Excessive Abbreviations (page 2 of 4)

I’m strolling down the Champs looking for a McDonald’s. After devouring a Big Mac, I decide to wash it down with a gin and tonic, then hop on a TGV. An Uber in a Toyota drops me off at CDG, where I take off for Casablanca.

Stuck between lookalikes of BB and M6, this self-drive road trip is starting off as a total disaster!

Luckily, I found some great tips on VF for my rental car.

Nobody actually talks like this—just as much as they don’t use the unabbreviated versions.

Anyway, everyone has their own speech quirks, and there’s no need to read into it beyond personal history.

After all, language evolves, and today’s French is the result of that evolution.

Mummifying a language is what kills it.

Just like it does for individuals, by the way.

What personally bugs me is the process...

And when the taxi tout says "As Cham Cham Cham," where’s he sending you?

To Syria, of course! (Damascus), and in Ash-Sham the tout will say: "Bayrût, Bayrût" 😏

Bravo! Few people know that for Syrians, Syria is Ash-Sham! And if I remember correctly (it’s been so long!), it’s the term that means ‘the North’ in Arabic—which makes sense...

In the same vein, Tunisians call the French "As-Souri," which can be confusing!

- - In discussions about Peru, I keep seeing ‘Aguas’ for ‘Aguas Calientes.’ And if it’s Mexico, well, it’ll be ‘Aguas’ for ‘Aguascalientes’! - - For Guatemala, ‘travelers’ will say ‘Guaté.’ Seriously, saying ‘Guatemalas’ would maybe be the unmistakable sign that you know nothing about the country??? - - Back from Indonesia, many will talk about how familiar they’ve become with the country’s language: ‘bahasa.’ Sure, everyone knows what you mean, but it still rubs me the wrong way because the language (one of many) of Indonesia is ‘bahasa Indonesia.’ ‘Bahasa’ actually means ‘language,’ and you’ll find this word of Indian origin ‘Bhāṣā’ (it’s Sanskrit originally) outside Indonesia too: in Thailand, for example, any language will be ‘phasa,’ like ‘phasa thai’ (official Thai), ‘phasa isan’ (what’s spoken in northeastern Thailand), ‘phasa angkrit’ = English, etc. Am I an incorrigible nitpicker? Maybe. But I’d also find it ridiculous if a foreigner told me they’d visited ‘Monte’ during their trip to France, meaning Monte Carlo. I read a lot in English and don’t think I’ve ever come across such a habit among English speakers.

Hi there, It’s really curious indeed—I’d never noticed before. Personally, in this specific case, I find it trivial because it doesn’t bother me ‘deep down’—there’s no echo, no IMPACT on my psyche. I think words aren’t innocent. Beyond their literal meaning, they sometimes reflect a broader situation or events happening in the world. For example, in recent years, the word ‘IMPACT’ and its derivatives—‘impact,’ ‘impacting’—are used all over the place in any situation. An economic crisis, but also simple reforms, impact the population. Greenhouse gases impact the climate. Rising fuel prices impact vacationers, etc. Couldn’t we replace this term with less ‘violent’ ones? Like affect, influence, act on, weigh on, exert an influence, or even: harm, disrupt, shake up, mark, compromise, upend, strike, etc. The word ‘impact’ implies a violent shock. So why is it used in every situation? I sense a threat in it, but I hope I’m wrong... Maybe there’s some kind of urgency somewhere?

I think the real urgency is to avoid this intellectual laziness—my post is one example, the systematic use of certain expressions, as you mentioned, is another. I keep hearing my nieces hammering me with ‘du coup’ (so/as a result) all the time....

And when the taxi tout says "As Cham Cham Cham," where’s he sending you?

To Syria, of course! (Damascus), and in Ach Châm the tout will say: "Bayrût, Bayrût" 😏

What a funny name, Syria, for a country with so few trees.

The AI didn’t get your pun...

It suggests:Syria-al killer Syria-al gamer A Syria TV Syria on the cake How does that Syria you? It seems more exhausted than the VFers ....😄

(AI: artificial intelligence, VFers: VoyageForum members—I’d hate to give the language purists a heart attack)

And when the taxi tout says As Cham Cham Cham, where’s he sending you? 😏

Is this some kind of inside joke that only you get? If you could shed some light, I’d really appreciate it, thanks. I can just picture everyone on this forum cracking up reading that.

And when the taxi tout says As Cham Cham Cham, where’s he sending you?

