[Ads-l] Earliest True Acronym

[Ben Zimmer]

When I wrote about acronyms for a 2010 New York Times column (shortly after
Bill's ADS-L post), I cited the 1879 telegraphic code as the source of the
first known acronyms in English.

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/magazine/19FOB-onlanguage-t.html

On Fri, Jan 26, 2024 at 8:10 AM dave at wilton.net <dave at wilton.net> wrote:

>
> Does a telegraphic code count?
>
> I'm thinking that it does; it's a form for transcribing the English
> language that uses alphabetic characters. But it's not meant to be seen by
> anyone except the telegraph operators, not the sender or receiver of the
> message.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: "Shapiro, Fred" <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
> Sent: Friday, January 26, 2024 7:59am
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: [ADS-L] Earliest True Acronym
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
> Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
> Sent: Thursday, December 2, 2010 2:32 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Earliest Acronym
>
> 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;"
> > >
>

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