just saying the letters since 
it is an abbreviation.  If it were an acronym, it would have to have a 
vowel and be pronounced 'pedt' or something like that as a common word is, 
not just the letters...

If it is still not clear, you'll have to have Ralph explain it, as he has 
to me so many times :o)))  Since this has come up so often over the years 
on the Tesla list, maybe it should be on topic :-D

Cheers,

         Terry

At 01:57 PM 2/22/2003 -0800, you wrote:
>hi....
>
> > Ralph really is right, PDT is an abbreviation not an acronym...  look it up
>
>huh?
>
>acronym == "a word formed from the initial letters of words in a set
>phrase, as WAC for Women's Army Corps"... or PDT for Power Distribution
>Transformer.....