Initial abbreviations

Initialisms are the bordering case between graphical and lexical abbreviations. When they appear in the language, as a rule, to denote some new offices they are closer to graphical abbreviations because orally full forms are used. When they are used for some duration of time they acquire the shortened form of pronouncing and become closer to lexical abbreviations, e.g. BBC is as a rule, pronounced in the shortened form [bI bI sI].

In some cases the translation of initialisms is next to impossible without special dictionaries. Initialisms are denoted in different ways. Very often they are expressed in the way they are pronounced in the language of their origin e.g. ANZUS (Australia, New Zealand, United States) is pronounced in Ukrainian as АНЗУС; SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) was used in Ukrainian as a phonetic borrowing (СОЛТ), now a translation loan is used (ОСО Договір про обмеження стратегічного озброєння). There are three types of initialisms in English:

a) initialisms with alphabetical reading, such as UK (United Kingdom), BUP (British United Press), PWA(a person with AIDS) etc.

b) initialisms which are read as if they are words, e.g. UNESCO(United Nations Economic, Scientific,Cultural Organization), OPEC(Oil Producing European Countries), HIV(Human Immunodeficiency Virus) etc.

c) initialisms which coincide with English words in their sound form. Such initialisms are called acronyms, e.g. CLASS (Computer-based Laboratory for Automated School System), NOW (National Organization of Women), AIDS (Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome) etc.