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
Comment on Where did the abbreviation "w/" for "with" come from?
squaresinger@feddit.de 2 years 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)
Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 2 years ago
CoggyMcFee@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Using the period with titles is standard in the US and leaving out the period is standard in the UK.
GrayBackgroundMusic@lemm.ee 2 years ago
Edit: anyone else always pronounce PED XING as pedexing instead of pedestrian crossing?
Yes, that’s how I pronounce it.
Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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?
squaresinger@feddit.de 2 years ago
Both Dr and Dr. are possible.
Rouxibeau@lemmy.world 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years ago
If you are gonna put Dr then odds are you’ll follow with @ and it’s a non-issue.
Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 2 years ago
Because, as you probably just noticed, it’s sometimes part of a sentence, used without the name. Maybe I’m texting “Dr says it’s not a tumor, I’m pregnant” or something.
In addition, Dr (w/ or w/o .) sometimes means Drive, and USPS sorting machines prefer no dots, so that might also drive autotype to choose dotless, or at least offer it.
deranger@sh.itjust.works 2 years ago
Don’t forget re: which means regarding or in reference to, not reply.
Taniwha420@lemmy.world 2 years ago
… I think it’s actually a Latin word, “re,”, meaning, “the matter (subject)” not an abbreviation at all.
user134450@feddit.de 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years ago
“AW: Re: AW: Re: AW: AW: Re: AW: Re:
Ah, yes, you get forwards from my boomer-aged father, too!
Taniwha420@lemmy.world 2 years 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 2 years ago
don’t forget using contractions on single words, like cont’d, pop’n (sometimes written pop^n^)
TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee 2 years ago
don’t forget x in medical settings. eg, dx is diagnose, tx is treatment, etc
seitanic@lemmy.sdf.org 2 years ago
Those are initialisms, not acronyms.
Klear@lemmy.world 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years ago
But shouldn’t “w/o” then be written as “w/o/”?
uniqueid198x@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 years ago
Yeah. I have no evidence that this system invented those shortcuts, they may predate it by quite a bit
Etterra@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Except Dr., Mr., ie., etc. use a period.
squaresinger@feddit.de 1 year ago
Both versions exist: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_(title)#Abbreviati…
Trex202@lemmy.one 2 years ago
What about acronyms and initialization?
candybrie@lemmy.world 2 years 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 2 years ago
I learned similar shorthand from an accountant, who wrote transfer (money transfer between accounts) as tx.
squaresinger@feddit.de 2 years ago
Both are possible: Dr and Dr.
Never heard of the x version. Very interresting.
GrayBackgroundMusic@lemm.ee 2 years ago
I work in radio electronics and RX is receive. TX is transmit.