Khóa luận A study on English acronym in the names of international organizations

Nội dung text: Khóa luận A study on English acronym in the names of international organizations

1. BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC DÂN LẬP HẢI PHềNG \\\\ ISO 9001 : 2008 \\ KHểA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP NGÀNH: NGOẠI NGỮ HẢI PHềNG - 2010
2. HAIPHONG PRIVATE UNIVESITY FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT GRADUATION PAPER A STUDY ON ENGLISH ACRONYM IN THE NAMES OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS By: Vũ Thị Ngọc Anh Class: Na1001 Supervisor: Mai Văn Sao, M.A HAI PHONG - 2010
3. BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC DÂN LẬP HẢI PHềNG Nhiệm vụ đề tài tốt nghiệp Sinh viờn: Mó số: Lớp: Ngành: Tờn đề tài:
4. Nhiệm vụ đề tài 1. Nội dung và cỏc yờu cầu cần giải quyết trong nhiệm vụ đề tài tốt nghiệp ( về lý luận, thực tiễn, cỏc số liệu cần tớnh toỏn và cỏc bản vẽ). 2. Cỏc số liệu cần thiết để thiết kế, tớnh toỏn. 3. Địa điểm thực tập tốt nghiệp.
5. CÁN BỘ HƯỚNG DẪN ĐỀ TÀI Người hướng dẫn thứ nhất: Họ và tờn: Học hàm, học vị: Cơ quan cụng tỏc: Nội dung hướng dẫn: Người hướng dẫn thứ hai: Họ và tờn: Học hàm, học vị: Cơ quan cụng tỏc: Nội dung hướng dẫn: Đề tài tốt nghiệp được giao ngày 12 thỏng 04 năm 2010 Yờu cầu phải hoàn thành xong trước ngày 10 thỏng 07 năm 2010 Đó nhận nhiệm vụ ĐTTN Đó giao nhiệm vụ ĐTTN Sinh viờn Người hướng dẫn Hải Phũng, ngày thỏng năm 2010 HIỆU TRƯỞNG GS.TS.NGƯT Trần Hữu Nghị
6. PHẦN NHẬN XẫT TểM TẮT CỦA CÁN BỘ HƯỚNG DẪN 1. Tinh thần thỏi độ của sinh viờn trong quỏ trỡnh làm đề tài tốt nghiệp: 2. Đỏnh giỏ chất lượng của khúa luận (so với nội dung yờu cầu đó đề ra trong nhiệm vụ Đ.T. T.N trờn cỏc mặt lý luận, thực tiễn, tớnh toỏn số liệu ): 3. Cho điểm của cỏn bộ hướng dẫn (ghi bằng cả số và chữ): . Hải Phũng, ngày thỏng năm 2010 Cỏn bộ hướng dẫn (họ tờn và chữ ký)
7. NHẬN XẫT ĐÁNH GIÁ CỦA NGƯỜI CHẤM PHẢN BIỆN ĐỀ TÀI TỐT NGHIỆP 1. Đỏnh giỏ chất lượng đề tài tốt nghiệp về cỏc mặt thu thập và phõn tớch tài liệu, số liệu ban đầu, giỏ trị lớ luận và thực tiễn của đề tài. 2. Cho điểm của người chấm phản biện : (Điểm ghi bằng số và chữ) Ngày thỏng năm 2010 Người chấm phản biện
8. Acknowledgements In the process of completing this graduation paper, I have received a great deal of help, guidance and encouragement from many teachers and friends. First of all, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor, Mr. Mai Van Sao M.A who has given me suggestions on how to shape the study always been most willing and ready to give me valuable advice, helpful comments as well as correction of my graduation paper. Next, I would like to express my gratitude to other teachers in Foreign Language Department for their previous lectures and instructions during four years which help me much in completing this study. Finally, I would like to thank my family and my friends who have always encouraged, supported and helped me to complete this study. Haiphong, June 2010 Student Vu Thi Ngoc Anh
9. Table of contents Acknowledgement Part I: Introduction. 1. Reasons of the study. 1 2. Scope of the study. 1 3. Method of the study. 2 4. Design of the study. 2 Part II: Development. 4 Chapter 1: Theoretical background. 4 1. Introducing acronyms. 4 2. Definition of the acronym. 5 3. Classification of the acronym. 6 A. Monograms based on the letter in one design 6 B. Homonymy- based on acronyms. 7 4. Rules of writing the acronym. 7 A. Some general rules of writing the acronym. 7 B. Some specific cases of writing the acronym. 9 Chapter 2: Names of international organizations. 13 I. Names of international organizations stand for in different majors. 13 1. Names of Military Organization. 13 2. Names of Economic Organization 14 3. Names of Environmental Organization 19 4. Names of Agricultural Organization. 21 5. Names of Educational Organization. 22 6. Names of Health Organization. 25 7. Names of Funds. 27 8. Names of United Union systems. 28 II. Names of International are used widely in Vietnam as mother tongue. . 30 Chapter 3: Finding and Implication 32 I. Finding 32
10. II. Some suggestions to study acronym words. 33 III. How to spell and pronounce the acronym. 34 IV. Some mistakes when using acronym words and solution to fix it. 37 V. Suggestion for further study. 40 Part III: Conclusion. 42 References 44
11. Part I: Introduction 1. Reasons of the study Nowadays, learning a foreign language is one of great importance, especially English. To learn English is not an easy job. One of the problems that learners of English face with is how to master acronyms. Some of main reasons can be summarized as follow: The first, everyday more and more acronyms appear, while old ones are becoming faded. Not few acronyms are used widely as mother tongue. No sooner had we learnt to prefer to the Common Market as the EC rather than the EEC, then it became the EU. The second, one problem with acronym that is pronounceable as a word when meet a new one in print, but it may be not known which way to pronounce correctly. This is a problem now that all acronyms tend to be written without full stops. A full stop after each letter usually means that the acronym is pronounced as a string of letters. The third, an acronym word does not realize surely, misunderstanding and confusion are therefore unavoidable. All the mentioned reasons explain the decision of choosing the thesis “Acronym in the name of international organizations” to study, and it is expected to provide English learners with much more helpful information about acronyms. 2. Scope of the study: When studying a foreign language, learners tend to study grammatical structures and only focus on the meaning of new words in isolation without paying much attention to the acronyms. There are many issues of linguistic semantics, however, due to the limitation of time and knowledge, this paper only focus on the acronym - names of the international organization. All the rest are to be left for further 1
12. research. Although the best trying have been carried out the study but this paper cannot provide a summary of all acronyms. The understanding of the acronym in terms of definitions as well as types will be expressed in details. Finally, names of popular organizations which are acronyms will be given out. In daily conversation, it is recognized that people use many acronyms. If they are not realized, people cannot understand what they mean. And this paper is aimed at studying some typical factors to solve difficulties facing the learners of English vocabulary. 3. Method of the study: With a view to helping Vietnamese learners of English enlarge their vocabulary and gain a general understanding of the acronym, the study generalizes and gives out many different notions and information about the acronym as much as possible. All notions and information are generalized and analyzed from many kinds of documents. Also, the origins of acronym, present the acronym of organizations will be explained. All the illustrated examples are quoted from vocabulary books, linguistic books, dictionaries and internet source. Moreover, this study is also based on the personal experience in life and the knowledge that have been improved at university. 4. Design of the study: This study consists of three parts, of which the second is the most important. Part I is the introduction which states the reasons of the study, the scope of the study, the method of the study and the design of the study. Part II- development is the main content that includes three chapters. The first chapter provides a theoretical background. It focuses on some general definitions, types, rules in writing the acronym. The second chapter, names of international organizations will be investigated. In the last chapter - 2
