From: Matthias Neeracher <neeri@iis.ee.ethz.ch>
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 18:52:53 +0100
Message-Id: <199601151752.SAA01909@yggdrasil.ethz.ch>
To: conlang@diku.dk
Subject: Re: CONLANG: abbr
References: <199601150544.VAA21783@netcom4.netcom.com>
Sender: owner-conlang@diku.dk
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Reply-To: Matthias Neeracher <neeri@iis.ee.ethz.ch>
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dasher@NETCOM.COM (Anton Sherwood) writes:
>: the initial letter of a word is by far and away the
>: most natural and obvious part of the word to represent it in
>: abbreviations. But are there attractive alternative abbreviatory
>: methods beyond taking the initial letter? (Bearing in mind that
>: one seeks mnemonicity and brevity.)

>I can think of some special cases.  Words beginning with "ex-" are
>often abbreviated `X' in English. 

I think this is only one instance of a whole class of English abbreviations,
where syllables are replaced by the letters or even numbers they spell:

XTC -> Ecstasy
Toys 'R' Us
Nothing Compares 2 U

and especially chatter slang:

2l8    -> too late
cu l8r -> see you later

English speakers seem to love using "X" for abbreviations anyway, like in
"X-mas" (where, I guess, the X stands for the Greek "Chi" in "Christ") or
in the first street sign I ever saw upon my first visit to the US:

"NO PED XING"

Matthias, deeply disturbed that such 3133t spelling would appear on an official
    sign.

-----
Matthias Neeracher <neeri@iis.ee.ethz.ch> http://err.ethz.ch/members/neeri.html
   "Computer languages follow the extended Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which 
    states that because the Eskimos had 900 words for snow, they decided 
    to move north." -- Dave Griffith <dave@delphi.bsd.uchicago.edu>