In programmer lingo we’ll sometimes shorten words with the number of letters in between:
i18n (internationalization) and L10n (localization). I just learned of g11n (globalization), too.
Comment on Where did the abbreviation "w/" for "with" come from?
squaresinger@feddit.de 8 months ago
All in all, the / is just one style of abbreviation used in English. It’s not only used for “with”, but also a few other words (w/o = without, N/A = not applicable).
In German we abbreviate using a dot (e.g. “m.” = “mit” = "with). That’s not more or less intuitive, it’s just what you are used to.
What’s kinda special with English is that there are multiple abbreviation styles. Off the top of my head I can think of six styles:
- Abbreviate random parts of words using a slash: “N/A”, “w/”, "w/o"
- Abbreviate keeping only the first letter of a word using a dot: "e.g."
- Abbreviate keeping the first and some random later consonants (and sometimes consonants that aren’t in the word at all) without using punctuation: Dr, Mr, Ms, Mrs
- Abbreviate using acronyms and no punctuation: BBC
- Abbreviate using acronyms and dots: B.C.
- Abbreviate by substituting parts of the word with a single letter: Xmas (Christmas), Xing (Crossing)
sarchar@programming.dev 8 months ago
AA5B@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Wait until you learn about k8s
gianni@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
No thanks!
railsdev@programming.dev 8 months ago
I’m a programmer but fuck I hate this so much.
Skwerls@discuss.tchncs.de 8 months ago
Just start using it for everything and confuse everyone… I mean E6E
deranger@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
This one is terrible IMO. A11y is ironically very inaccessible unless you’re aware of this unintuitive system.
Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Now that I know it though, it’s a good way to distinguish between similar common abbreviations. For instance I know you don’t mean “Actually” even though I’m not sure what you do mean by A11y.
rikudou@lemmings.world 8 months ago
Also k8s for Kubernetes.
squaresinger@feddit.de 8 months ago
True, forgot about that one. I really hat this style of abbreviation^^
Rentlar@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
T2e, f4t a3t t2t o1e. I r4y h2e t2s s3e o0f a10n^^
F3d i0t f1r y1u.
squaresinger@feddit.de 8 months ago
Aaarg!!
ActionHank@sopuli.xyz 8 months ago
You’ll be a hero at work when your coworkers see how efficient your commit messages have become!
user134450@feddit.de 8 months ago
you h2e it?
ipha@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Wait. That is why it’s called i18n!? Never knew that.
FooBarrington@lemmy.world 8 months ago
d4s (dingus)
Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Dr., Mrs., Ms. etc. are traditionally abbreviated with periods/dots but it does raise issues typing on one’s phone because autocorrect thinks it’s the end of a sentence, so sans dots is becoming more common. And there’s other examples which have never had dots, like nvm and af
CoggyMcFee@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Using the period with titles is standard in the US and leaving out the period is standard in the UK.
Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg 8 months ago
As a non-Christian, I never made that Xmas connection. It sounds cool, but I was never sure why anyone started calling that (and evidently never curious enough to go looking for an answer or even really ask, I just kinda took it as one of those things that is how it is because people are going to people).
Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Oddly enough, people who didn’t know that part of the history got angry “they took Christ out of Christmas!” So then people who liked the holiday but not the religion used it to do exactly that. As you say, people people.
Akuchimoya@startrek.website 8 months ago
As a non-Christian, I never made that Xmas connection.
Well, as a Christian, I wouldn’t feel bad about it because the poster is not correct. The X in Xmas does not stand for a cross, it comes from the Greek spelling of Christ which is Χριστός. The chi-rho symbol (☧) is an imposition of the first two letters (Χ and ρ) and is still commonly used to refer to Christ in some denominations.
As a bonus: if you’ve ever wondered (or not wondered) why some Christian symbolism uses a fish, ἸΧΘΥΣ (or ICTHYS) is an acronym for Ἰησοῦς Χρῑστός Θεοῦ Υἱός Σωτήρ, “which translates into English as ‘Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior’.” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichthys) This has been used since the first century.
Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg 8 months ago
if you’ve ever wondered (or not wondered) why some Christian symbolism uses a fish, ἸΧΘΥΣ (or ICTHYS) is an acronym for Ἰησοῦς Χρῑστός Θεοῦ Υἱός Σωτήρ
And that presumably is drawn as a fish in some language?
GrayBackgroundMusic@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Edit: anyone else always pronounce PED XING as pedexing instead of pedestrian crossing?
Yes, that’s how I pronounce it.
squaresinger@feddit.de 8 months ago
Both Dr and Dr. are possible.