13. Implication, some suggestions when using acronym are presented. Besides, some mistakes, misunderstandings of the acronym in daily life will be given out and how to solve it. Part III is the conclusion of the whole study which is summarized the matter discussed in part II. 3
14. Part II: Development Chapter I: Theoretical background I/ An introduction of the acronym Nowadays, acronyms became a part of ours life. Acronyms are used widely in every aspect such as: reading, speaking, writing, listening, communication, etc Any shortened form of a word is an abbreviation, for example, "etc." for "etcetera" and "Oct." for "October;" but acronyms are special kinds of abbreviations that can be pronounced as words, such as "NASA" (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and "OPEC" (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries). This makes acronyms a subset of abbreviations. All acronyms are abbreviations, but not all abbreviations are acronyms. Most people need an explanation as to what an acronym stands for. Thus the first time an organization is introduced in a piece of writing, the accepted practice is to write it out in full and insert the acronym in brackets after the full name. e.g., North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Marine Corps Development and Education Command (MCDEC) Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Atlantic Free Trade Area (AFTA) However, if the name of the organization is again used at the start of the next sentence or near enough to name written out in full for the connection between them to be made by the reader, there seems no need to put the acronym in bracket after the full name. There is, of course, no need to give the 4
15. acronym at all if the organization is only mentioned once in the piece of writing. The only exception general allowed to this “ introduced rule” is where an acronym is so well-known that it is used in common speech more often than the full name, e.g., the CIA, FBI, BBC and VOA. These and similar well-known acronym can be used the first time the organization to which they refer is mentioned in a piece of writing. II/ Definitions of the acronym Acronyms are abbreviations, which are formed using the initial letters of words or word parts in a phrase or name: + BBC = British Broadcasting Corporation. + UNO = United Nations Organization + UNESCO= United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. + ASAP = as soon as possible + BTW = by the way - Some acronyms are existing words taken over as more easily used alternatives to full forms for example: + AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. + WASP from White Anglo- Saxon Protestant. + ASEM stands for Asia- Europe Meeting. + B.A: Bachelor of Arts. + I.Q: Intelligence quotient. - Some organizations deliberately choose terms for products, projects, or equipment so that the initials will make an existing name. + An example of this is LCD, from Liquid Crystal Display. This is a kind of screen used on TV or computer, laptop + ATM: automatic teller machine, a kind of machine from which allowed to withdrawal the cash. 5
16. + CPU= Central processing unit. - There short and friendly - sounding name suggest something pleasant and accessible. It is used commonly in speaking, writing on message and internet like: + Numbers: 2= to/ two; 4= for/ four; 8 = ate / eight + Letters: U = you; C = see; B= be. + Texts: LOL = lots of love / laugh out loud; newayz = anyways; lata = later [bye]; gtg = gotta go; noe = know; TTYL = talk to you later; ss = so sorry; wan2tlk = want to talk; tc = take care; np = no problem; sul = see you later; cya = see ya= see you again; j/k = just kidding; bbl = be back later; etc - Campaigning organizations, in particular, choose names to yield an acronym that is suggestive of their aims. + ASH stand for Action on Smoking and Health, wants people to stop smoking. + GASP is the Group Against Smog Pollution. + SCUM is the Society for Cutting Up Men, wants to attract your attention. III/ Classification of the acronym It is interesting to include here two special cases of acronyms: Monograms and Homonyms - based acronyms. 1. Monograms: A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol or one design. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbols or logos. A series of uncombined initials is properly referred to as a cipher and is not a monogram. They are usually used in hand- kerchiefs, note-paper and in wedding invitations cards. 6
17. Monograms have been used as signatures by artists and craftsmen on paintings, sculptures and pieces of furniture. Some companies and organizations adopt a monogram for a logo, usually with the letters of their acronym. For example, as well as having an official seal, and the Texas Longhorns logo, the University of Texas at Austin uses a "UT" monogram (in the same color as the Longhorns logo, burnt orange). - There are some pictures to illustrate of monograms: ặ 2. Homonyms: Homonyms- based acronyms are based on the use of identical sounds of words and letters. These words are usually used in common speaking, letter, magazine, paper, television, and internet, especially, in email and chatting. e.g., I.O.U - I owe you G9 - Good night B4 - Before O.I.C - Oh I see N - And CU29 - See you tonight TMR - Tomorrow 10Q - Thank you IV/ Rules of writing the acronym Acronyms are shortened forms of words or short words made up of group of letters. Their purposes have provided readily understandable 7
18. substitutes for clusters of words and aid the reading effort. However, to the confusion of readers, there are few acronyms whose form has been standardized internationally. A. Some general rules of writing the acronym - The first time using an acronym, it should be used the full name and the acronym in brackets, e.g.: "According to a report of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the levels of " Later in the text, people can assume the acronym to be known and only use the acronym. If it only returns in the text much further, author may even want to remind the reader of the full name. - To identify them as acronym, most writers will insert a period after the acronym of a word and after each letter that represents words in a phrase. But again, there are many exceptions; for example, the United States can be abbreviates as U.S or US. - A capitalized letter is often used to present each word in a phrase (the only exceptions being the articles: and, on, of, the). For example, the radio broadcast station Voice of America‟s name is abbreviated as either V.O.A or VOA. - Originally intended to facilitate the shorthand transcription of conversation onto paper, when an abbreviation becomes commonly used in conversations, it may be considered as an acronym. - Acronyms that are commonly used in English do not have to be introduced. For example: e.g., BBC, km. For a technical audience, people can assume that acronyms of commonly used technical measures are understood, such as ppm and ppb, but rather include the explanation (parts per million, parts per billion) in case of doubt. - Names of organizations or policy plans can be long and cumbersome in text and conversation. Thus, people tend to abbreviate them to save space or time. However, acronyms create a jargon that can be hard to understand for 8
