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<span id="g_t_0040acronym"></span><div class="header">
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<span id="g_t_0040acronym_007bacronym_005b_002c-meaning_005d_007d"></span><h4 class="subsection">7.1.14 <code>@acronym</code>{<var>acronym</var>[, <var>meaning</var>]}</h4>
<span id="acronym"></span><span id="index-acronym"></span>
<span id="index-NASA_002c-as-acronym"></span>
<span id="index-Acronyms_002c-tagging"></span>
<p>You can use the <code>@acronym</code> command for abbreviations written in
all capital letters, such as ‘<acronym>NASA</acronym>’. The abbreviation is
given as the single argument in braces, as in
‘<samp>@acronym{NASA}</samp>’. As a matter of style, or for particular
acronyms, you may prefer to use periods, as in
‘<samp>@acronym{N.A.S.A.}</samp>’.
</p>
<p><code>@acronym</code> accepts an optional second argument, intended to be
used for the meaning of the acronym.
</p>
<p>If the acronym is at the end of a sentence, and if there is no second
argument, remember to use the <code>@.</code> or similar command
(see <a href="Ending-a-Sentence.html">Ending a Sentence</a>) to get the correct spacing.
</p>
<span id="index-_003cacronym_003e-tag"></span>
<p>In TeX, the acronym is printed in slightly smaller font. In the
Info output, the argument is printed as-is. In either format, if the
second argument is present, it is printed in parentheses after the
acronym. In HTML and Docbook the <code><acronym></code> tag is used.
</p>
<p>For instance (since GNU is a recursive acronym, we use
<code>@acronym</code> recursively):
</p>
<div class="example">
<pre class="example">@acronym{GNU, @acronym{GNU}'s Not Unix}
</pre></div>
<p>produces:
</p>
<div class="display">
<pre class="display"><acronym title="GNU’s Not Unix">GNU</acronym> (<acronym>GNU</acronym>’s Not Unix)
</pre></div>
<span id="index-Family-names_002c-in-all-capitals"></span>
<p>In some circumstances, it is conventional to print family names in all
capitals. Don’t use <code>@acronym</code> for this, since a name is not an
acronym. Use <code>@sc</code> instead (see <a href="Smallcaps.html">Smallcaps</a>).
</p>
<p><code>@abbr</code> and <code>@acronym</code> are closely related commands: they
both signal to the reader that a shortened form is being used, and
possibly give a meaning. When choosing whether to use these two
commands, please bear the following in mind.
</p>
<ul class="no-bullet">
<li>- In common English usage, acronyms are a subset of abbreviations: they
include pronounceable words like ‘<acronym>NATO</acronym>’, ‘radar’, and
‘snafu’; some sources also include syllable acronyms like
‘Usenet’, hybrids like ‘<acronym>SIGGRAPH</acronym>’, and unpronounceable
initialisms like ‘<acronym>FBI</acronym>’.
</li><li>- In Texinfo, an acronym (but not an abbreviation) should consist only
of capital letters and periods, no lowercase.
</li><li>- In TeX, an acronym (but not an abbreviation) is printed in a
slightly smaller font.
</li><li>- Some browsers place a dotted bottom border under abbreviations but not
acronyms.
</li><li>- It usually turns out to be quite difficult and/or time-consuming to
consistently use <code>@acronym</code> for all sequences of uppercase
letters. Furthermore, it looks strange for some acronyms to be in the
normal font size and others to be smaller. Thus, a simpler approach
you may wish to consider is to avoid <code>@acronym</code> and just typeset
everything as normal text in all capitals: ‘<samp>GNU</samp>’, producing the
output ‘GNU’.
</li><li>- In general, it’s not essential to use either of these commands for all
abbreviations; use your judgment. Text is perfectly readable without
them.
</li></ul>
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