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A backronym (or bacronym) is a phrase that is constructed "after the fact" from a previously existing word or abbreviation, the abbreviation being an initialism or an acronym. In Grammar, a phrase is a group of Words that functions as a single unit in the Syntax of a sentence. In Etymology, back-formation refers to the process of creating a new Lexeme (less precisely a new "word" by removing actual or supposed Affixes For the HTML tag see HTML element. An abbreviation (from Latin brevis "short" Acronyms, initialisms, and alphabetisms are Abbreviations that are formed using the initial components in a phrase or name Acronyms, initialisms, and alphabetisms are Abbreviations that are formed using the initial components in a phrase or name Backronyms may be invented with humorous intent, or may be a type of false or folk etymology. A false etymology is an assumed or postulated Etymology that current consensus among scholars of Historical linguistics holds to be incorrect Folk etymology is a term used in two distinct ways A commonly held misunderstanding of the origin of a particular word a False etymology. The word is a portmanteau term combining back-formation and acronym, coined in 1983. In Etymology, back-formation refers to the process of creating a new Lexeme (less precisely a new "word" by removing actual or supposed Affixes Acronyms, initialisms, and alphabetisms are Abbreviations that are formed using the initial components in a phrase or name [1] and documented from 1994:

The arrival of coeducation at St. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Paul's in 1971 inspired the verb to scope (a foreclipping and conversion of "telescope") and the derived noun scoper, "one who appreciatively ogles the opposite sex. " From this process has arisen an unofficial organization named SCOPERS, a reverse acronym, or bacronym, for "Students Concentrating On the Palatable Extremities of the Reciprocal Sex.

-Richard Lederer, Adventures of a Verbivore, 1994

Contents

Backronym versus acronym

An acronym is a pronounceable word created from the initial letters of a phrase:[2] For example, the word radar comes from "Radio Detection and Ranging". Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range altitude direction or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as Aircraft, ships [3] Letters from the originating phrase are used to construct a pronounceable word. By contrast, a backronym is constructed by starting with a word (or an initialism) and, beginning with the first letter, using each letter to form the next word of the phrase. The word then becomes an acronym or initialism of the newly formed phrase. In this sense, a backronym is the reversal of an acronym.

Since an acronym is defined as a word,[4] and a backronym is constructed from an acronym, it logically follows that the phrase must come from a word. However, this rule is commonly broken, even by dictionaries providing examples such as DVD (an initialism, see image)[5] and SOS (a representation of the emergency signal used in Morse code). Morse code is a Character encoding for transmitting telegraphic information using standardized sequences of short and long elements to represent the letters numerals [4]

Types

Backronyms can be classified along various types. Note that these types are not all exclusive of each other, that is, a backronym can be mnemonic, pure, and recursive. However, a backronym cannot be both pure and replacement.

Pure

A pure backronym occurs when the root word was not previously or commonly known as an acronym or abbreviation. Examples:

Sometimes the backronym is so commonly heard, that it is generally but incorrectly believed to have been used in the formation of the word, and amounts to a folk etymology. Folk etymology is a term used in two distinct ways A commonly held misunderstanding of the origin of a particular word a False etymology. Examples of these include:

The Lucky Goldstar group became LG and is now branded as "Life's Good".
The Lucky Goldstar group became LG and is now branded as "Life's Good". [14]

Replacement

Some backronyms are back-formed from an initialism or acronym that is an abbreviation with another meaning. In Etymology, back-formation refers to the process of creating a new Lexeme (less precisely a new "word" by removing actual or supposed Affixes For example,

Apronym

Many backronyms are apronyms, that is, the word itself is relevant to its associated phrase. [17] The relevance may be either serious or ironic. One example is the term BASE jumping, which was coined to signify a parachute jump from one of the bases building, antenna, span, or earth. BASE jumping is involving the use of a Parachute or the sequenced use of a Wingsuit and parachute to jump from fixed objects--with the parachute unopened at the jump [18]

Most of the examples in the following sections also count as apronyms.