19. outsiders. Good and clear academic writing assumes a reader who has a general academic training, but lacks specialized knowledge of the topic of writing. As a result, need to be careful with acronyms, even if they have become very familiar to people. - Names of Organizations are most often written as a string of capital letters without full stops, but practice is variable, and Unesco may be seen U.N.E.S.C.O as well as UNESCO. - If it is addressed a non-specialist audience, try to reduce the number of acronyms in a text to the minimum. For example, organization names that only use once will not have to be abbreviated. If it is used twice, perhaps people can avoid the second one with "this organization" or some other reference. In many cases, over-enthusiastic writers include acronyms that are not essential for the analysis. These can be referred to footnotes or even left out altogether. B. Some specific cases of writing the acronym. 1. Lower case acronyms: Learners read by moving their eyes from right to left across a line of letters which are broken up into groups called words. Lower case letters are preferable because they are quicker and easier to read and do not interrupt the word- flow by making the eyes move up and down. Therefore, as a general rule, capitals should not be used unless there is a good reason to do, e.g., to show the beginning of a sentence. Thus, measures such as „kg‟, „km‟ and „kph‟ are nearly always in lower case. When they preceded by a figure, the modern practice is not to put a space between the figure and the acronym, e.g., 0pm, 20lb, 80 kph, 50mph, and so on. 2. Common phrases: By common consensus, acronyms of common phrase, such as „i.e.‟ for „that is‟, are also in lower case. 9
20. In modern written English, there are no points (periods or full stops) between the letters (are used to be the case) because these are considered redundant as they do not add to the recognizing of the acronyms. All readers instinctively understand what „i.e‟, „e.g‟, „viz‟ and „etc‟ stand for. However, these acronyms are nearly always followed by a comma (which represents the natural pause when saying these phrases out loud), though the comma could be considered as a fragment. 3. Capitalizing acronyms: In most other cases acronyms are nearly always capitalized even where they refer to phrases or groups of related words that do not take initial capitals because they consist of common nouns, such as CAP stands for Common Agricultural Policy, GDP stands for Gross Domestic Product. The purpose of this capitalization is to make the acronym more recognizable as such which, in these cases, outweighs the need to keep the flow of words as smooth as possible. The plural of these acronyms is always indicated by a lower case‟s, e.g., IOUs. Acronyms that are combinations of several words, each of which is abbreviated to more than one letter, are a mixture of capital and lower case letters. These mainly occur in academic titles. Each element of the combined acronym begins with a capital letter and lower case is used for the other letters as in, for example, PhysD, BComm, and BEng. 4. Names of persons: There also seems to be no need for the points or periods between the initials of a person‟s name, which can nowadays be considered totally redundant. „P.D.Kennedy‟, for example, is just as understandable as „PD Kennedy‟ and is also perhaps quicker to read. However, when the initial of a person are contained in a firm‟s official name, it would be respectful to follow what that organization does when it 10
21. writes its name, e.g., F.W.Woolworth. Note that when points are used after the initials there is no space between the first point and the next initial. 5. Scientific units: The acronym for most scientific units names after individuals such as Gabriel Fahrenheit, Anders Celsius, and James Watt, usually take an initial capital (perhaps out of respect for their illustrious eponyms). Thus we have „F‟, „C‟ and „W‟ for Fahrenheit, Centigrade and Watt respectively. However, any attachments to these acronyms denoting multiples go in lower case, unless the standard acronym for the attachments upper case. Thus we get „kw‟ for „kilowatt‟ (1,000 watts), and „mw‟ (one thousandth of a watt), but „Mw‟ (one million watts) as „M‟ is the internationally accepted standard for „million‟ when used in the metric system. 6. The Ampersand in acronyms: The generally accepted practice is that the ampersand should be used in an acronym when it is part of the name of an organization, e.g., AT&T. Note the lack of spaces on either side of the ampersand. It is also common practice to use the ampersand when a phrase consisting of common nouns which would normally have lower case initial letters is abbreviated, as in „R&D‟(Research and Development), „S&L‟( Savings and Loans).  So the important points can be summarized as follow: A term must be fully written the first time it is used, thereafter just the acronym is used. Explain what an acronym means the first time it occurs: American Psychological Association (APA). If an acronym is commonly used as a word, it does not require explanation (IQ, LSD, FBI, and ESP). To form plurals of abbreviations, add „s‟ alone, without apostrophe (PhDs, IQs, vols, Eds). 11
22. Use two-letter postal codes for U.S. states and Canadian provinces in references only (GA, PQ, etc.). V/ Why are the acronyms used widely? Acronyms are used to save time and space. Moreover, they may help to make long names of organizations and long technical terms easier to remember and less tedious to refer to repeatedly in an extended piece of writing such as in a newspaper article or textbook. The use of acronym has been further popularized with the emergence of Short Message Systems (SMS). In order to fit messages into the 160- Character limit of SMS, acronyms such as "GF" (girl friend), "LOL" (laughing out loud), and "DL" (download) and many acronyms have been popularized into the mainstream. In such context, if the acronym is not a very common one, the long name or technical letters is often given in full at the first mention, with the acronym in brackets after it. After that just the acronym is used. 12
23. Chapter II: Name of international organizations I/ Name of international organizations stand for in different majors. 1. Names of military organizations AADC: Area Air Defense Commander. AAFES: Army and Air Force Exchange Service. AAMDC: Army Air and Missile Defense Command (United States). ABCS: Army Battle Command System. ADFA: Australian Defense Force Academy. AEC: Atomic Energy Commission. AEF: American Expeditionary Forces. ATO: Antiterrorism Officer. AUS: Army of the Unites States. BDSA: Business and Defense Services Administration. CSCE: Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. CIA: Central Intelligence Agency. CIC: Counter Intelligence Corps. DARPA: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. DMB: Defense Mobilization Board. 13
24. DOD: Department Of Defense. DODAF: Department of Defense Architectural Framework. DSA: Defense Supply Agency. FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation. FSA: Federal Security Agency. G1: General staff level office for personnel and man power. G2: General staff level office for military intelligence. G3: General staff level office for operations plans. G4: General staff level office for logistics. G5: General staff level office for military/ civil affairs. G6: General staff level office for signal and communication. G7: General staff level office for training and exercises. G8: General staff level office for force development and analysis. G9: General staff level office for civil operations. IADB: International American Defense Board. IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency. IAF: Indian Air Force or Israel Air Force. MDAP: Mutual Defense Assistance Program. MAG: Military Advisory Group. NAC: National Agency Check. NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NSC: National Security Council. OCD: Office of Civil Defense. ROTC: Reserve Officer Training Corps. SAC: Strategic Air Command. SEATO: Southeast Asia Treaty Organization. SEC: Securities and Exchange Commission. UMTS: Universal Military Training Service. 14
