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Acronym

An acronym ―from the Greek ἄκρος, transliterated as akrós ('extreme') and ὄνομα, ónoma ('name')―is that word that results from the abbreviation of two or more words, which constitute a single phrase or concept, by the union from their opposite ends. Although it is generally used to describe a word formed by a combination of words (even if they are more than two and it is not made up of the ends of these), or letters (usually initials, of an expression with the purpose of abbreviating it).

The acronym can be an acronym that is pronounced like a word —and that ends up being completely lexicalized by use in most cases, such as “laser” or “UFO”— or a word formed by joining parts of two words. This type of acronym merges two lexical elements, almost always taking the beginning from the first element and the end from the second.

The meaning of an acronym is the sum of the meanings of the words that form it. For example, the term " telematics " comes from telecommunication and informatics (which in turn is an acronym for information and automatic.

Acronyms have become popular in recent times, so that their use is now widespread, although they are still more frequent in the technical languages ​​used in professional specialties, such as medicine, computer science or engineering, as well as in the names of organizations and companies.

There is a disparity of criteria if by acronyms only the sequences of letters that can be pronounced as words are understood because there is one or more vowels in the acronym that allow it to be read, or if the acronyms include all the sequences of letters, even if they cannot be pronounced as words. and have to be pronounced letter by letter (that is, a synonym of acronym).

Properties

Acronyms can be made up of two nouns: motel, from the English motor-hotel; from an adjective and a noun: docudrama, from dramatic documentary; or two adjectives: Spanglish, from Spanish and English.

Acronyms are always written and pronounced like a normal word, and their gender is that of the parent element.

In Spanish, the acronym process is not very common, but it is old. An example of this was the change in the fifteenth century of the form of respect Vos por tu mercy, which gave rise to the acronym tú.

Sometimes the acronym creates confusion in its meaning because it uses parts of terms that were already used independently as cultured roots; for example eurocracia, which means 'European bureaucracy' and not 'European power', as in the terms con- cracia ('power'); for example: autocracy ('power of one') or democracy ('power of the people').

list of acronyms

Acronyms that cannot be pronounced as words (some authors claim that these acronyms are acronyms, although acronym refers to the initial letter of a word):

• ADSL: asymmetric digital subscriber line.
• DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid (amino acid molecules essential for life).
• RNA: ribonucleic acid
• BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation (British broadcasting corporation).
• WB: World Bank
• CD: compact disc (compact disc).
• CD-R: compact disc-recordable (recordable compact disc).
• CD-ROM: compact disc - read only memory. ^[1]
• CD-RW: compact disc - rewritable (compact disc rewritable).
• CRC– Cyclic Redundancy Check, an error detection mechanism in digital systems.
• CRC(Children Rights Committee: Commission on the Rights of the Child), an international treaty.
• DVD: digital versatile disc (digital versatile disc).
• FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation.
• IMF: International Monetary Fund
• JPEG: Joint Photographic Experts Group.
• LM, cigarette trademark
• NBA: National Basketball Association of the United States
• NBC: National Broadcasting Company (national broadcasting company), American television network.
• WTO: World Trade Organization
• WHO: World Health Organization (WHO: World Health Organization).
• NGO: Non-Governmental Organization
• PAHO: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
• GDPor GDP: gross domestic product
• SMS: Short Message Service, text message sent through cell phones
• UBV: Bolivarian University of Venezuela (Venezuela).
• UC: University of California (United States).
• UC: University of Cantabria (Spain).
• UCI: Independent Democratic Union, political party in Chile.
• UCLM: University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain).
• UCM: Catholic University of Maule (Chile).
• UCM: Complutense University of Madrid (Spain).
• UCR: University of Costa Rica, in San José (Costa Rica). ^[two]
• EU: European Union.
• IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
• UNL: National University of the Litoral, in Santa Fe (Argentina).
• UNL: National University of Loja, in Loja (Ecuador). ^[3]
• UCV: Central University of Venezuela
• UNAC: National University of Callao (Peru).
• UPC: Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Spain).
• US: University of Seville.
• USP: University of São Paulo.
• UTC: Universal Coordinated Time.
• VHS: video home system.

Among the speakers there is no consensus about whether the groups formed by two or more letters that represent one or several words are acronyms or not. For example, Aviaco (Aviation and Trade).

• Acronyms that merge or combine two words:
  • emoticon, emoticon or emoticon, from the English emoticon (emotion + icon: emotion plus icon. Incomplete translation of another English acronym. A new expansion of the acronym can be invented: 'emotional icon'
  • Czech, from Russian ЧК = чрезвычайная + комиссия, transliterated as Chrezvychainaya Komissiya, Extraordinary Commission.
• Acronyms that are pronounced like words:
  • UNHCR: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  • Aena, Spanish Airports and Air Navigation.
  • AFA: Argentine Football Association
  • AI: Amnesty International
  • AI: Association of Internet Users
  • NSAID: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
  • ANSI: American National Standards Institute.
  • BIOS: basic input/output system.
  • CANTV[kantevé]: National Telephone Company of Venezuela.
  • CIA: Central Intelligence Agency.
  • ENOCEmirates National Oil Company
  • FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
  • FIDE: Fédération Internationale des Échecs (International Chess Federation).
  • ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAOinternational civil aviation organization).
  • IATA: International Air Transport Association.
  • NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
  • NASCAR: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.
  • NASDAQ: National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation.
  • UN: United Nations Organization
  • NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • ILO: International Labor Organization (ILO).
  • Renfe, National Network of Spanish Railways.
  • Talgo: Goicoechea-Oriol light articulated train
  • UA: University of Alicante (Spain).
  • UACh: Austral University of Chile (Chile).
  • UACh: Chapingo Autonomous University (Mexico).
  • UACh: Autonomous University of Chihuahua (Mexico).
  • UAM: Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain).
  • UAM: Autonomous Metropolitan University (Mexico).
  • UBA: University of Buenos Aires (Argentina).
  • UDENAR: University of Nariño (Colombia).
  • ULA: University of the Andes, in Bogotá (Colombia).
  • UNAH: National Autonomous University of Honduras (Honduras).
  • UNAM: National Autonomous University of Mexico.
  • Unesco: United Nation's Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
  • UNICEF: United Nation's International Children's Emergency Fund.
  • WHO[jú]: World Health Organization or WHO (World Health Organization).
• Acronyms formed from the initial syllables of several words:
  • Polisario Front, from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguía el Hamra and Río de Oro.
  • black market, from a fraudulent roulette wheel created by Strauss, Perel and Lowann; it refers to the illegal trade of goods subject to some type of tax by the State; Synonym of black market.

In a few special cases, due to its wide use, the sequence of letters makes the acronym a common noun, lowercase and pluralizable. Sometimes its original meaning is forgotten.

• bit: binary digit (binary digit).
• laser, from the English light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation ('amplification of light by stimulated emission of radiation'); before 2001 it had to be spelled LASER (pronounced [laser]).
• UFO, unidentified flying object.
• radar, from the English Radio Detection and Ranging ('detection and measurement of distances by radio'); first RADAR, and later became a common noun: radar.
• AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; before 2001 you should write AIDS.

• Acronyms to which a vowel is expressly incorporated to make it pronounceable:
  • Renfe: National Network of Spanish Railways