Mnemonic

Backronyms are often constructed for educational purposes, to form mnemonics so that the word or initialism is easier to remember. A mnemonic device (nəˈmɒnɪk is a Memory aid Commonly met mnemonics are often verbal something such as a very short poem or a special word used to help a person remember For instance, when learning to read sheet music, students often learn

Every Good Boy Does Fine (US), Elvis' Guitar Broke Down Friday (US), Evil Giant Brain Devours France (US), Even George Bush Drives Fast (US), Every Good Boy Deserves (Favour/Fruit/Fudge/Football/Fun) (UK/Canada/US/AUS) or Every Green Bus Drives Fast (UK) or Empty Garbage Before Dad Flips/Freaks (US) Every Body Gets Drunk on Fridays (US)

to help remember that these notes (E, G, B, D, and F) are "on the lines". Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of Musical notation; like its analogs -- books pamphlets etc Another example, also applied in music, is FACE, referring to the "space" notes F, A, C, E. Another example is Go Down And Eat Breakfast|Banana and Fat Boys Eat All Day for the names of the major keys. G Major has one sharp as its key signature; D Major has two, and so on. The order of Sharps in those keys is also recalled via "Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle" or "Fluffy Cats Get Dirty After Every Bath" or even "Father Calls George Donkey Always Every Birthday". F Major has one flat as its key signature, B-flat major has two, etc. This also works in reverse for the order of flats: "Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father". In Finland, there is the backronym "Esko Aho Diggaa Golfista, Halonen Ei" (Esko Aho digs golf, Halonen doesn't) to help children remember the strings of a guitar in order (E, A, D, G, H/B, E). In Dutch, the corresponding backronym is "Een Aap Die Geen Bananen Eet" (A monkey that does not eat bananas). US versions include "Eddie Ate Dynamite Good Bye Eddie", "Every Acid Dealer Gets Busted Eventually", "Eat A Darn Good Breakfast Everyday" and "Every Alternate Day Grass Brings Energy".

In North America, geography students learn "HOMES" to remember the names of the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior). [19]

Another example is the Apgar score, used to assess the health of newborn children. The rating system is named after Virginia Apgar, but ten years after the initial publication, the acronym APGAR was coined in the US as a mnemonic learning aid: Appearance (skin color), Pulse (heart rate), Grimace (reflex irritability), Activity (muscle tone), and Respiration.

DVD is an example of an anacronymed backronym. Digital Video Disc changed to Digital Versatile Disc and then to not stand for anything.
DVD is an example of an anacronymed backronym. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is Digital Video Disc changed to Digital Versatile Disc and then to not stand for anything.

In star classification the backronym Oh, Be A Fine Girl/Guy Kiss Me Right Now, Sweetheart, and a number of variations, are used to remember the order of star classes, from bluest to reddest. In Astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of Stars based initially on photospheric temperature and its associated Spectral characteristics

In Sweden, pupils in low-level school learn "Vi ska Äta Ni ska Laga" which literally means "We shall Eat You shall Cook" to remember the names of the rivers that float down the west coast. (Viskan Ätran Nissan Lagan). [20]

A Rat In The House May Eat The Ice Cream (or variations thereof) is a popular backronym used among younger school children as a way to help them remember the spelling of the word "arithmetic. "[21][22]

Anacronym

Some backronyms are replacements of other phrases that have become obsolete, either for technological, political or marketing reasons. The result is an anacronym. For example,

False

While not necessarily a type, many backronyms are falsely believed to come from an acronym or initialism that means something else. Unlike anacronyms, these original meanings still hold. Examples include:

Recursive

Main article: Recursive acronym

Some backronyms are also recursive acronyms. A recursive acronym (or occasionally recursive initialism, and sometimes recursive backronym) is an Abbreviation that refers to itself in the A recursive acronym (or occasionally recursive initialism, and sometimes recursive backronym) is an Abbreviation that refers to itself in the Perhaps the most famous of these is GNU, the open source software project, which stands for GNU's Not Unix. Open source is a development methodology which offers practical accessibility to a product's source (goods and knowledge [37]

Backronyms and the 12 steps

Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12 step programs have a verbal culture that makes extensive use of backronyms. Alcoholics Anonymous ( AA) is an informal meeting society for recovering and recovered alcoholics, with the stated purpose to help its members "to stay sober and [38]. They're used as teaching tools, similar to slogans like "one day at a time," or "Let go, let God," but often have an ironic edge. GOD = Good Orderly Direction Halt = Hungry Angry Lonely or Tired Fear = False Evidence Appearing Real / Forgetting everything is all right / Fuck Everything And Run / Face Everything And Recover Slip = Sobriety Losing Its Priority Denial = Don't Even Notice I Am Lying

