Fed up of seeing Acronyms in comments

Hi mumofbadboys,

I say television, I say National Health Service, I say doctor, not GP. I never, ever shorten a word. Perhaps it is because I am 81 years old and was taught the correct way to write and speak. I am also an avid book reader (Kindle) and also computer literate.

Ho -- is that a shortened form of hello??

My children and grandchildren are far from illiterates, GrannyGrunter. I’d like to see your evidence of children being illiterate due to the use of acronyms.

Oh boy! Dyspepsia-tastic. What fun! 😂

I’ve been using internet forums for around 20 years now and the acronyms have long been accepted by most. I will admit that at first I wondered who on earth was this dh they kept mentioning? Dopey Herbert?

But it dawned soon enough, and I do assure Grannygrunter that my spelling is not wanting - in fact, TBH (to be honest) I am a fully paid up POP (pernickety old pedant) and do post now and then on the Pedants’ thread.

The only thing that really irks me is, as others have said, long posts with no paragraphs. I just can’t be bothered to trawl through a dense mass of print.

witz 🤣

Darling daughter when you’re talking about how awful they are is pretty daft though isn’t it 😂
DH is bullying me 🤣🤣
But GG just carry on quietly don’t bother using them that’s fine and those that want to talk in initials it’s fine for them isn’t it ?

MerylStreep

I never read long posts with no paragraphs.

Nor me.... or posts with no punctuation which take ages to decipher.

I have trouble working out whether posters are talking about Son in Law or Sister in Law if they type SIL. Or dear son or dear sister. I always type just husband because sometimes he doesn’t feel particularly dear !

GrannyGrunter

Well, I think it is just laziness. I am a very fast typist, I was a shorthand typist in the 60's and I can type Dear Husband faster than pressing the Caps lock on the keyboard and typing DH.

How lucky you are to be able to type fast. I use two fingers and have to look at what I am typing, and if I am typing a long post I find that by the time I post it the discussion has moved on and nobody cares. I didn't have to type in my working years, so I didn't develop that skill.

There must be many of us who take longer to type "Dear Husband" than they do to press the shift key while typing "DH" If it is a long and involved account of interactions between family members, shortening their names does speed up getting it written, and makes it shorter for the readers too. Incidentally, "DH" also covers "Dratted Husband" which is sometimes the point of the post.

Thre is no law that says that EVERYONE must use acronyms, just as there is no law that in everyday conversation everyone HAS to refer to their spouse as "Hubby" or "The Old Man". When someone does so, the hearer may wince but doesn't usually complain to the speaker.

I do a mixture - typed in full when I have plenty of time or I am writing something I want to be very clear, acronyms when my fingers are starting to ache. If you want to type everything out in full, then do so, your choice. As you get more familiar with the common aronyms, you will find that you understand them at once. Don't worry, in twelve years they haven't led to an outbrak of text-speak on Gransnet, so I think we are safe.

BTW, just for the record they are not acronyms, they are initialisms.
HTH.

I am a trained, extremely fast and accurate typist. I don’t, however, use a traditional keyboard for typing posts on here, or other short-form social media - I use my phone, and it corrects my capitalisation, and offers me abbreviations (which is what you appear to be referring to) and common acronyms (RAC, for example) which then just take one click.

Of course, the damn thing also auto-corrects and predictively inserts complete nonsense now and again, but that doesn’t irritate me enough to use a large unwieldy and non-mobile device for this kind of platform.

I've just seen that GrannyGrunter is 81, a mere spring chicken. I am three years older and was also taught how to write and how to construct a sentence, a paragraph, or a longer piece of writing, and my spelling and comprehension are excellent (if I do say so meself, as shouldn't).

But I use initials and acronyms where they are useful - for instance, I wouldn't dream of saying British Broadcasting Corporation instead of BBC. There is a "women's procedure" that is known as a D & C, not by its full name, and everyone I know takes their car for its MOT without giving it its real title.

Correction, typo - I missed out a letter in "outbrak" by not reviewing the post more carefull y before posting it.

Does anyone else use what I think is called swipe typing on their phone? I've found it really useful and quick.

Elegran

Correction, typo - I missed out a letter in "outbrak" by not reviewing the post more carefull y before posting it.

I didn't notice that, elegran. I expect you've come across those bits of prose where there are a lot of jumbled letters but we can read them fairly quickly because our brains adjust and cope.

TTFN for those old enough to remember and SWALK Did you get that on your envelopes There were others on the back of envelopes wasn’t there but I can’t remember them

I will read any posts, with acronyms,without acronyms, with paragraphs, without paragraphs. I try not to be selective, not everyone is good at grammar or had the same level of education.
I think it is a shame that people are judgemental.

GrannyGrunter

Hi SueDonim,

That is exactly my point, using short cuts for words have turned our children into illiterates and don't get me going about their spelling.

I take your comments on board GrannyGrunter but note that you are still happy enough to employ the salutation “Hi” 🤔🤔🤔
That would never have got past my English teacher nor indeed past any employers of a secretary or typist

I’ve worked in health care for 45 years and acronyms and abbreviations are widely used in patients notes and have been for years .

Baggs

Does anyone else use what I think is called swipe typing on their phone? I've found it really useful and quick.

What is it?

Netiquette was quite a thing 20 years ago.
I have only come across the DD, DH etc on GN.
I suppose it is a bit odd- all the dear and darlings but as others have said, you don't need to use them.
DF is that father or friend?........
DB brother or boyfriend?
HTH?

The two Ronnies showing how it’s done!

m.youtube.com/watch?v=h-mX9T2qyIQ

Tenko agree bit much to have to keep writing Tuberculosis,
How are you with emojis GrannyGrunter

Ps Isn't Granny not just short for Grandmother ?

BlueBelle

TTFN for those old enough to remember and SWALK Did you get that on your envelopes There were others on the back of envelopes wasn’t there but I can’t remember them

NORWICH ??