Watch Those Acronyms

2012-02-14 10:58:19 by Denise

Getting to know your acronyms is like joining an exclusive club – you haven’t a clue what other people are talking about – but you feel obliged to join in. In PR (that’s public relations, rather than proportional representation or pilau rice) we embrace the use of acronyms.

But maybe we should take a step back and consider if the average newspaper reader or radio listener understands what we are writing about. Are we getting sucked in by the trade press and becoming the kings and queens of jargon?

As our battered English language continually evolves, we need to stand up for high standards of writing and fly the flag for perfect prose.

Text language is slowly creeping into our vocabulary. If you don’t know your “omg” from your “cyo”, you really are in trouble. Our esteemed friends on Radio 4’s Today programme came unstuck with the use of “lol” - opening the floodgates to those in the know (or is that no?) Oh very funny – I was laughing out loud – nearly as much as the quick lesson in text semantics from my colleagues.

So “lol 2 u all” and don’t forget to order your PR with your Indian takeaway!