# Do Other Non-English Speaking Countries Have Acronyms That Spell Out Words **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 24, 2009, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568 "2009-03-24T12:05:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Clovernook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@Clovernook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clovernook)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/1 "2009-03-24T12:05:48Z")
I’m thinking of a contrived acronym like the USA PATRIOT Act. I can’t think of other examples where an acronym is spelled out to make a word (or series of words) in the native language but I’m certain there are other instances. Does this happen in non-English languages and, if so, what are they? ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/2 "2009-03-24T12:19:56Z")
I can’t think of any examples in Dutch. Of course we shorten words, using only the first letters. But never into another word. So we talk about LNV that wants to vote against our POL. And abbreviations like NATO have become words in themselves. But we don’t have the equivalent of, for example, CAN (Clean Air Now). ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/3 "2009-03-24T12:36:44Z")
Same deal in French. We certainly do use acronyms as words (we even give them genders. You might be interested to know NASA is a lady, but the FBI is a dude), but I can’t think of any acronym the letters of which form a real word. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/4 "2009-03-24T13:14:20Z")
I had never thought about how a language with grammatical gender deals with acronyms. Is NASA feminine because of the A at the end? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/5 "2009-03-24T13:30:56Z")
حركة المقاومة الإسلامية **Ḥ** arakat al- **M** uqāwamah al- **’Is** lāmīyah means ‘Islamic Resistance Movement’ and forms the acronym حماس Ḥamās meaning ‘zeal’. أفواج المقاومة اللبنانية **A** fwāj al- **M** uqāwamah al- **L** ubnānīyah means ‘Detachments of Lebanese Resistance’ and forms the acronym أمل Amal meaning ‘hope’. There’s one that goes backwards: حركة التحرجر الوطني الفلسطينية **Ḥ** arakat al- **T** aḥrīr al-Waṭanī al- **F** ilasṭīnīyah means ‘Palestinian National Liberation Movement’ but that would form the acronym حتف Ḥataf which means ‘death’. Oops! So they acronymed it backwards and got فتح Fatḥ meaning ‘victory’. In English they spell it Fatah with an extra -a- so that everyone can tell the t and h are separate letters and not the digraph “th” for the unvoiced dental fricative /θ/ (which would be a different letter in Arabic, ث). ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/6 "2009-03-24T14:15:17Z")
I certainly didn’t expect that all the romance languages wouldn’t do it but that a completely non-Roman alphabet would. Fascinating! ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/7 "2009-03-24T14:15:49Z")
The only German acronym I can think of that forms a word is [(Die) PARTEI](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_PARTEI), the name of a German spoof political party. **Partei** für **Arbeit** , **Rechtsstaat** , **Tierschutz** , **Elitenförderung** und basisdemokratische **Initiative** (Party for Work, Rule of Law, Animal Welfare, Advancement of Elites, and Grassroot-Democratic Initiative). It could even considered a recursive acronym… Generally speaking, such an acronym that spells out a word would only be desirable in politics and non-commercial culture, not in business where most acronyms are generated, because you could not trademark the acronym. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/8 "2009-03-24T14:39:26Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I had never thought about how a language with grammatical gender deals with acronyms. Is NASA feminine because of the A at the end? Nope. It’s because the keyword in the acronym is A for Agency, which is a feminine noun. So the CIA, NSA and NASA are all feminine. The operative word in FBI is Bureau, which is masculine, hence the whole acronym is masculine. I wouldn’t try finding logic in noun genders in general though. Down that road, madness lies 😛 However, I just realized something - while we either pronounce NSA, CIA, NASA, NATO and so on as french words or french acronyms (i.e. CIA is say-ee-ah), we always pronounce FBI the English way (eff-bee-aye) rather than eff-beh-ee as we should. I have no idea why. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/9 "2009-03-24T14:55:46Z")
Hebrew acronyms don’t necessarily spell out existing words, but they’re all pronounced as words, not as their constituent letters. Commonly used ones do eventually become words in their own rights - a few Israeli political parties’ names are based on acronyms, like Likud and Meretz. I’ve also heard people refer to the US as “Arhab”, the acronym for “Artzot Ha’Brit,” its proper name, although this sounds quite silly to me. I was trying to think of some Bulgarian examples and could only come up with one - there’s a Roma rights organization called СЕГА: Старт за (Start for) Ефективни (Effective) Граждански (Citizen) Алтернативи (Alternatives). СЕГА = CEGA = “now”. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/10 "2009-03-24T15:56:54Z")