25. USAF: United States Air Force. USAFE: United States Air Forces in Europe. USAR: United States Army Reserve. USCG: United States Coast Guard. UTA: Unit Training Assembly. XO: Executive Officer, usually the second command, regardless of rank. WAC: Women‟s Army Corps. 2. Names of economic organizations ADB: Asian Development Bank. AFDB: African Development Bank. AFTA: African Free Trade Area. APDC: Asian and Pacific Development Center. APEC: Asia pacific Economic Cooperation. ASDP: Asian Development Bank. ASEAN: Association of Southeast Asian nations. BEEPS: Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey. BIT: Bilateral Investment Treaty. CACM: Central American Common Market. CAEU: Council of Arab Economic Unity. CE: Council of Europe. CARICOM: Caribbean Community and Common Market. CCC: Customs Cooperation Council. CDB: Caribbean Development Bank. 15
26. CMEA: Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. CMS: Consumer Marketing Service. CIS: Commonwealth of Independent States. COCOM: Coordinating Committee on Export Controls. CPI: Consumer Price Index. CPE: Centrally Planned Economy. DC: Developed Country. EADB: East African Development Bank EBRD: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development EC: European Community. ECA: Economic Commission for Africa. ECAFE: Economic Commission for Asia and the East. ECE: Economic Commission for Europe. ECSC: European Coal and Steel Community. ECWA: Economic Commission for Western Asia. EEC: European Economic Community. EEZ: European Economic Zone. EFTA: European Free Trade Association. EIB: European Investment Bank. ESCAP: Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific. EU: European Union. FDI: Foreign Direct Investment. G-2: Group of 2. G-3: Group of 3. G-4: Group of 4. G-5: Group of 5. G-6: Group of 6. G-7: Group of 7. G-8: Group of 8. 16
27. G-9: Group of 9. G-10: Group of 10 G-11: Group of 11 G-19: Group of 19 G-24: Group of 24 G-30: Group of 30. G-33: Group of 33. G-77: Group of 77. GATT: General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. GDP: Gross Domestic Product. GNP: Gross National Product. GSTP: Global System of Trade Preferences. IBEC: International Bank for Economic Cooperation. IBRD: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. ICFTU: International Confederation of Free Trade Union. IDA: International Development Association. IDB: Islamic Development Bank. IEA: International Energy Agency. IFC: International Finance Corporation. IIB: International Investment Bank. IMO: International Maritime Organization. ISO: International Organization for Standardization. ITO: International Trade Organization. ITU: International Telecommunication Union. LAES: Latin American Economic System. LAFTA: Latin American Free Trade Association LAIA: Latin American Integration Association. LDC: Less Developed Country. LLDC: Least Developed Country. 17
28. MSMEs: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. MTBF: Medium- Term Budget Framework. NAFTA: North American Free Trade Area. NIB: Nordic Investment Bank. NIE: Newly Industrializing Economy. OAPEC: Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries. ODA: Official Development Assistance. OECD: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. OEO: Office of Economic Opportunity. OIT: Office of International Trade. OPEC: Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. OTC: Organization for Trade Cooperation. SADC: Southern African Development Community. SBA: Small Business Administration. SMEs: Small and Medium Enterprises. SOEs: State Owned Enterprises. UNCTAD: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. UNDP: United Nations Development Program. UNIDO: United Nations Industrial Development Organization. WB: World Bank. WFTU: World Federation of Trade Unions. WTO: World Trade Organization. 18
29. 3. Names of Environmental organizations BADC: British Atmosphere Data Center. CAC: Centre for Atmospheric Chemistry (York, Canada). CAS: Centre for Atmospheric Science (Cambridge, UK). CDIAC: Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Central. CEES: Committee on Earth and Environmental Sciences. CEO: Centre for Earth Observation. CEOs: Committee on Earth Observation Satellites. CET: Central England Temperature. CGAM: Centre for Global Atmospheric Model. CPC: Climate Prediction Centre. EOSDIS: Earth Observing System Data and Information System. 19
30. EOS: Earth Observing system. EPA: Environmental Protection Agency (US). ERBE: Earth Radiation Budget Experiment. ERBS: Earth Radiation Budget Satellite. EROS: Earth Resources Observation System. ESSA: Environmental Science Services Administration. EUMAC: European Model of Atmospheric Constituents. FWS: Fish and Wildlife Service. GARP: Global Atmospheric Research Program. GCDIS: Global Change Data and Information System. GCOS: Global Climate Observing System. GCTE: Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems Program. GEDEX: Greenhouse Effect Detection Experiment. GEMS: Global Environmental Monitoring System. GEF: Global Environmental Facility. GEWEX: Global Energy and Water-cycle Experiment. GLOSS: Global Sea Level Observing System. GMSLP: Global Mean Sea Level Observing System. GOME: Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment. GOOS: Global Ozone Observing System. GOSTA: Global Ocean Surface Temperature Atlas. GPC: Global Processing Centre. GPCP: Global Precipitation Climatology Project. GWP: Global Warming Potential. HDP: Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change. IEOS: International Earth Observing System. IFS: Integrated Forecast System. MAPS: Measurement of Atmospheric Pollution from Satellites. NERC: National Environmental Research Council (UK). 20
31. NETC: National Environmental Technology Centre (UK). NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US). NSIDC: National Snow and Ice Data Center (US). NSSDC: National Space Science Data Center (US). NWS: National Weather Service (US). OSSA: Office of Space Science and Applications. TOGA: Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere. UARS: Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite. UCAR: University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. UGAMP: Universities Global Atmospheric Model Program. UNCED: United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. UNCEP: United Nations Environment Program. USFS: United States Forest Service. WCRP: World Climate Research Program. WWW: World Weather Watch. 4. Names of Agricultural Organizations. AFRC: Agricultural and Food Research Council. ARS: Agricultural Research Service. ASCS: Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service. ASSP: Agricultural Services Support Project. BAE: Bureau of Agricultural Economics. BLM: Bureau of land Management. COPA: Committee of Agricultural Organization. FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization. FAS: Foreign Agricultural Service. 21
