EOBM Acronym {ABBREVIATION N O T A N " A C R O N Y M " !}

[John Bruner]

On Tue, 20 Oct 1998, Karstad-Schueler wrote:
> Taxacomers,
> Before we start writing "EOBM" on labels in our new museum, we've got to
> scan the horizon for other institutions with the same acronym. I've lost
> the bookmarks to acronym sites that I'd accumulated from previous
> exchanges on this subject, so I'd appreciate any help.
> thank you,
> fred schueler.
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>          Eastern    Ontario    Biodiversity    Museum
>                 Grenville Co, Ontario, Canada
> (RR#2 Oxford Station, K0G 1T0) (613)258-3107   bckcdb at istar.ca
> ------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Dr. Fred Schueler:
        "EOBM" would be an abbreviation (entomologists use coden I think)
but not an ACRONYM.  All acronyms are abbreviations but not all
abbreviations are acronyms.  Examples of acronyms, are SNAFU, RADAR, and
SCUBA.  The difference is that these are "words" that have been formed from
the first letter or several letters in a string of words to form an
abbreviation.  "AMNH", "USNM", "CAS", "FMNH" are all abbreviations not
acronyms.  They are not pronounced as words.  I used "acronym" incorrectly
in one of my previous drafts of my Ph.D. thesis and my committee came down
on me for using it instead of "abbreviation."  The journal Copeia, I note,
uses "acronym" incorrectly about 3 times/year.  The American Society of
Ichthyologists and Herpetologists maintains a website that has a list of
all the abbreviations for museums  with fish collections.  It is a fairly
extensive list and would get you started.

ASIH website: http://www.utexas.edu/depts/asih/

        John
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*   Mr. John Clay Bruner                                     *
*   Department of Biological Sciences                        *
*   University of Alberta                                    *
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