Earliest Acronym

[Shapiro, Fred]

I apologize if someone else has already pointed this out, but Bill's second citation below is very significant in that it may establish the claim that SCOTUS is the earliest known acronym in the English language (although, depending on the precise definition of "acronym," there are some other abbreviations in the 1879 Phillips Telegraphic Code that may be tied with SCOTUS for this honor).

Fred Shapiro



________________________________________
From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Mullins, Bill AMRDEC [Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL]
Sent: Monday, November 22, 2010 11:02 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Antedating SCOTUS (UNCLASSIFIED)

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE


Walter P. Phillips _The Phillips Telegraphic Code for the Rapid
Transmission by Telegraph_ Wash, DC:  Gibson Brothers, 1879.


p. 59 col 2:
"Pot -- President of the."

p. 65 col 2:
"Scotus -- Supreme Court of the United States"




> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mullins, Bill AMRDEC
> Sent: Monday, November 22, 2010 9:27 AM
> To: 'American Dialect Society'
> Subject: Antedating SCOTUS (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>
> _Milwaukee [WI] Sentinel_ 12/6/1891, p 10 col 1 [Gale 19th Cent
newspapers]
>
> "For instance, the receiver's sounder will tick out the letters
"scotus."
> There is no meaning in this combination of letters, but the operator
gets a
> hustle upon himself as soon as he hears it and writes down, "the
Supreme court
> of the United states." "
>
> _Charlotte [NC] Observer_ 10/18/1892 p 1 col 4 [GenealogyBank]
>
> "The case then came to Scotus.  The case was argued last Tuesday."
>
>
> >
> > A slightly earlier cite is found at America's GenealogyBank.
> > 14 April 1895, _Birmingham(AL) Age-Herald_ 21/3
> >
> > Talking about the United Press "code" in use for about seven years
on the
> > telegraph-to-newspaper circuit.
> >
> > "In addition the more frequent phrases are skeletonized to the limit
of
> > safety.  "Scotus" is "supreme court of the United States;" "potus,"
> > "president of the United States;"
> >
> >
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

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