Vernacular language can both draw in readers and become a pitfall. When we understand the vernacular, we feel a closeness to the author, having come from the same world and using those same words. Acronyms and abbreviations are no different. If abbreviations like HEA, ISBN, OTP, or WIP sound strange, we assume the author is just not like us, even though these are abbreviations specific to the writing profession. Acronyms are no longer based on our location or our generation, but our interests. I can converse with people on the other side of either ocean through the internet. But, we still tend to gather in cliques based on the hobbies and professions that form our language.

One of my favorite shortcuts is using AKA when listing the common name for a plant behind the scientific designation–Bellis perennis, AKA daisy. In addition to “also known as” this abbreviation is the name for a people group in the Central African Republic and another one in Pradesh, India. It also stands for Alpha Kappa Alpha, and I am not a sorority girl. So, AKA fails the test of being a useful acronym for me.

There are even older ones that we use without understanding. Do you know the difference between i.e. and e.g. Would it even help if you knew the words behind these initials? First, i.e. stand for “id est”–Latin for “that is.” The abbreviation e.g. is more complex. It means “exempli gratia,” which can be translated as “for example.” Ditching these Latin abbreviations and using the English words is acceptable for almost any kind of publication.

Most of us know what to do when an invitation ends with RSVP. I inform the people that I am attending, so they will supply enough food, chairs, or whatever is needed. However, I can do this without comprehending what “Respondez s’il vous plait” means. My computer word processing program obviously doesn’t understand this phrase as it indicates these are not recognized words. This is a warning to people that believe everything you see marked incorrect by a spell/grammar check is wrong.

If I spy a person cutting across the field in a four-wheel drive vehicle, I may comment on that culprit off-roading in a Jeep. GP, which stands for General Purpose vehicle, morphed into Jeep when used by the US Army a few wars ago. Radar and sonar are also words with a military origin, as is my son’s favorite sport–scuba diving. New technologies leave a trail of new words formed from acronyms. Recently, I’ve received a number of inquiries from people who claim they are specialists at increasing the SEO of my website. Few explain what that means. However, if people understand the definition of SEO, they could do the research to improve the traffic to their own websites without hiring these experts. Unexplained acronyms are a way of making people feel less competent and in need of professional help.

But, I have my revenge. I throw in a few old abbreviations and acronyms–not the i.e. or e.g. from Latin times. Instead I use those only one to two hundred years old. They are harder to decipher because English spelling was not standardized. If my reply is addressed to “Messrs & Co” what do I mean? This is a polite 18th century abbreviation for multiple men owning a single business.

What is my conclusion concerning the use of acronyms in writing? Nearly all of them will place a piece in a specific time, which is not bad. Just leave clues to what they mean. Finally, I offer a bit of dubious wisdom from one of our founding fathers that touches on the use of abbreviations and acronyms.

Thomas Jefferson, The Works of Thomas Jefferson, Federal Edition (New York and London, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1904-5)