Definite article "the" before abbreviation?

Question

Hello,I am unsure whether to use a "the" before an abbreviation. I heard about a rule, that an the article should be placed before initialisms (the USA decided..., the STL provides template functions...), but not before acronyms (NASA reported..., NATO is willing to help...). I am not sure about this rule and did not find anything related to this question in the web or the a.e.usage FAQ.Thanks in advance,Jens Mueller

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:2]Hello, I am unsure whether to use a "the" before ... web or the a.e.usage FAQ. Thanks in advance, Jens Mueller[/nq]
Here's what I do: Say the non-abbreviated version of the name to yourself. If you'd normally say "the" before it, then type a "the" before it when you type the abbreviation. This works well in every case I can think of - at least when the abbreviation is part of a sentence. If you were making a list of abbreviated names, you might choose to dispense with the "the".
J

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I am unsure whether to use a "the" before an abbreviation. I heard about a rule, that an the article should be placed before initialisms (the USA decided..., the STL provides template functions...), but not before acronyms (NASA reported..., NATO is willing to help...).[/nq]
Because these are proper names whether acronyms or not, there is no general or overall rule. These four examples of yours are all correct.

Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Here's what I do: Say the non-abbreviated version of the name to yourself. If you'd normally say "the" before it, ... of a sentence. If you were making a list of abbreviated names, you might choose to dispense with the "the".[/nq]
That method doesn't work for me on either NASA or NATO: if giving their full names in a sentence I'd precede both with "the".

Odysseus

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Here's what I do: Say the non-abbreviated version of the ... abbreviated names, you might choose to dispense with the "the".[/nq]
[nq:1]That method doesn't work for me on either NASA or NATO: if giving their full names in a sentence I'd precede both with "the".[/nq]
I found the rule mentioned above as
(cite)
Whether to use "the" before an acronym that is used as a noun depends on whether the acronym is read as a series of letters or as a neologism (coined word).
Examples:
The IRS established...
NATO established... "
(/cite)
in a student publishing guide
(http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/students/pubguide/chap1.word PG20001.PDF). I found no other guide contradicting this rule, so I will follow it.

Thanks for the replies,
Jens Mueller

Usenet · Answer

Jens Mueller schrieb:
[nq:1]I found the rule mentioned above as (cite) Whether to use "the" before an acronym that is used as a noun depends on whether the acronym is read as a series of letters or as a neologism (coined word). (/cite)[/nq]
So that's your distinction between an "initialism" and an "acronym"!

"SCSI is not as common as EIDE" is IMHO spoken as "scuzzy is not as common as E I D E", and there isn't an article to either of the abbreviations; and the snetence could as well be reversed.

"GM is planning layoffs" - initialism, no article.

I believe that "the NASA" or "the NATO" would also be correct in your above examples.
For initialisms, I think Odysseus's rule is ok: use it as if the unabbreviated terms stood there. Abbreviations read as a word can be used either like a proper names (when they are) or like an initialism.

Unfortunately, I have no authority to back this up.

Cheers
Michael

Still an attentive ear he lent Her speech hath caused this pain But could not fathom what she meant Easier I count it to explain She was not deep, nor eloquent. The jargon of the howling main from Lewis Carroll: The Three Usenet Trolls

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Jens Mueller schrieb:[/nq]
[nq:2]I found the rule mentioned above as (cite) Whether to ... series of letters or as a neologism (coined word). (/cite)[/nq]
[nq:1]So that's your distinction between an "initialism" and an "acronym"![/nq]
This not my definition, but the definition to be found at the ALT.USAGE.ENGLISH FAQ FILE at
http://murray.newcastle.edu.au/users/staff/peter/auefaq.html#foreigner. I admit that it seems to be a bit outdated, but I doubt that there has changed much in the particular definition of acronyms/initialisms:

(cite)
Strictly, an acronym is a string of initial letters pronounceable as a word, such as "NATO". Abbreviations like "NBC" have been variously designated "alphabetisms" and "initialisms", although some people do call them acronyms. WDEU says, "Dictionaries, however, do not make this distinction (between acronyms and initialisms) because writers in general do not"; but two or the best known books on acronyms are titled Acronyms, Initialisms and Abbreviations Dictionary (19th ed., Gale
1993) and Concise Dictionary of Acronyms and Initialisms (Facts onFile, 1988).
(/cite)
[nq:1]For initialisms, I think Odysseus's rule is ok: use it as if the unabbreviated terms stood there. Abbreviations read as ... like a proper names (when they are) or like an initialism. Unfortunately, I have no authority to back this up.[/nq]
I personally share the opinion that, depending on the context, for both acronyms and initialisms the article can be correct or better should be avoided. However, that does not help if you have two different reviews for a scientific text, one strongly suggesting to remove the article for an acronym while the other insists on the article's usage. I definitely need a rule for this, but it seems that none exists

Jens

Usenet · Answer

Jens Mueller schrieb:
[nq:1]I personally share the opinion that, depending on the context, for both acronyms and initialisms the article can be correct ... other insists on the article's usage. I definitely need a rule for this, but it seems that none exists

[/nq]
If it's about a specific acronym, can't you look up its use in other papers published in authoritative sources?
Cheers
Michael

Still an attentive ear he lent Her speech hath caused this pain But could not fathom what she meant Easier I count it to explain She was not deep, nor eloquent. The jargon of the howling main from Lewis Carroll: The Three Usenet Trolls

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Jens Mueller schrieb:[/nq]
[nq:2]I personally share the opinion that, depending on the context, ... rule for this, but it seems that none exists

[/nq]
[nq:1]If it's about a specific acronym, can't you look up its use in other papers published in authoritative sources?[/nq]
Unfortunately I can not, because it is defined by ourselves: DatTeL - data parallel template library
We decided to throw out the article when referring to DatTeL, but still have articles when referring to the DatTeL functions or the DatTeL data containers, because these are special instances.
Thanks for all the replies,
Jens Mueller

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Unfortunately I can not, because it is defined by ourselves: DatTeL - data parallel template library[/nq]
.. then you get to write your own rules, more-or-less.

In C++ one generally refers to "the STL" (even though there's really no such thing any more ... it's all part of "the Standard Library"), you could use that nomenclature as a model?
[nq:1]We decided to throw out the article when referring to DatTeL,[/nq]
Fair enough. If "DatTeL" is the proper name of a product it seems reasonable that the same rules that apply to other proper nouns should apply to it.
[nq:1]... but still have articles when referring to the DatTeL functions or the DatTeL data containers, because these are special instances.[/nq]
In these cases you are using the name as an adjective, so the article is that from "the ... functions" and "the ... containers". I think you're doing the right thing.
Cheers,
Daniel.

Usenet · Answer

Daniel James schrieb:
[nq:2]We decided to throw out the article when referring to DatTeL,[/nq]
[nq:1]Fair enough. If "DatTeL" is the proper name of a product it seems reasonable that the same rules that apply to other proper nouns should apply to it.[/nq]
"Dattel" is also the name of a fruit (the "date"), so not using the article helps to distinguish the two in spoken German.

Offtopic, I know, but maybe the reviewers were guided by their German grammar? I know I have blind spots because of that (e.g. finding "busses" perfectly normal, whereas most English speakers would prefer "buses", because "Busse" is the German plural of "bus").

Cheers
Michael

Still an attentive ear he lent Her speech hath caused this pain But could not fathom what she meant Easier I count it to explain She was not deep, nor eloquent. The jargon of the howling main from Lewis Carroll: The Three Usenet Trolls

Definite article "the" before abbreviation?

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