Doing the “Double Talk” Dance

I was watching an episode of The Golden Girls the other night when Dorothy, my favorite character, said she had reached her limit at the automated teller machine. It occurred to me that I hadn’t heard this full pronunciation of "ATM" in a very long time. And that if I walked outside and asked someone where the closest automated teller machine was, it would probably take him or her a moment to process what I was asking. Someone younger than twenty would probably shrug their shoulders in total confusion.

However, if I were to ask anyone where the nearest "ATM machine" was located, we'd all be on the same page. But let's look at what I'd be asking: "Excuse me, where is the nearest automated teller machine machine?" This question is an example of a redundonym, and those who use them (pretty much all of us), are doing the "double talk" dance. A redundonym is an acronym ("ATM") that is followed by a word already included in the acronym ("machine").

When you go the ATM, would you say you enter your personal identification number (PIN), or your personal identification number number (PIN number)?

Would you go to your bank to inquire about an individual retirement account (IRA), or an individual retirement account account (IRA account)?

Would you search for a book using its International Standard Book Number (ISBN), or its International Standard Book Number Number (ISBN number)? [note: I only recently realized that I've never not used this redundonym.]

Much of this is colloquial, meaning we say it all the time in our informal communications, and unfortunately, in formal speech and writing where these casual “everybody does its” can make the writer look amateurish and sloppy. I’m trying to be more careful with my use of these, but it’s not easy. Want to know a secret? I prefer saying “PIN number” because to me, it’s a PIN number! I’ve never entered a PIN a day in my life. (Never said I was perfect…just telling you how to be).

Here are some other examples of redundonyms, courtesy of The Copyeditor’s Handbook by Amy Einsohn (great book by the way):

Incorrect= GRE exam (correct= GRE)
Incorrect= HIV virus (correct= HIV)
Incorrect= UPS service (correct= UPS)

To "the" or not to "the": the curious case of the definite article

Do you know the difference between an initialism, and an acronym? If you do, then you might have no trouble deciding if you should place the word "the" before UK or KFC or NASDAQ. But if you're like me (and not saying this is right), your first instinct is to go with what sounds better. But it's important to understand the rules. I learned this the other day at work.

I wanted to send an email to a coworker to ask her opinion on whether we should place "the" in front of our unit's abbreviation, let's call it "OI." Having seen it with and without, I wanted to make a definitive choice. She's a senior member, so I figured she should weigh in. But as I began to draft the email, it occurred to me that I should first search around (Google) to see what other thoughts were out there. [Note: Even though I have access to style manuals galore, I enjoy online resources because they're quicker and oftentimes have an interface that allows visitors to leave "wow, thank yous" and "I beg to differs."] Five minutes later, I had my answer, and was reminded that the learning process never ends, especially if you call yourself an editor. And that my sounds better technique had been leading me astray.

Here's what I learned, and what I want to share with you:

1. Had I drafted the email to my coworker, I would have been correct to refer to "OI" as an initialism, because it cannot be pronounced as a word like "NAFTA," an acronym, can.

2. You should use "the" if the spelled-out name begins with "the" but is not used in the initialism. Example: the People's Republic of China (PRC). The PRC honored the visiting dignitaries.

3. When "the" is not a part of the spelled-out name, then you should not place it before the name's initialism.
Example: Chicago Public Schools. All CPS students are excused from classes this week.

4. Do not place "the" before an acronym. Remember, acryonyms are abbreviations that can be pronounced as words, like "NASCAR" and "NATO."
Example: My brother is a huge fan of NASCAR races.


So, in the end, I answered my own question. I work in the OI.