To Syria, of course! (Damascus), and in Ach Châm the tout will say: Bayrût, Bayrût😏

What a funny name, Syria, for a country with so few trees.

Syria > Sawmill! That’s a good one! 😏

The excessive abbreviations

Isn’t your redundancy also a bit... excessive?

Sure, but not everyone’s a literature agrégé 😊

I hear my nieces going on and on about it

Does it hurt? Repeating it is less painful😉

I keep hearing my nieces hammering it into my ears

Does it hurt? Repeating it is less painful😉

Hahaha! Thanks for the correction. French really isn’t my first language...

Anyway, while I’m at it, another one that grinds my gears (sorry, I know I’m being a pain?) is ‘Nica’ for ‘Nicaragua’.

Oh, while I’m at it, another one that grinds my gears (sorry, I know I’m getting annoying?)—‘le Nica’ for ‘le Nicaragua.’

I never really paid attention to it, but I’d see it more as a time-saver for writing than an attempt to stand out.

it’s ‘Nica’ for ‘Nicaragua’.

Haha, but this country is in Central America, not "SAm"—so you’re spared that one! I mean, how else would all these insiders, these mini Nicolas Bouvier or Alexandra David-Néel types (though they mostly went to Asia) who end up in SPA (San Pedro de Atacama for the clueless) put it?

Kili, Jo’burg, Frisco, Vegas, L.A., BKK, Pondy...

I think I’d be more taken aback if someone told me about their bicycle tires than if they sang “If you go to Rio…” 😄

It's funny, even VF links some abbreviations to the full name of the place.

Kili, Jo'burg, Frisco, Vegas, L.A., BKK, Pondy...

I think I'd be more taken aback if someone told me about the tires on their bicycle than if they sang "If you go to Rio..."

L.A. ... BKK ...

There are certainly useful abbreviations that feel natural to use in certain contexts:

L.A. instead of Los Angeles: because the whole world has been using it for so long! I’d only say Los Angeles with people who’ve never left their hometown—and there aren’t many of those, but I know a few!

BKK: for the airport, of course, but I admit I use it when writing. That said, I’d never say ‘I’m going to BKK tomorrow.’

Also, if the name is a bit long, like San Cristóbal de Las Casas, everyone says San Cristóbal—it’s understandable and still manageable. Same for Rio.

This discussion is hilarious.

You’ve never been to Madagascar? Mada, the island of cities with names that never end. Starting with its capital. No one goes to Antananarivo—you’ve got to manage to pronounce it or write it without skipping a syllable first... We go to Tana. Same thing, we’ll go to Fiana instead of Fianarantsoa.

I read a lot in English and I don’t think I’ve ever come across such a habit among English speakers.

Should we ask the Welsh? 😏

Hi More in Diego than in Antsiranana😅

This discussion is funny.

You’ve never been to Madagascar? Mada, the island of cities with names that never end. Starting with its capital. Nobody goes to Antananarivo—you’ve got to manage to pronounce it or write it without skipping a syllable first... You go to Tana. Same way, you’ll go to Fiana instead of Fianarantsoa.

I read a lot in English and I don’t think I’ve come across such a habit among English speakers.

Should we ask the Welsh? 😏

No, never been to Madagascar. As far as I know. In France, we often say Tananarive, right? It sounds better to me than Tana—what a horror!

I think English speakers often tend to use acronyms: LA for Los Angeles, KL for Kuala Lumpur (not ‘Kuala’). But they say Philly for Philadelphia, Frisco for San Francisco, Jo’burg for Johannesburg—so they’re not completely immune either.

To be clear, I’m not talking about abbreviations used in writing. I’ve got no problem (!) writing ‘bcp’ for ‘beaucoup’ or ‘qd’ for ‘quand’!

The Welsh aren’t English! 😉

It’d really only be with people who’ve never left their backwater that I’d say Los Angeles

Funny! I have some Franco-American friends (friends for 30 years) whose son lives in Los Angeles. We talk about it often, like all parents reminiscing about their kids. Well, I honestly don’t think I’ve ever heard them say L-A. And I don’t think they consider me someone who’s never left my backwater. There are abbreviations used in everyday life that have entered the "public domain"—Frisco, Pondy, etc.—and then there are the same ones, sometimes, used with a lot of affectation by some people to show that they... well, of course, in front of those they think have never left their backwater, etc., etc., etc. Actually, what amuses me isn’t the abbreviations themselves but how some people use them.

Actually, what amuses me isn't the abbreviations themselves, but some of the ways they're used.

I totally agree with that!