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Acronyms and writing keys

Below is a list of keys to write acronyms and acronyms properly:

1. Acronyms are initials and sometimes more

According to the Spelling of the Spanish language, an acronym is a "linguistic sign generally formed with the initial letters of each of the terms that make up a complex expression": BCRA and UN are respective acronyms for Banco Central de la República Argentina and United Nations Organization.

To facilitate their pronunciation, many acronyms include more letters at the beginning of some of the terms, incorporate prepositions or conjunctions, or dispense with the initial of a word: Mercosur, Indec and Senasa are respectively developed Southern Common Market, National Institute of Statistics and Censuses, National Service for Agrifood Health and Quality.

2. Acronymis also each of the letters

Each of the letters that make up this class of linguistic signs is also called an acronym, so that it can be said that BCRA and UN are acronyms made up of four and three acronyms each, respectively, and one can speak of "the acronym BCRA " or "the acronym BCRA ".

3. Acronyms: acronyms that can be read by syllables

Specifically, an acronym is that type of acronym that can be read naturally in Spanish syllable by syllable: UN is an acronym and acronym, since it reads /ó-nu/, unlike the acronym BCRA, which is an acronym, but not acronym, since it is read spelling: /bé-cé-érre-á/. (Strictly speaking, any term formed by elements of two or more words is an acronym, regardless of whether it forms an acronym or not: docudrama, for example, is also an acronym, from documentary and dramatic).

4. Development of acronyms: uppercase and lowercase

Unless it is well known, the first time an acronym is used, it is recommended to accompany it with its development: in lowercase if it corresponds to a common name (DNU develops decree of necessity and urgency) and in capital letters in the case of proper names (UN is developed as United Nations Organization).

5. Acronyms are written without periods

The acronyms are written without abbreviated dots (UN, instead of UN), while the abbreviations do have them: p. and pp. (page and pages), Mr. (Mister) or M.ª (Maria).

6. The plural of acronyms

The plural of acronyms is not graphically marked with the s that is correct to pronounce in oral language, so it is appropriate to write the NGOs, not the NGOs or the NGOs.

In the spoken language, on the other hand, the acronyms do form the plural according to the general rules, that is, with the addition of the "es" sound, although in its written form this letter is omitted. Thus, even if las NGOs or las (or los) PCs are written, it is appropriate to read /las oenegés/ and /las (or los) pecés/.

7. Capital letters and accents in abbreviations and acronyms

The acronyms are written with all the letters in capital letters and without accents (CIA, BCRA, PC, AFIP, ONG), except for the acronyms that are proper names and have more than four letters, which can only be written with a capital letter in the initial and have Tick ​​or not depending on the usual rules in this regard: Fundéu, Unesco or Conicet. This is especially so when the reference to its complete development has been lost and within a process in which that spelling sometimes coexists with the writing of the acronym with all the letters in capital letters, which is also orthographically correct.

The acronyms incorporated into the language as common names are written in lower case, are accentuated graphically according to the usual rules (pyme, aids, radar, ufo) and form the plural in a regular way : pymes, radars and ufos.

8. Foreign acronyms, translation criteria

It is recommended to translate foreign acronyms (UNO, from United Nations Organization, becomes UN, from United Nations Organization), except in the case of acronyms that are already established in use, correspond to commercial names or present translation difficulties.: IBM, from International Business Machines, remains in English.

Initials and acronyms that, for the reasons just indicated, are not translated, whose development therefore corresponds to expressions in another language, are written in roman letters, without italics or in quotation marks.

9. 8-Mand 8M

Alphanumeric acronyms, for example those of indicated dates, can be written with a hyphen or without a hyphen: 8-M and 8M.

10. The AFAand the FTAA

With acronyms that begin with /a/ tonic, the article la is used when the core of the abbreviated expression is a feminine noun that in its developed form does not begin with /a/ tonic (the AFA, from the Argentine Football Association, since association does not begin with stressed /a/); while the article is written on when said nucleus corresponds in its development to a noun that does begin with a stressed /a/: the FTAA, from the Free Trade Area of ​​the Americas, since Areait does start with /a/ tonic.