Down with the acro-stocracy
October 5th, 2007
The Financial Times writes about the bewildering number of acronyms plaguing French life. I’d never encountered the acro-stocracy before.
A year-round Davos of the mind, written since 1999 by Lance Knobel
The Financial Times writes about the bewildering number of acronyms plaguing French life. I’d never encountered the acro-stocracy before.
October 6th, 2007 at 5:57 am
Labeling is only bewildering to the outsider. French has a tendency to be long-winded. Perfect for diplomacy and love but detrimental to speedy communication. Hence the acronyms. It is much easier on the tongue to talk about HEC Paris instead of Hautes Ecoles Commerciales de Paris. And it is nifty to write K7 for cassette (already obsolete).
As far as trademark initials are concerned, I think it started with a certain FDR …
October 8th, 2007 at 1:27 am
… or maybe with TR, who requested a TLA ASAP but didn’t get one, even after he left the WH.