atm machine, pin number, and yesterday I heard psa announcement. How many more are there?

I think Larry’s pointing out people using redundant words after acronyms - "machine" IS the M in ATM, "number" IS the N in PIN, and "announcement" IS the A in PSA, so there is absolutely no reason to add these words to the end of the acronym. It does get a little grating at times. I can’t think up any other examples off-hand, though.

~Silver

There’s something similar in sports. Like, "you’re watching NFL football".

Would you be watching NFL tennis?

Do you mean there is no national fencing, flying or fishing league? You are also probably referring to American football, not real football. Are you?  ;)

I guess that most people do not know the meaning of the acronyms, so their sentences sound redundant.

I only heard of ATMs a couple of years ago. I think the term used in the UK is cash machine (although I haven’t lived there for years so I may be wrong). Here we use the term PIN code, which is kind of tautological, but not as bad as PIN number. I have no idea what a PSA announcement is.

Sorry, I can’t think of any others, but I’m sure we are not immune on this side of the Atlantic.

Jonah.

Hi Jonah!

A ‘PSA’ is a Public Service Announcement.

-Tim

"DNS server"

DNS = domain-name server, though I suppose you could get around this with DNS = domain-name service. But even in that case, you’d be calling it a "server of services," so it’s still redundant.

Tony

[quote author=Salsamore link=board=omni;num=1072500529;start=0#7 date=12/31/03 at 17:56:00]"DNS server"

DNS = domain-name server, though I suppose you could get around this with DNS = domain-name service. But even in that case, you’d be calling it a "server of services," so it’s still redundant.

Tony

I decided to do some quick research to avoid my usual foot-in-mouth disease.

According to RFC-1034 DNS actually stands for Domain Name System (emphasis added in the quote below):

Network Working Group                                     P. Mockapetris
Request for Comments: 1034                                           ISI
Obsoletes: RFCs 882, 883, 973                              November 1987

                DOMAIN NAMES - CONCEPTS AND FACILITIES

1. STATUS OF THIS MEMO

This RFC is an introduction to the Domain Name System (DNS), and omits
many details which can be found in a companion RFC, "Domain Names -
Implementation and Specification" [RFC-1035].  That RFC assumes that the
reader is familiar with the concepts discussed in this memo. . . .

(An RFC, or Request For Comments, is a document that introduces or modifies an application, service, or protocol used on the Internet.)

So, a DNS Server is a Domain Name System Server, a computer (server) that implements the Domain Name System.

Now to be really pedantic, I shall remind you all that in the EIA-RS-232 standard, DCE, a term which describes a modem or similar device, does not stand for "Data Communications Equipment" but "Data Circuit-terminating Equipment."   :D

Global Positioning System system  ???

Volgens mij, the best tautological acronym is TLA: Three-Letter Acronym (which I suspect Katy was referring to in her post).

Ed

[quote author=edman link=board=omni;num=1072500529;start=0#10 date=01/12/04 at 11:14:11]Volgens mij

Volgens mij  

So much better than IM(H)O…

VM at least  :~)

Ed

Mijn gedacht! It’s Dutch, so it’s bound to be better!

‘IMHO’ always makes me think it’s a quote from some ancient pharaoh or something. ;D

We’ve jsut had Windows 2000 installed in my office and I see it says "Based on NT Technology". "NT" Stands for "New Technology".

In the UK, and ATM is usually known as a cash point.

J