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mayidunk

mayidunk

A man of dubious taste...
Why Do We Have Such A Penchant For Using Acronyms, Initials, And Jargon?

[rant]
I keep coming across posts where people sprinkle incomprehensible acronyms and initials! I'm aware that there is a glossary (in the form of a sticky thread) explaining many of them, such as TT, CDP, etc. However there are so many more that are, for many of us, more of an obstacle to clear communication than they are a convenience! Many of us are not professionals in the audio field. Many don't recognize terms such as "FOH engineer" as meaning "front of the house sound board engineer," or simply, "the guy at the sound board!" Some even create their own acronyms and jargon ("trafos" to mean transformers, for instance) and expect others to figure it out for themselves!

(I know, "trafo" actually does exist in some urban dictionaries available on the web...)

I know that it's accepted that people, when discussing things with their peers, will use accepted jargon, however there are many people reading those posts who are not their peers. Perhaps it might benefit others if people would at least stop using incomprehensible acronyms, or "list what the acronym means" (LWTAM) as a courtesy to others who may not be as adept at "acronymese" as others?
[/rant]

My opinion only... thanks for letting me vent!

:D
 
Last edited:
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Ifydgia.sat

It used to bother me. But I looked them up. Or eventually got it.

It's part of the self-learning osmosis. Patience is key.

HDYEAE?OBAAT.

How Do You Eat An Elephant? One bite at A Time.

>> Some people also ask as they come up and get immediate responses.

The previously mentioned sticky thread is a good foundation.

Any hobby or organization has their acronyms and jargon. The military, law enforcement, sports, etc. Not unique to AK. There's an understood learning curve and responsibility for rookies to put some effort into understanding the nuances of communication within even those specialties.

By the time people utter or text, "Duck You Sucker. Inbound Rocket Propelled Grenade." It may be too late or SOL if you never learned -- or you may develop Carpal Tunnel typing everything out if you tend to be wordy.

IMHO YMMV

IYDGI-A.SAT
IF YOU DON'T GET IT - ASK. SIMPLE AS THAT
 
sebrof said:
Bob - I was trying to understand your equipment list in your signature.
What means "Cans?"
Click to expand...

"Cans" are permissions, just as "Can'ts" are prohibitions.

Ok, I just made that up.
Booo, Hisss...:thumbsdn:

AFAIK, Cans is a jargon term for headphones, however YMMV.
 
When I first arrived at AK, I was confused by the use of the acronyms "TOTL" and "BOTL". However, after consulting the ever-handy Acronym Finder, I realized that they referred to "top of the line" and "bottom of the line", respectively. :)
-Adam
 
"Cans" is radio jargon for headphones. I think its also military jargon, though its hard to say which originated it.
 
If most of the members are like me, they can't type, but rather hunt and peck so the acronyms save time and effort on the keypad. One of my AK favorites, though not an acronym, is unobtanium. The first time I saw it used, I knew exactly what it meant.
 
Every environment and discipline has it's "language" (music, the sciences, art). If you want to fit comfortably into it's world you have to take it upon yourself to master it's language. That is, unless Congress in this case passes a law requiring the mandatory teaching of ASL, which could mean Audio as a Second Language.

I am reminded that ASL has other important meanings as well.
 
Acronyms? :wtf:

We use them because a group's "special" language- as also used here at AK- allows members to abbreviate often-used words and still be understood. It's shorthand, if you will. Anyone who wants to type out "turntable" instead of TT or "Bottom of the Line" instead of BOTL is certainly free to do so (or for that matter, use the dyslexic "scroe" for "score").

It's part of the "code-talking" done by groups with a common interest. I have gone to other blogs for other interests, and been bewildered by some of the acronyms. Like any "shorthand" it takes some practice...
 
Back in my Army days, there was a Field Manual containing thousands of acronyms, abbreviations, and brevity codes. The proper way to use them is to spell out the item first, followed by the abbreviation, etc. in parenthesis i.e. turntable (TT). Then thruout the rest of the correspondence, every other usage could be abbreviated.
I am a product of the typewriter and carbon copy days.
Just wanted to share that! (JWTST!).
 
What's millions times worse is children (especially your stepsons) start SPEAKING in textese.... "OMG" and (this actually occurred ) "I K......R?"

God help us the day someone utters "FWIW" aloud.


;-)


Matt
 
First time I saw FTW, I was thinking it meant, "Fut the wuck?!" Then I read that it meant, "For the win." To which my response was, "WTF?!"
 
mayidunk said:
Why Do We Have Such A Penchant For Using Acronyms, Initials, And Jargon?

[rant]
I keep coming across posts where people sprinkle incomprehensible acronyms and initials! I'm aware that there is a glossary (in the form of a sticky thread) explaining many of them, such as TT, CDP, etc. However there are so many more that are, for many of us, more of an obstacle to clear communication than they are a convenience! Many of us are not professionals in the audio field. Many don't recognize terms such as "FOH engineer" as meaning "front of the house sound board engineer," or simply, "the guy at the sound board!" Some even create their own acronyms and jargon ("trafos" to mean transformers, for instance) and expect others to figure it out for themselves!

(I know, "trafo" actually does exist in some urban dictionaries available on the web...)

I know that it's accepted that people, when discussing things with their peers, will use accepted jargon, however there are many people reading those posts who are not their peers. Perhaps it might benefit others if people would at least stop using incomprehensible acronyms, or "list what the acronym means" (LWTAM) as a courtesy to others who may not be as adept at "acronymese" as others?
[/rant]

My opinion only... thanks for letting me vent!

:D
Click to expand...

Its a HOBBY and one of the fun things about a HOBBY is learning all the details. Like what the acronyms mean.
 
JesusChrysler said:
What's millions times worse is children (especially your stepsons) start SPEAKING in textese.... "OMG" and (this actually occurred ) "I K......R?"

God help us the day someone utters "FWIW" aloud.


;-)


Matt
Click to expand...

The OMG and some others I have heard from my sons. One that is funny is with the ofttimes multiple artists on new songs, it will be "Artist 1 feat Artist 2". I hear this said as feat or feats and not featuring. Which does make me twitch slightly.

ec1st said:
Every environment and discipline has it's "language" (music, the sciences, art). If you want to fit comfortably into it's world you have to take it upon yourself to master it's language. That is, unless Congress in this case passes a law requiring the mandatory teaching of ASL, which could mean Audio as a Second Language.

I am reminded that ASL has other important meanings as well.
Click to expand...

Loving the Audio as Second Language!
 
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