Talk:backronym
BASIC example[edit]
BASIC is not a backronym, I removed it from the list of examples, and it was reverted by User:Jberkel, under the claim that it's a "contrived acronym".
Backronyms do not include "contrived acronym"s, it's neither mentioned on w:en:Backronym, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/backronym, nor any reference I can find.
In the original paper outlining BASIC (http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/dartmouth/BASIC_Oct64.pdf) the acronym was already mentioned. Every external reference I can find on backronym requires the acronym to come first, and the meaning to come later in time.
- The last part of the sentence "sometimes as a contrived acronym to name a new organization, proposal, or other entity" should be removed from the definition.
- BASIC example should be removed from this page and perhaps added to the "contrived acronym" page.
Meiskam (talk) 16:34, 10 December 2020 (UTC)
- Backronyms *are* acronyms. I think it's fairly obvious that the designers of the language wanted to call it BASIC, and then went looking for words to construct a fancy explanation with (that's the "backward" part). It's not much different to the other examples in the list. – Jberkel 17:15, 10 December 2020 (UTC)
- None of that is relevant, "Backronyms *are* acronyms" yes, but the reverse of that is not true, and that's what you're trying to argue. "that's the "backward" part" there is NO backward part, the acronym and the phrase were announced at the same time. Regardless if the designers contrived to call it BASIC, and looked for words to do that, that's NOT what a backronym is. "not much different to the other examples" .. perhaps some of the other examples need removed also, the only one I researched was BASIC. Meiskam (talk) 18:16, 10 December 2020 (UTC)
- The word basic (“simple”) was not an acronym. The designers of the language have turned it into one by making up an explanation (and spelling it all caps). That matches exactly our definition (and also the Wikipedia article you linked: "... an acronym that is assigned to a word that existed prior to the invention of the backronym". The word basic existed before the invention of the backronym. They could have called it "BAPSIC" (expected from All-Purpose)–which would've produced an acronym that is not a backronym. – Jberkel 18:41, 10 December 2020 (UTC)
- None of that is relevant, "Backronyms *are* acronyms" yes, but the reverse of that is not true, and that's what you're trying to argue. "that's the "backward" part" there is NO backward part, the acronym and the phrase were announced at the same time. Regardless if the designers contrived to call it BASIC, and looked for words to do that, that's NOT what a backronym is. "not much different to the other examples" .. perhaps some of the other examples need removed also, the only one I researched was BASIC. Meiskam (talk) 18:16, 10 December 2020 (UTC)
backronymming, backronymmed -- misspellings?[edit]
These -mm- forms seem extremely rare. Equinox ◑ 02:54, 15 August 2021 (UTC)
Is e.g. "No Such Agency" for "NSA" a backronym?[edit]
Our definition suggests it is not, because NSA already stood for something in the first place. If not, then, what do we call this kind of thing instead? Equinox ◑ 23:19, 29 January 2022 (UTC)
- jokeronym? fakeronym? (there is a r/Fakeronyms)– Jberkel 12:29, 28 April 2022 (UTC)