Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: Acronyms

How do you spell WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network)?
In general is it correct to spell an acronym as a word, or it's right or at 
least better to spell it letter by letter?
Thanks

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"Wireless LAN" (pr: lan, like man)
-- 
Disclaimer:
My goal in posting here is to provide readers with
acceptable, viable, correct examples of how an
American speaks day-to-day English; how to sound
like an average person, not a great work of literature
or someone who speaks like a grammar book. jdwd

> "Wireless LAN" (pr: lan, like man)
Ok, so the W is not spelled shortened 

 Ok, so the W is not spelled shortened
I've seen it both ways: 'wireless LAN' or 'WLAN'. You would choose the term 
best suited for your audience.

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But would you *say* "WLAN"?
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 But would you *say* "WLAN"?
No, it doesn't roll off the tongue. I would say, however, Wi-Fi.

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Yep, that one works, for sure.
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No, but I would say "gooey" for GUI, and "wissywig" for WYSIWYG.
Joe from Massachusetts

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You just made me realize the original question was about how WLAN is 
*spelled* not how it's pronounced aloud. (Since it's spelled WLAN, I inferred 
the OP wanted to know how to pronounce it.)
I take back my response, as it relates to *saying* it, not spelling it.
It *is* spelled WLAN.
Never mind.
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 Never mind.
Actually I wanted to know how to pronounce it so the 1st answer is the good 
one for me. 

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Oh, good. I feel better! 
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To my knowledge acronyms are always pronounced as a word, abbreviations
are pronounced letter by letter.

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Hmm.. I wasn't aware of that.
What do you consider:
FYI - an acronym or an abbreviation?
Radar?
NASA?
and of course
WLAN?
And how would you pronounce the latter?
(How've you been, by the way??)
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 (How've you been, by the way??)
Good thanks, I've had a bit of a break, like yourself a while back. Other
interests have been consuming me.

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Yes, that happens.
Point of interest: Radar is actually an acronym, standing for
RAdio Detection And Ranging. I was vaguely aware of that, but didn't know 
exactly what it represented until this discussion started.
Same for Sonar, Loran, Modem and a bunch more.
Ya think yer talking words, when yer actually talking acronyms.
Tricky stuff, this.
I hope everything is okay with you...
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 interests have been consuming me.
Yeah. I guess one of them begins with "t" and ends in "anking".
:-))
Tschau,
Enrico il Pentolaio.
-- 
Five by five.

 :-))
I'm glad you didn't say begins with "w" :D

 I'm glad you didn't say begins with "w" :D
ROTFL!
Tschau,
Enrico il Pentolaio.
P.S. Are you coming to gorgeous Italy this summer or do you still want to 
get bored to tears in Cornwall?
-- 
Five by five.

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I usually hear it spelled as Vi-lan, but here they don't agree:
http://searchsmb.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid44_gci845059,00.html

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Nor do I.
I have only heard (or said) "wireless lan."
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 wrote in message
news:BoLTh.6465$uJ5.1...@twister2.libero.it...
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Many people write and say "Wi-Lan".
Joe from Massachusetts


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"Wi-fi" is probably more exact, since it specifies 802.11 compliance, while
"WLAN" or "Wi-lan" are very generic and inexact terms. 802.11 - compliant
technology is really the only player in the wireless market.
Joe from Massachusetts

 technology is really the only player in the wireless market.
Well, there are a lot of letters that can follow that. Are a, b, g etc.
compatible with _each other_? I didn't think so.