32. FCA: Farm Credit Administration. FDA: Food and Drug Administration. FHA: Federal Housing Administration (Farmers Home Administration). REA: Rural Electrification Administration. URA: Urban Renewal Administration. USDA: United States Department of Agriculture. 5. Names of Educational Organizations AACTE: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. AAMC: Association of American Medical Colleges. AAPSP: American Association of Professional Sociological Practitioners. AAPT: American Association of Physics Teachers. AASA: American Association of School Administration. AASECT: American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists. ACCA: American College Counseling Association. 22
33. ACCFC: American College of Certified Forensic Counselors. ACEP: Association for Counselors and Educators in Government. ACEI: Association for Childhood Education International. ACES: Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. ACT: Academy for Coach Training. ACTFL: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language. BA: Bachelor of Arts. BBA: Bachelor Business Administration. BCT: Board Certified Trainer. BS: Bachelor of Science. BSHCS: Bachelor of Science in Health Care Services. BSN: Bachelor of Science in Nursing. BSW: Bachelor Degree in Social Work. CAS: Certified Addictions Specialist CATC: Certified Addictions Treatment Counselor. CCM: Certified Case Manager. CDE: Certified Diabetes Educator. CDMS: Certified Disability Management Specialist. CEAP: Certified Employee Assistance Professional. CFAE: Certified Forensic Addictions Examiner CFLE: Certified Family Life Educator. DES: Department of Education and Science. OSERS: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. ECCP: Examination of Clinical Counseling Practice. ECFMG: Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. E-IQ or EIQ: Emotional Intelligence Quotient. EPPP: Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology. ERCs: Education and Research Centers. ERIC: Education Resources Information Center. 23
34. ESG: Education Support Group. ESSCP: Elementary and Secondary School Counseling. FLE: Family Life Education. FTOP: Field Training Officers Program. GCDF: Global Career Development Facilitator. HEPP: HIV and Hepatitis Education Prison Project. LL.B: Bachelor of Laws. LL.D: Doctor of Laws. IAEAPE: International Association of Employee Assistance Programs in Education IAEDP: International Association of Eating Disorders. IAEVG: International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance. IELTS: International English Language Testing System. IEP: Individualized Education Program. ISSD: International Society for the Study of Dissociation. ISTE: International Society for Technology in Education. ITEA: International Technology Education Association. MA: Master of Arts. PAT: Practitioner Applicant for Trainer. PET: Preliminary English Test. PTA: Parent- Teachers‟ Association. TOEFL: Test of English Foreign Language. TOEIC: Test of English International Communication. TEP: Certified Trainer Educator Practitioner. TESOL: Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Language. TRS: Teachers‟ Retirement System. TSE: Test of Spoken English. TWE: Test of Written English. UKRC: United Kingdom Register of Counselors. 24
35. UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. 6. Names of Health Organizations AAPCHO: Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organization. ABHM: Association of Behavioral Healthcare Management. ABHW: Association of Behavioral Health and Wellness. AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. CAMHS: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. 25
36. CDC: Center for Disease Control and Prevention. DAWN: Drug Abuse Warning Network. DHHS: United States Department of Health and Human Services. EMS: Emergency Medical Services. EMT: Emergency Medical Technician. EHS: Environmental Health Services. FEHBP: Federal Employee Health Benefit Program. GCMH: Global Council for Mental Health. HBWD: Health Benefits for Workers with Disabilities. HCFA: Health Care Financing Administration. HCH: Health Care for the Homeless. HCP: Health Care Providers. HHS: United States Department of Health and Human Services. HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPDB: Healthcare Integrity Protection Data Bank. HIPSO: Healthcare Providers Service Organization. HIT: Health Information Technology. HJN: Health Justice Network. HMO: Health Maintenance Organization. HPQA: Health Professions Quality Assurance. NIH: National Institutes of Health. ICRC: International Committee of the Red Cross IMHO: Inventory of Mental Health Organizations. GHHHS: General Hospital Mental Health Service. OASDHI: Old- age, Survivors, Disability, and Health Insurance Program. OASI: Old- age, Survivors Insurance. OEP: Office of Emergency Preparedness. OHCA: Organized Health Care Arrangement. OWH: Office on Women‟s Health. 26
37. PHS: Public Health Service. SRS: Social and Rehabilitation Service. USPHS: United Nations Public Health Service. WHO: World Health Organization. 7. Names of Funds. ACF: Alhambra Charity Fund. ACF: AIDS Care Fund. ACF: Advocate Charitable Foundation. 27
38. ADF: Africa Development Fund. ADF: Asian Development Fund. AMF: Arab Monetary Fund. IFAD: International Fund for Agriculture Development. IMF: International Monetary Fund. ODA: Official Development Assistance. PFRDA: Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority. UNFPA: United Nations Fund for Population Activities. UNICEF: United Nations Children‟s Fund. SUNFEED: Special United Nations for Economic Development. 8. Names of United Nations systems. (UN or U.N or UNO or U.N.O) IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency. 28
39. IBRD: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. ICAO: International Civil Aviation Organization. IDA: International Development Association. IMCO: Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization. IMF: International Monetary Fund. ILO: International Labor Organization. IFAD: International Fund for Agricultural Development. IFC: International Finance Corporation. ITU: International Tele-communications Union. FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization. NUFPA: United Nations Fund for Population Activities. TC: Typhoon Committee. UNDP: United Nations Development Program. UNEP: United Nations Environment Program. UNESCO: UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNFPA: United Nations Fund for Population Activities. UNHCR: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. UNICEF: United Nations Children‟s Fund. UNIDO: United Nations Industrial Development Organization. UNIEF: United Nations Environment Program. UNIFIL: United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. UNITAR: United Nations Institute for Training and Research. UNMIH: United Nations Mission in Haiti. UNOMIG: United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia. UPU: Universal Postal Union. UNRISD: United Nations Research Institute for Social Development. UNRWA: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. UNTAC: United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia. 29
40. UNTSO: United Nations Truce Supervision Organization. UNU: United Nations University. WB: World Bank. WEF: World Economic Forum. WFC: World Food Council. WFP: World Food Program. WHO: World Health Organization. WIPO: World Intellectual Property Organization. WMO: World Meteorological Organization. II/ Names of International Organizations are used widely in Vietnam as mother tongue. 30