Rouxibeau@lemmy.world 8 months ago
When you type Dr., et al., you normally follow it with a proper noun. Why is the auto caps an issue?
edgemaster72@lemmy.world 8 months ago
For instance, if you want to text someone “I have an appointment with the Dr. at 11 on Tuesday”. Depending on the dr’s name it might be more to type than someone cares to, especially if it isn’t the most pertinent piece of information.
Rouxibeau@lemmy.world 8 months ago
If you are gonna put Dr then odds are you’ll follow with @ and it’s a non-issue.
deranger@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Don’t forget re: which means regarding or in reference to, not reply.
Taniwha420@lemmy.world 8 months ago
… I think it’s actually a Latin word, “re,”, meaning, “the matter (subject)” not an abbreviation at all.
user134450@feddit.de 8 months ago
yeah this is a real pet peeve of mine.
In German many people, web mailers and also sometimes even email software use “AW:” (short for AntWort) instead of “Re:” and then some of them don’t even recognize the existence of a previous “AW:” or “Re:” giving you such wondrous email subjects as: “AW: Re: AW: Re: AW: AW: Re: AW: Re: really important subject” 🤦
squaresinger@feddit.de 8 months ago
Oh, that totally works with a single language too: “Re: Re: Re:…” or “AW: AW: AW:…” seen both of that often enough.
GrayBackgroundMusic@lemm.ee 8 months ago
“AW: Re: AW: Re: AW: AW: Re: AW: Re:
Ah, yes, you get forwards from my boomer-aged father, too!
Taniwha420@lemmy.world 8 months ago
The Foreword? Or is that answer? Forward in English would be the author’s message at the beginning of a book.
Rentlar@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
don’t forget using contractions on single words, like cont’d, pop’n (sometimes written pop^n^)
TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee 8 months ago
don’t forget x in medical settings. eg, dx is diagnose, tx is treatment, etc
seitanic@lemmy.sdf.org 8 months ago
Those are initialisms, not acronyms.
Klear@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Wikipedia at least sees initialisms as a type of acronyms. But even if it didn’t, your comment would still be unhelpful pedantry.
ijeff@lemdro.id 8 months ago
I’m not the person you were replying to, but the source linked on the wiki for that statement actually refers to them as being distinct.
Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Abbreviate using the first and then any choice of following letter that differentiates it from the other possibilities in a specific group: AL, AR, AK, AZ… MA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT… WA, WI, WV, WY!
Wifimuffins@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Well tbf those are post codes designed by the postal service to represent states. I wouldn’t really count it as a naturally developed abbreviation like the ones above, it’s no different from .fr, .es, .co.uk, etc.
The abbreviations for states used before the two-letter ones, however, are much weirder! E.g. Penna. for Pennsylvania
Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Tbf iirc the USPS had to make sure they didn’t conflict with other previously existing abbreviations. Although as someone living in LA, CA* they didn’t quite succeed
(Not Louisiana, Canada but the other one)
ValiantDust@feddit.de 8 months ago
Abbreviate keeping the first and some random later consonants (and sometimes consonants that aren’t in the word at all) without using punctuation: Dr, Mr, Ms, Mrs
I think it’s usually the first letter(s) and the last letter(s). In older English handwritings I’ve come across M.ʳ etc. So I think that’s were those came from.
uniqueid198x@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 months ago
In the Speedwriting shorthand system, developed in 1924 for use with typewriter, / Is used to denote omitted sylables, so ‘with’ becomes w/ and ‘without’ becomes w/o. Here is a pretty deep guide on the precepts of Speedwriting:
squaresinger@feddit.de 8 months ago
But shouldn’t “w/o” then be written as “w/o/”?
uniqueid198x@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 months ago
Yeah. I have no evidence that this system invented those shortcuts, they may predate it by quite a bit
Etterra@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Except Dr., Mr., ie., etc. use a period.
squaresinger@feddit.de 8 months ago
Both versions exist: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_(title)#Abbreviati…
Trex202@lemmy.one 8 months ago
What about acronyms and initialization?
candybrie@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I’m used to Dr., Mr., Mrs. all needing the dot.
I’d also add the medical ones which all use x, and most use the first letter of the word, but not all:
Izzgo@kbin.social 8 months ago
I learned similar shorthand from an accountant, who wrote transfer (money transfer between accounts) as tx.
squaresinger@feddit.de 8 months ago
Both are possible: Dr and Dr.
Never heard of the x version. Very interresting.
railsdev@programming.dev 8 months ago
I think the lack of period is British-style while keeping it is more US-centric.
I’m American but I think the British style looks a lot cleaner, Ms Smith. 🤤
squaresinger@feddit.de 8 months ago
Might be. I’m neither Brit nor American, so I learned both.
GrayBackgroundMusic@lemm.ee 8 months ago
I work in radio electronics and RX is receive. TX is transmit.