abbreviation

[alla]

How to pronounce the abbreviation ISSAC ( Int. Study of Asthma and Allergies ) , as one word ( like Issac Newton ) or spell it out ?

[oishii]

How to pronounce the abbreviation ISSAC ( Int. Study of Asthma and Allergies ) , as one word ( like Issac Newton ) or spell it out ?

Hi alla,

It is difficult to say which way an abbreviation is pronounced unless you are very familiar with the organization. At times, members of a group do fall into pronouncing the abbreviations as words (like Issac, in your example), and that may extend to the community at large if it is a very popular organization. Some abbreviations do become utilized like words and even...

Acronyms that were originally capitalized (with or without periods) but have since "stood the test of time" by entering the vocabulary as generic words are no longer abbreviated with capital letters nor with any periods—e.g., sonar, radar, lidar, laser, and scuba.

I am not familiar with ISSAC and so, I have no idea whether people in the organization say the letters or pronounce it. I would suggest that you say the letters to be on the safe side. Since saying the letters is the general convention for referring to abbreviations, I think you won't run the risk of making an errror.

If you are interested in reading more about abbreviations, Wikipedia lists a nice explanation Here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbreviation)

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[danmahaffey]

Because the name of the organization is ISAAC, rather than ISSAC, which stands for the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, I would say to pronounce it as in Isaac Newton's name: EYE-zik.

Here is a link: http://isaac.auckland.ac.nz/

[alla]

Thank you so much!