Earliest Acronym

[Laurence Horn]

At 5:23 PM -0500 12/2/10, Joel S. Berson wrote:
>What about the 18th century "texting" abbreviations?  Do those not
>count as acronyms?
>
>Joel

Initialisms, if one makes the distinction. Is there any evidence that
any of them were pronounced as a word, a la "SCOTUS" (or, for
pre-English ones, "ICHTHYS", inspiring bumper stickers millennia
later).

LH

>
>At 12/2/2010 02:32 PM, Shapiro, Fred wrote:
>>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
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------------
>>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------------
>>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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