This thread is one of the reasons that the SDMB is such a superb source of knowledge. Wonderful question, terrific responses. Bravo. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/11 "2009-03-24T16:15:54Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > However, I just realized something - while we either pronounce NSA, CIA, NASA, NATO and so on as french words or french acronyms (i.e. CIA is say-ee-ah), we always pronounce FBI the English way (eff-bee-aye) rather than eff-beh-ee as we should. I have no idea why. I pronounce CIA and NSA as English letters, even in French. As for NATO, it is of course OTAN in French, and this is what I use in French. My university has a research group called [MOIVRE](http://www.usherbrooke.ca/informatique/recherche/moivre.html), which stands for MOdélisation en Imagerie, Vision et RÉseaux de neurones (okay, not a real acronym, but still) and is a reference to French-English mathematician [Abraham de Moivre](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_de_Moivre). I’m sure there are other examples. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/12 "2009-03-24T16:28:02Z")
In Mexican Spanish, the American CIA is pronounced phonetically as a word: la “see-uh.” The FBI is interesting, as some people use the Spanish pronounciation for the letters (efay be ee), and others pronounce it as we do (but with a Mexican accent). Some of their organizations are prounced as words, such as IFE (their nationalized electrical company) or PEMEX (their nationalized petroleum company), but I’ve not happened upon one that spells an actual Spanish word (but I’ll be on the lookout now). Well, there’s the PAN (their non-backward politcal party), but I’m faily certain that they’re not trying to imply “bread” to the people. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/13 "2009-03-24T16:36:16Z")
> [@Clovernook](#): > > I’m thinking of a contrived acronym like the USA PATRIOT Act. I can’t think of other examples where an acronym is spelled out to make a word (or series of words) in the native language but I’m certain there are other instances. > > Does this happen in non-English languages and, if so, what are they? I honestly never knew until know that the USA PATRIOT act name was an acronym. Christ, now the name is even more embarrassing. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/14 "2009-03-24T16:44:31Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > I honestly never knew until know that the USA PATRIOT act name was an acronym. > > Christ, now the name is even more embarrassing. Same here, had to look that one up. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/15 "2009-03-24T16:55:22Z")
Back during, say, the Lincoln Administration, they’d just refer to “the Act of March 3, 1862.” None of these stupidly baroque acronyms for Acts of Congress. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/16 "2009-03-24T17:05:34Z")
It seems some European Union programs and studies also have word-acronyms. ERASMUS = European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students LIFE+ = L’Instrument Financier pour l’Environnement LEADER = Liaison entre actions de développement de l’économie rurale PHARE = Poland and Hungary: Aid for Restructuring of the Economies MEDIA = Mesures pour Encourager le Développement de l´Industrie Audiovisuelle PRIME = Privacy and Identity Management for Europe REFLEX (study) = **r** isk **e** valuation of potential environmental hazards from low energy electromagnetic **f** ie **l** d **ex** posure using sensitive in vitro methods ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/17 "2009-03-24T17:14:12Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > I honestly never knew until know that the USA PATRIOT act name was an acronym. > > Christ, now the name is even more embarrassing. "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 " (from wikipedia). I knew it was one, but couldn’t remember the details. > [@tschild](#): > > It seems some European Union programs and studies also have word-acronyms. > […] > LEADER = Liaison entre actions de développement de l’économie rurale > PHARE = Poland and Hungary: Aid for Restructuring of the Economies > […] These two are interesting. A French name acronymmed to an English word, and an English name acronymmed to a French word (phare = lighthouse, I believe). ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/18 "2009-03-24T17:23:57Z")
The early Christians’ use of the fish as a symbol was a rebus based on an acronym. Iesous = Jesus CHristos = Christ THeou = God’s Uios = Son S (I forget the Greek word for “savior”) ICHTHUS = Fish > **[Ichthys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichthys)** > > The ichthys or ichthus (/ˈɪkθəs/), from the Greek ikhthū́s (ἰχθύς, 1st cent. AD Koine Greek pronunciation: \[ikʰˈtʰys\], "fish") is (in its modern rendition) a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so as to resemble the profile of a fish. It has been speculated that the symbol was adopted by early Christians as a secret symbol; a shibboleth to determine if another was indeed Christian. It is now known colloquially as the " The firs... ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/19 "2009-03-24T17:27:50Z")
> [@tschild](#): > > REFLEX (study) = **r** isk **e** valuation of potential environmental hazards from low energy electromagnetic **f** ie **l** d **ex** posure using sensitive in vitro methods Between you and me, that one’s pushing it. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/20 "2009-03-24T17:32:11Z")
Chinese does something somewhat similar to acronyms, although it isn’t an alphabet based language. For example, Peking (or Beijing) University is known as Beijing Daxue. To make it an “acronym,” its name is shortened to Bei Da. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568.md?page=2)