[ExI] Sigh

[David Lubkin]

John Clark wrote:

>On Fri, 7/29/11, Damien Broderick <thespike at satx.rr.com> wrote:
>
>"> LASER is an acronym"
>
>"So are radar and scuba and snafu and a lot of other now-common 
>words. No caps needed at all, unless you're SHOUTING."
>
>What about ESP RIP, or NASA or NATO or GOP or PBS or AA or AAA or ATM or USA ?

Are you asking or are you trolling?

That some acronyms haven't lost their caps doesn't refute
that others have.

Each word is unto itself. One factor is whether the acronym is
pronounceable. Another is longevity. Another is whether the
acronym is used as the basis for adjectives and verbs.

(Merriam-Webster has laser as a verb from 1978.)

Which way to write a given acronym depends on the style
guide and dictionary is considered authoritative for the
context. The Associated Press Stylebook says go by
whichever is the main entry for the dictionary used, but
specifically says that scuba is "a lowercased acronym."
My deskside dictionary, a 1975 edition, only lists scuba in
lowercase. Likewise for snafu and laser.


-- David.