Page 10 | To hate these god awful acronyms people use on Mumsnet?!

gentlemum · 2023-04-29T19:39:39+00:00

I'm new to Mumsnet and clearly this is how things are done on here, but does no one else cringe at the ridiculous acronyms people use on here?! Why can't you just say my son, my husband etc.. just something that irks me! 🙃

AwaaFaeHom · 30/04/2023 11:46

ImustLearn2Cook · 30/04/2023 07:08

@gentlemum I started thinking about your OP and how acronyms have been used long before the internet. So, I googled it thinking that I’ll learn about the history of acronyms.

I haven’t yet come across an article discussing the history of acronyms before the internet, but I did come across an interesting article on grammarly.

And, not to be a grammar nazi, but what you are referring to as acronyms are actually initialisms.

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/abbreviations/

Typically, acronyms and initialisms are written in all capital letters to distinguish them from ordinary words. (When fully spelled out, the words in acronyms and initialisms do not need to be capitalized unless they entail a proper noun.)
An acronym is pronounced as a single word, rather than as a series of letters. NASA, for instance, is an acronym. It stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Occasionally, an acronym becomes so commonplace that it evolves into an ordinary word that people no longer think of as an acronym. The words scuba and laser, for instance, originated as acronyms (self contained underwater
breathing apparatus and light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, respectively).
Initialisms are similar to acronyms in that they are also formed using the first letter of each word in a longer phrase. Unlike acronyms, however, initialisms are pronounced as a series of letters. NFL(National Football League), for example, is pronounced en-eff-ell.
If you need to use an indefinite articlebefore an acronym or initialism, use the initial sound of the word (not necessarily the initial letter) guide your choice.
Internet slang often takes the form of initialisms: LOL, IDK, IMO, BRB. Although this type of slang isn’t appropriate for important correspondence like emails to your professor or colleagues, or in online comments when you want to be taken seriously, it can be handy for informal online chatting, especially if you type slowly.

I would definitely class 'LOL' as an acronym.

I've even been at a comedy gig where the whole audience said it as it looks.

thecatsthecats · 30/04/2023 12:09

Hugasauras · 29/04/2023 21:05

I actually think using DS, DH etc makes following stories easier in lieu of proper names being used, due to the capitals. It's easier to see the main players and follow along/scan a post briefly when it's easy to pick out who is doing what.

Yup. Makes them proper nouns. I don't read it as "dear son", I just read it as "son" etc.

All boards have their own nomenclature. Reddit has the M28, F23, AITA etc.

The only stuff I can't stomach is the conception boards. All that "baby dust" and "sticky bean" stuff put me right off, let alone DTD etc.

LlynTegid · 30/04/2023 12:11

You'll get used to them OP. Though I laugh at some, especially DDog.

Tinybrother · 30/04/2023 12:36

ImustLearn2Cook · 30/04/2023 09:55

Yes I know context is key. For other initialisms that had more than one meaning depending on context they listed them all. But not for CF, they only listed cystic fibrosis. Considering how often it is used on Mumsnet in reference to cheeky fucks I would have thought it would have been included. That’s all. I’m not trying to be pedantic. Just highlighting that there is a list on Mumsnet that can be used as a reference to help newcomers be able to read the threads more easily. But be aware that not all initialisms will be comprehensively included.

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I expect the acronym list was created well before cheeky fucker was first used, and I doubt they update that page.

Cornettoninja · 30/04/2023 12:36

Sandunesandseashells · 30/04/2023 07:48

As usual, age will play a big part and those who are too young to remember mobiles before predictive text may miss the point. Letters were arranged by 3 or 4 on one button e.g. pqrs which would mean pressing the button once for a p or 4x for an s therefore any word with multiple s’s in took ages to spell out and so ad-infinitum. Initialisms were essential to sending or replying to texts quickly and took on a language of its own but as all things do, it became untrendy as phones progressed. This is why kk was quicker than ok despite having the same number of letters, yy quicker than yes etc.

although I agree that may play a part, I don’t think it’s a ‘huge’ part. Txt speak/acronyms/initialisation etc are still used extensively from what I see. Online gaming where chats can move quickly is one example and comments on other platforms often have their own lingo depending on the communities.

The OP is just being silly or is very inexperienced on the internet tbh. I don’t know if a corner of the communicative internet that doesn’t use acronyms or is at least accepting of it and doesn’t really bat an eyelid.

Brefugee · 30/04/2023 12:39

back in the middle ages (or 1980s as i like to call it) at midnight on shift in the army, we had to change all the encryption on the telex devices to the next day's settings. (by fucking hand, it was tedious). And then we'd have to test with all the outlying stations. And some of the acronyms were used then (less DH but BRB and so on for sure - alongside the more proper Q-codes)

I have to kill you all now. Please present yourselves in alphabetical order so i can be sure to miss nobody.

UndertheCedartree · 30/04/2023 19:00

MrsTerryPratchett · 29/04/2023 22:56

Surely then it would be DexH.

Because he's still D but not H. IYSWIM.

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That's a good point!

UndertheCedartree · 30/04/2023 19:23

ImustLearn2Cook · 30/04/2023 09:55

Yes I know context is key. For other initialisms that had more than one meaning depending on context they listed them all. But not for CF, they only listed cystic fibrosis. Considering how often it is used on Mumsnet in reference to cheeky fucks I would have thought it would have been included. That’s all. I’m not trying to be pedantic. Just highlighting that there is a list on Mumsnet that can be used as a reference to help newcomers be able to read the threads more easily. But be aware that not all initialisms will be comprehensively included.

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I think CF as cheeky fucker is reasonably new. But, yeah it would be good to update the list.