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ bacronym. Word Spy. Retrieved on 2007-03-06. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of
  2. ^ Acronym. Dictionary. com. Retrieved on 2006-11-15. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria.
  3. ^ RADAR means: Radio Detection and Ranging. Nasa Explores. Retrieved on 2007-03-06. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of
  4. ^ a b Acronym. WhatIs. com. Retrieved on 2007-03-06. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of
  5. ^ a b Backronym Definition. PC Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-11-14. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1533 - Conquistadors from Spain under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro arrive in Cajamarca, Inca
  6. ^ wiki - Definitions from Dictionary.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-15. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria.
  7. ^ The wiki principle. Retrieved on 2006-11-15. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria.
  8. ^ All Day I Dream About Sport: The Story of the Adidas Brand, ISBN 1904879128
  9. ^ Urban Legends References Pages: Adidas. Retrieved on 2007-10-15. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 533 - Byzantine General Belisarius makes his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the
  10. ^ Ludoacronimia. Retrieved on 2008-02-08. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
  11. ^ ; the claim may be advanced humorously, or as part of an urban legend. An urban legend or urban myth is a form of modern Folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them Or as in "Keep it Simple, Stupid," traditional advice to avoid unnecessary complexity. The KISS method Brothers, Fletcher A. in "The Rock Report", 1987 cites a January 1980 American Photographer
  12. ^ a b c Quinion, Michael (2005). Pastor Fletcher A Brothers is a fundamentalist preacher and author from Rochester New York, USA Port Out, Starboard Home: And Other Language Myths. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-101223-4.  ; published in the US as Quinion, Michael (2006). Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-085153-8.  
  13. ^ afro- - Definitions from Dictionary.com
  14. ^ Samsung, LG’s Brand Globalization History. Korean Times (2005-12-26). Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. Retrieved on 2007-03-15. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus,
  15. ^ Just another management move at IBM Lotus. Retrieved on 2006-11-15. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria.
  16. ^ Hormel Foods - Glossary - SPAM.
  17. ^ What is an Apronym?. Anronyms. com.
  18. ^ Park, Michael. "BASE Jumping: Not Suicide, But Sure Looks Like It", Fox News. com, May 22, 2006. Retrieved on 2008-01-24. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled   — Note that the article erroneously refers to BASE as an acronym rather than an apronym, which is a far less well-known term and distinction.
  19. ^ School Work Ideas, Acronyms. Retrieved on 2008-01-16. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate.
  20. ^
  21. ^ http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Arithmetic.html "A rat in the house. . . "
  22. ^ http://www.onlinemathlearning.com/pre-algebra-mnemonics.html " rat in the house. . . "
  23. ^ History of SADD. Retrieved on 2008-04-28. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title
  24. ^ ESV Conference History. Retrieved on 2007-02-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori
  25. ^ RAID definition of RAID in computing dictionary. Retrieved on 2006-11-16. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published
  26. ^ FairTest.
  27. ^ "The Standards Site", DfES
  28. ^ "History of OCLC"
  29. ^ XML Protocol Working Group minutes. Retrieved on 2007-09-04. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 476 - Romulus Augustus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself
  30. ^ "Brief History of GSM & the GSMA"
  31. ^ "Quickstudy: Personal Home Page (PHP)"
  32. ^ R.I.P - Definitions from Dictionary.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-16. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published
  33. ^ RPG - Rocket Propelled Grenade - Anti-tank Infantry Weapon.
  34. ^ RSVP - Definitions from Dictionary.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-16. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published
  35. ^ a b Name Origins - Where did Bands Get Their Names?. Retrieved on 2006-11-16. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published
  36. ^ Discovery Health :: Bisexual Behavior. Retrieved on 2007-09-09. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian
  37. ^ The GNU Operating System home page. Retrieved on 2006-12-11. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office
  38. ^ For a list of common Backronyms and slogans [1]

Dictionary

backronym

-noun

  1. A word that is either not an acronym but is taken to be one and for which a full form is invented by back-formation, or is an acronym and for which an alternative full form is invented by back-formation.
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