Sunday, May 29, 2016

terminology - Is there a distinct term for acronyms with multi-letter parts?



Is there a distinct term for acronyms with multi-letter parts, particularly in title case?



My motivating examples are:





Technical linguistic terms like "clipping compounds" are acceptable parts of answers, but I think this has already been covered on ELU[1][2], and I'm not really looking for the linguistics answer. I'm really interested in popular jargons or slangs for this kind of naming from any groups (current or historical) that have done it. For example, in computer programming culture the jargon for the similar practice of textWithCapsAndNoSpaces is called "camel case."




Both "_Con" and "Na__Mo" seem to be meme-like, almost like snoclone "phrasal templates." They both use the same partial-word, initial caps (ParWorInCap!) style of abbreviation.



Does this style of naming itself have a name?



Research:



I know that abbreviations, contractions, acronyms, and initialisms are already much discussed on ELU and elsewhere, and (non)distinctions are sometimes contested. To sum up common distinctions:




  • abbreviations are any shortening of a word
    (Dr. <- Doctor)



    1. contractions are abbreviations that combine words by ommitting first/last
      (don't <- do not)

    2. apocopations are abbreviations that drop the end from a single word or separate words in a phrase [*]
      (photo <- photograph)
      (po-mo <- post-modern)

    3. acronyms are abbreviations from each initial letter or letters


      • ...each initial letter:
        (NASA <- National Aeronautics and Space Administration)



        • initialisms are acronyms in which letters are pronounced:
          (NSA <- National Security Agency)


      • ...initial letter groups, sometimes called clipping compounds [*][**]:
        (Nabisco <- National Biscuit Company)
        (ampersand <- and per se and)




Answer



They are known as camel case words or abbreviations (at least, they are in the software industry).



Wikipedia: Camel case



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