RULES of American English: Acronyms & Initializations

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Are you proficient in English? How confident are you with the stress patterns and pronunciation of words?

If you are learning to speak American English, there are several rules of stress and intonation that will help you be better understood. If you have spoken American English since birth, you may not even be aware of these rules! These practical tips can make a significant difference in communication.

Let’s discuss abbreviations, such as Acronyms and Initializations.

Acronyms use the first letter of each of the words, but it is said as a complete word. For example, PIN stands for Personal Identification Number.  Two fun facts are that SPAM stands for Short Pointless Annoying Messages, and SCUBA stands for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.  It’s no wonder we use abbreviations!

Initializations also use a number and/or the first letter of each of the words, but we say one letter at a time. If stressed incorrectly, we may misunderstand the word. For example, if you say “CD” and you stress the first part, it could sound like “seedy” or “city” to the listener. If you say “4M” and stress the first part, it will sound like “forum” and the listener will miss what you were intending to say.

A doctor once told me that the nurses couldn’t understand her at times. She was telling them that the patient had a PE (pulmonary embolism) and the nurse thought the patient had to “pee” and brought a urinal. The doctor never realized why they misunderstood her until I taught her the rule!

What is the rule?

We stress the last letter of the initialization with a HIGHER PITCH, LOUDER VOLUME, and LONGER VOWEL. For example, CEO, VIP, PhD

Look at the online training platform “Master the American Accent” to learn more practical rules.  HERE

Post any questions or comments below or reach out to me about accents, public speaking, or communication skills at LKWilner@Successfully-Speaking.com.