41. ADP: Asia Development Bank. AFTA: Free Trade Area. APEC: Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. ASEAN: Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ASEM: Asia Europe Meeting. BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation. CIA: Central Intelligence Agency. CNN: Cable News Network. EAEC: European Atomic Energy Community. EC: European Committee. EEC: European Economic Community. EMS: Express Mail Service. FAO: Food and Agricultural Organization. FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation. FDI: Foreign Direct Investment. FIFA: Federal International Football Association. GDP: Gross Domestic Product. GNI: Gross National Income. GNP: Gross National Product. IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency. IELTS: International English Language Testing System. IMF: International monetary Fund. ISO: International Standardization Organization. IT: Information Technology. LAN: Local Area Network. LASER: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. NAFTA: North American Free Trade Area. NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 31
42. OPEC: Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. TOEFL: Test of English as Foreign Language. UN- UNO: United Nations Organization. UNDP: United Nations Development Program. UNESCO: United nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNICEF: United Nations Children‟s Fund. WB: World Bank. WHO: World Health Organization. WTO: World Trade Organization. 32
43. Chapter III: Finding and implication I/ Finding: From the beginning, with a view to helping English learners, this study will be a glossary, a reference book or a mini dictionary to solve some difficulties in acronym vocabulary. Especially, it is very useful for people whose language is not English and Vietnamese students who have not got experience in English communication. Then it is conducted the research from a student. A survey has been given out in students of Haiphong Private University and some figures are summarized and generalized. With common acronyms as WTO, WHO, FBI, CIA, OPEC, APEC, etc, 87% of English learners realize and understand their Vietnamese meaning, but only 25% of them understand it exactly, all the rest do not understand what it stands for in English. So acronym is used widely in communication but not all of them are grasped the fundamental firmly. According to this survey, the way of study these acronyms should be focused carefully. At first, when meeting an acronym in the text, learner should find this acronym in the dictionary, book or internet to understand its meaning and what it stands for. When learners understand it clearly, it is easy to remember and use it in communication. Besides, learners have to face with some difficulties of acronyms as writing, spelling and pronouncing, the multiform meanings of acronym and the using it. For examples: + In writing, learner may be wondering whether they need to put periods after each letter in an acronym. + In spelling and pronouncing, some acronyms do not look like normal words and cannot be pronounced according to the usual rules of the language. Some acronyms spell common words but are used in different ways. And some acronyms sound like common words but are spelled differently, etc. 33
44. + Sometimes, the same acronym means different things in different contexts. Do not assume the audience knows all the acronyms. The same letters can stand for different organizations or meanings depending on where the person lives or other frame of reference. Or people simply may not know what it stands for. The same goes for technical language or jargon specific to a given profession, industry or interest group. + Nowadays, young people tend to use many internet slangs and acronyms in communications. People tire of saying certain phrases over and over again, and almost automatically make them shorter or refer to them with initials. But they forget that not everyone shares the same understanding. There are some difficulties in study process, but in next part, this study will focus on suggestion to study and deal with some mistakes in details. II/ Some suggestions to study acronym words Studies show that in most language, native speakers tend to use fewer than 3,000 unique words on daily basis. Then why is learning vocabulary such an overwhelming task? In fact, the development and changes in the society, politics, economy, cultural life or in science and technology bring about new objects or new phenomena. As a result, new words are formed or the existing words develop new meanings to the objects or the people. Besides, words which were used only within a definite group of people (professional words, slang, jargons, and abbreviated words) pass into general usage or vice versa. Words are, of course, the first thing we must have in a language. Then “How to learn enough English acronym words?”, “What is the best way to learn acronym words?”, the answer is still unknown. To enlarge vocabulary and have a general understanding about acronym words, each learner should find and develop his own way of learning. Here are some suggestions: - For everyday words, a lot of acronym words will probably met while doing English course, some of them become mother language such as WTO, WHO, AFTA, UNESCO, FIFA, EU etc. The best way to learn them is to find 34
45. what they stand for and what they mean, then rewrite and reorganize them. And all these acronyms that known should be written in a notebook, list it in order of alphabetically and it will be another glossary about acronyms. - If there are a lot of acronyms in the text (more than five), then a list of acronyms may be included to help the readers. This should list all the acronyms used in the text alphabetically. Such a list is often included in the beginning of the text, so the readers know this resource is available before, rather than after, reading the text. This list can be called as reference notebook of the acronym, a kind of pocket dictionary for English learners. - All spare time whenever having a spare moment, keep reading in English, read anything that interests us. Doing that brings readers a chance of meeting again the words that have been learnt and, therefore, considerably enlarges readers‟ vocabulary, of course. - In addition, we should spend time and money learning English. To increase acronym words and vocabulary, books, documents, and new dictionary should be bought to serve learning. And the learning from these materials is numerous, useful and interesting. - Watching News, TV, movie, listening to music, reading newspapers, magazines, chatting, talking to international friends that can also be learnt more acronyms words. Internet is extremely useful and quickly tool for English learners. Just only type letters which wanted to find into a lot of information is shown fast. III/ How to spell and pronounce the acronym? Acronyms that can be pronounced are usually simple, i.e., words formed from based on the initial letters such as NATO, UNESCO, WHO, UNICEF etc. These are not normal preceded by the definite article. Other organizations, which cannot be pronounced as words, usually require the definite article, e.g., the CIA, the BBC, and the UNDP. The 35
