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Re: ABBR and ACRONYM

From: Harvey Bingham <hbingham@ACM.org>
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 16:25:36 -0400
Message-Id: <3.0.3.32.19980410162536.007c7bd0@pop.tiac.net>
To: <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
At 08:10 1998/02/02 -0500, Thomas Dowling wrote:
>In the library world, there's a standard reference work called the
>_Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Initialisms Dictionary_.  ...

1. A source of resolution many authors already use is to follow the first
definition by the acronym, abbrevation, or initialism (AAI) in parentheses. 
Henceforth the AAI is used in the document. We should encourage both this
style of writing, means to recognize it (tag the definition, and
an attribute to identify that AAI is cleanest), extract it to the AAI 
dictionary, and even possibly include a link back to where the first use 
and its definition appears. Such an explicit back link presumes that 
the reader can recognize the definition there, without having to automatically
recognize it to 

One weakness of this approach is that the first use may not be the first
encountered, as non-linear reading is common. So such links may need to 
be made relative to the root of the set of documents that includes the 
one in which the AAI first appears. 

Multiple documents may define, then use the same AAI, and each may 
provide its own presumed definition for it. For example, one document uses
personal computer (PC); and another document uses politically correct (PC). 
A common AAI glossary across another document set could show that different
definitions occur, but given only an AAI, the implied universal meaning 
for it doesn't resolve such ambiguity. They must be taken in context. 

The preferred scope would be the original document where an AAI is
defined (before shredding). A document-specific glossary of AAIs could
be built and used for indirect resolution of any AAI meaning. Failing
a resolution there, a wider universe of possibly merged glossaries could
be checked. For some, the resolution would likely be in between  IBM. Any
deviant such as I've been moved (IBM) would be up to the author to 
make local. A reference befor de

2. Should we recommmend a default choice among AAI kinds?

Regards/Harvey Bingham
Received on Friday, 10 April 1998 17:32:32 UTC

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