The Australian Film Television and Radio School, AKA AFTRS, is an acronym. But what actually is an acronym, and why do we use them to communicate?
An acronym is a kind of abbreviation, where a word is formed from the initial letters of other words. Like NASA, LOL, and AFTRS!
Acronyms can help simplify our communication. But, they can also cause confusion and alienate people – as people can pronounce them in different ways! Is it AFF-ters, or ARF-ters?!
Ella interviewed Kate Burridge, a Professor of Linguistics at Monash University, to find out more about acronyms.
Kate said acronyms are used for precision and “efficient” communication. She said they can serve to “indicate identity” with social, cultural and age groups, but they can also “build barriers for those who don’t speak these acronyms.” Talk about FOMO!
“AFF-ters would suggest an American-English pronunciation. You’re better to go with ARF-ters”, Kate concludes.
However, whether you say ARF-ters or AFF-ters, Kate encourages us to consider the impact of our social language when communicating with others. It’s all about social context!
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