46. exception is commercial companies, e.g., BHS (British Homes Stores), and CRH (Cement Roadstone Holdings). Pronounceable acronyms that are made up of bits of words should be written as proper nouns, i.e., with an initial capital letter. Examples include Unicef, Mercosur, Frelimo, but there are hundreds of these in common use. For acronyms, either spell the word or state its derivation. Avoid using substitute words in speech that do not include the acronym in their implied spelling. There are some examples of acronym in speech and its pronouncing: Pronounced as a word or names of letters, depending on speaker or context: o FAQ: ([fổk] or F A Q) frequently asked questions. o IRA: When used for Individual Retirement Account, can be pronounced as letters (I R A) or as a word [ˈaɪrə] o SAT: ([sổt] or S A T) (previously) Scholastic Achievement (or Aptitude) Test(s), now claimed not to stand for anything. o SQL: ([siːkwəl] or S Q L) Structured Query Language. Pronounced as a combination of names of letters and a word: o CD-ROM: (C-D-[rɒm]) Compact Disc read-only memory. o IUPAC: (I-U-[pổk]) International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. o JPEG: (J-[pɛɡ]) Joint Photographic Experts Group. o SFMOMA: (S-F-[moʊmə]) San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Pronounced only as the names of letters: o BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation. 36
47. o DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid. o USA: United States of America. Pronounced as the names of letters but with a shortcut: o AAA: (triple A) American Automobile Association; abdominal aortic aneurysm; anti-aircraft artillery . (three As) Amateur Athletic Association. o IEEE: (I triple E) Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. o NAACP: (N double A C P) National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. o NCAA: (N C double A or N C two A or N C A A) National Collegiate Athletic Association. Shortcut incorporated into name o 3M: (three M) originally Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company o E³: (E three) Electronic Entertainment Exposition o W3C: (W three C) World Wide Web Consortium o C4ISTAR: (C four I star) Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance Multi-layered acronyms o GAIM: GTK+ AOL Instant Messenger, i.e. GIMP Tool Kit America Online Instant Messenger, i.e. GNU Image Manipulation Program Tool Kit America Online Instant Messenger, i.e. GNU's Not Unix Image Manipulation Program Tool Kit America Online Instant Messenger o PAC-3: PATRIOT Advanced Capability 3 i.e., Phased Array Tracking Radar Intercept on Target i.e., Radio Detection And Ranging 37
48. o VHDL: VHSIC hardware description language, where VHSIC stands for very-high-speed integrated circuit. o VDL: VHF Data Link, where VHF stands for very high frequency. Pseudo-acronyms consisting of a sequence of characters which, when pronounced as intended, invoke other longer words with less typing (see also Internet slang) o CQ: "Seek you", a code used by radio operators o FX: "effects", used in sound, movie and photo special effects o Gr8: "great" (just one of a great number of texting shortcuts) o ICQ: "I seek you" o IOU: "I owe you" (true acronym would be IOY) o K9: "Canine", used to designate police units utilizing dogs o Q8: "Kuwait" - For RAID, spell it out, or just say: “raid”. Few people would understand what it was being talked about if it instead said: “Redundant Array of Independent Drivers”. - NATO, for example, is acceptable for use in all references. There is no need to spell out North Atlantic Treaty Organization the first time it appears in the piece. - Sometimes acronyms like "scuba" become so common that they are accepted as words in their own right. "Scuba" was originally an acronym for "self-contained underwater breathing apparatus", but now dictionaries include it as a word. IV/ Some mistakes when using acronym words and solution to fix them. In life, not few acronym words are used as mother tongue such as: ASEAN, WTO, WHO, UN, US, UK, etc. The newspaper, TV use and repeat them which people understand what they mean. It is not necessary to write full of forms the acronym words. People use the acronym words in 38
49. communication as habit. There are some examples to show implication of the acronym: People say: He is VIP. Not necessary: He is very important person. People say: US “oppose” nuclear North Korea. Not necessary: United States “oppose” nuclear North Korea. People say: WHO has warned that swine flu has started to spread around the world. Not necessary: World Health Organization has warned that swine flu has started to spread around the world. People say: Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO world heritage site located in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. Not necessary: Ha Long Bay is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization world heritage site located in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. Forming an acronym is a good strategy to use to remember information in any order. An acronym is a word made up from initial letters of a phrase, always correctly written in capital letters to indicate this. It can be a real word or a nonsense word when pronouncing. Examples of some mistake when using Acronym in speech: - SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface), is commonly pronounced as “skuzzy”. Unfortunately, few people spell this acronym like this. In fact, the computer store does not sell skuzzy cables; but they have SCSI cables for sale. - For GUI, most people say “Graphical User Interface” or just spell it out: “GUI”. People who want to sound knowledgeable to people who know nothing say: “gooie”. A salesperson would ask: “How do you spell that?”. After attempting to look it up, he or she will tell you that it is not in the product catalog. You want gooie? Go to a supermarket. 39
50. - If a group of initials do not produce a usable word it is usual to pronounce the individual letters. Such as U.K. (United Kingdom) which is pronounced 'You-Kay'. The capital letters should each be followed by a full stop (period). Leaving out these punctuations indicates an acronym, rhyming with 'muck'. - PIN (Personal Identification Number), the numeric equivalent to a password. Here, even computers have been 'taught' to repeat this pathetic human error. Many ATMs ask for a "PIN number" to be entered. With telephone banking, recorded messages often repeat the same mistake. - ATM (aye-tee-em) Automatic Teller Machine, the almost ubiquitous "Whole in the wall". An automatic (or automated) device for dispensing cash in response to a coded card. With digital data systems it is short for "Asynchronous Transfer Mode", a high speed transmission technique. In lower case it is an abbreviation for 'atmosphere', a unit of gas pressure. One ATM is the average pressure of free air at sea level. - PSI (pea-ess-iy) - Pounds per Square Inch, the general unit of pressure for those of us who have not completely succumbed to the Metric System. If a weight of one pound is supported over an area of one square inch it exerts a pressure of one P.S.I. The full stops are usually considered optional, as it is obviously not an acronym. Sometimes it is not clear whether a word is an initialism or an acronym because people say it different ways. Take the abbreviation you often see on the Internet for "rolling on the floor laughing". It's ROFL. It always pronounced "roffle" as if it was an acronym, but when surveying Twitter friends, about half of them pronounce all the letters: R-O-F-L. So to some people it is an acronym, and to people who say the letters it is an initialism. Do not have a good answer for what to call words like that. The broader category should be used and just refer to them as abbreviations. And, of 40
51. course, some people had also to point out that it is silly to say these kinds of text messaging/ Internet acronyms out loud in the first place. Besides, each letter should be unambiguous: if a letter could easily stand for two opposites, then clarify by adding another letter. The favorite exception to this rule is laser. Laser is one of the best acronyms ever, but the “s” could easily stand for “stimulated” or “spontaneous”, the two types of emission. If a laser work is understood, obviously, it is amplification by stimulated emission, but the acronym does not necessarily help someone who does not know. However, when using any kind of acronym in a formal document, it is important to spell out the entire phrase the first time using it and put the acronym in parentheses after the words so people know what the acronym means. This obviously does not apply to things like text messaging, but when writing in a professional way, writer should never assume that people know what the acronym means. Using acronyms without defining them makes writing sound jargon and insular. This way, it is clear to the reader exactly what the letters mean. Here is an example: A New World Order (NWO) came into effect after 9/11. Do not assume the audience knows all the acronyms that. An acronym is word formed from the initial letters of a name, such as CHOP for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The same letters can stand for different organizations or meanings depending on where the person lives or other frame of reference. Or simply may not know what it stands for. The same goes for technical language or specific jargon to a given profession, industry or interest group and for abbreviations beyond the basic Mr. /Ms. and etc. And it is probably okay to use OK. Finally, when using acronyms for serious and intentionally open communications ensure that definitions and meanings are understood or explained, or the acronym defeats its own purpose. It is advisable that if using 41
52. acronyms in reports and other important communications, such as instructions, manuals, procedures, and training materials, a glossary of acronyms should be included, which hopefully enables the audience to understand the meanings involved. V/ Suggestion for further study According to the Net- Rating‟s survey, 40% of Internet users utilize News technology RSS (Really Simple Syndication) but 67% of them do not know what it stands for. Within 70% of people had a passion for website, but they do not know VOD stand for Video On Demand. Especially, in a thousand of people who usually connected by free chatting program Instant Messaging, 57% of them do not know IM which its stands for. This is amazing figures than ever. Acronyms, whether true acronyms or not, add color, fun and interest to our language, and thereby they act as mnemonics or memory devices. Many technical and process-related acronyms greatly assist in memory retention and learning. Many acronyms and abbreviations when used properly can certainly enhance communications, because they act as 'short-hand' and increase the efficiency of communications; in other words, more meaning are conveyed in less time and fewer words. This free acronym finder is a dictionary of useful acronyms for training, learning, teaching, etc. This collection is also a study in language and communications. This acronyms list contains acronyms, abbreviations and “backronyms” (acronyms constructed retrospectively to fit a word), with origins in the armed forces, healthcare, IT and various other business and training fields, including funny lifestyle and social acronyms. The acronyms in this listing can be used for various purposes: for simple amusement; for finding unknown meanings; for illustrating and emphasizing points that are wished to make in training or speaking or 42
53. presentations; and for examples of how language and expressions develop and evolve. Whatever, acronym is adding color and texture to the written and spoken words, and to life in general. They are a fascinating reflection of the development of communications, language and social attitudes. Strictly speaking, acronyms are words formed from the abbreviations of others, but many of these acronyms are not words at all, and even some of the best known acronyms like LASER and RADAR have bent the acronym rules. Hopefully, this document will be a useful reference book for English learners, especially, for students who interested in knowing more about acronyms. PART III: CONCLUSION The graduation page “A study on the acronym- Names of international organizations” discuss an overall view on the acronym words- the acronyms of international organization names. For that reason, this study introduces and generalizes the acronym and gives out much related information as well as various examples for illustration. After finishing this paper, all scopes of the study are completed. At the beginning, the scope have just wanted to find out the meaning of some common acronymsand help learners in study English, but the more they are found, the more they are understood. This study provides to the readers a large amount of acronyms in the name of international organizations which are commonly in use. So the learners are not only understand the acronyms in the name, they also have a basic knowledge about acronym as spelling and pronouncing, how to handle and realize the acronym, etc. And in daily conversation, learners can use them as native language and more confident in community or present a question in English. This is the success of the study outside of the scope and its expected. But some special cases are also happened. Sometimes acronyms - names of international organizations is not 43
54. represented for one organization or company, it is also used for another organizations. Or an acronym may have different meanings in different areas of industry, writing, and scholarship. It is multiform meanings of acronym that paper cannot provide all of them. Acronyms are used widely in many fields, especially in internet slang and business, but in this paper, the field is limited and maybe in the future, another student will study deeply in this subject and more information will be introduced. The study has introduced about definition, types, rules in writing, the reasons for using the acronym. The study also gives categories of acronym such as military, economic, environmental, educational, healthy, funds, agricultural, union nation organization names. Knowing the acronym will help learners study English more effectively and successfully. Hopefully, the study will be one of some helps to those who care about English vocabulary in general and the acronym in particular. On the other hand, it can open to readers useful ideas for further study. However, because of the limited knowledge, time and ability, mistakes and shortcomings are inevitable. Therefore, I hope to receive the sympathy and contribution from the teachers and readers to make it better. Once again, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor as well as all of the teachers in Foreign Language Department for their guidance and comments. My deepest thanks also go to my family and my friends who have supported and encouraged me in completing this graduation paper. Hope that in the future, I will continue to study much more about English vocabulary and acronym words. 44
55. References 1. Honlby, A (1995) Advanced learner’s dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2. Hữu Ngọc (2008) Sổ tay ng•ời dịch Tiếng Anh - Nhà xuất bản Thế giới. 3. Nguyễn Văn Tr•ờng, Đinh Kim Quốc Bảo(2003) English- English- Vietnamese Dictionary. Nhà xuất bản Văn hoá Thông Tin. 4. Hoàng Tất Tr•ờng(1993) Từ vựng học Tiếng anh cơ bản - Basic English Lexicology. Nhà xuất bản Đại học s• phạm Ngoại ngữ hà Nội. 5. Giáp, NT- Thuật, ĐT- Thuyết, NM (2001) Dẫn luận ngôn ngữ . Nhà xuất bản thành phố Hồ Chí Minh. ml hp 45
56. acronyms-to-remember-information/ 46