# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/21 "2009-03-24T18:17:04Z")
I cannot remember any acronyms in Spanish that make a common word. I have a vague feeling that I have seen it but cannot recall any particular one. That said, it is rather common to have acronyms spelled out as their pronunciations. For example: PTJ = Policia Tecnica Judicial (something like the Venezuelan FBI, it now has a different name). If you read the letters in Spanish (peh-teh-hoh-tah in English) it would read as the (non-existent) word “petejota” and that word has become part of the written language and is later treated as any other word with the appropriate changes for sex and number. So you would write a news item saying that “los petejotas llegaron a la escena” (the “petejotas” arrived on the scene). I have even seem the word “pedeveseños” to mean people from PDVSA, the national oil company (now PDV). Not what you were asking, but I thought it was an interesting aside. ---
**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, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/22 "2009-03-24T18:42:16Z")
> [@Sapo](#): > > If you read the letters in Spanish (peh-teh-hoh-tah in English) it would read as the (non-existent) word “petejota” and that word has become part of the written language and is later treated as any other word with the appropriate changes for sex and number. So you would write a news item saying that “los petejotas llegaron a la escena” (the “petejotas” arrived on the scene). > > I have even seem the word “pedeveseños” to mean people from PDVSA, the national oil company (now PDV). Interesting! Quebec has political parties called the Parti québécois (PQ) and the Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ). Partisans of the first are usually called “péquistes” and partisans of the second are called “adéquistes”. Even in formal contexts. ---
**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, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/23 "2009-03-24T18:48:00Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > Interesting! Quebec has political parties called the Parti québécois (PQ) and the Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ). Partisans of the first are usually called “péquistes” and partisans of the second are called “adéquistes”. Even in formal contexts. That’s what I was going to post. 🙂 ---
**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, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/24 "2009-03-24T23:28:03Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > 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. What does Bei Da mean? ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/25 "2009-03-25T00:01:01Z")
> [@Clovernook](#): > > What does Bei Da mean? North Big. Japanese does the same thing: tookyoo daigaku (Tokyo University) becomes toodai. ---
**Author:** ![Tyrrell\_McAllister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tyrrell_mcallister/32/16772_2.png) [@Tyrrell\_McAllister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tyrrell_McAllister)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/26 "2009-03-25T00:07:13Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > 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). I was a mathematics postdoc in the Netherlands, and my funding for a time came through the [DIAMANT](http://websites.math.leidenuniv.nl/diamant/index.php) cluster, where DIAMANT stands for “ **D** iscrete **I** nteractive and **A** lgorithmic **M** athematics **A** lgebra and **N** umber **T** heory.” So it was a Dutch word made out of an acronym, but the letters stood for English words. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/27 "2009-03-25T08:26:23Z")
In Spanish, acronyms that can be pronounced get treated as words (and get their own gender, as in French, and it’s also usually the gender that the item has when spelled out); they’ve become common relatively recently, though, so some which happen to spell words are actually unintentional (el can = the dog; la CAN = the savings bank of Navarra). People often make an effort to create pronounceable acronyms, but not so much to come up with an acronym that’s a word. I haven’t heard it in years, but I remember people referring to the American CIA as “la Compañía” (the Company) because the Spanish abrevation for “company” is C[sup]ia[/sup]… sort of the opposite of an acronym. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/28 "2009-03-25T08:38:00Z")
[SPOT](http://www.spot.com/?countryCode=US&languageCode=en) = _Satellite pour l’observation de la terre_ (Satellite for the Observation of the Earth). French name, English acroword. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/29 "2009-03-25T09:15:22Z")
> [@Tyrrell\_McAllister](#): > > I was a mathematics postdoc in the Netherlands, and my funding for a time came through the [DIAMANT](http://websites.math.leidenuniv.nl/diamant/index.php) cluster, where DIAMANT stands for “ **D** iscrete **I** nteractive and **A** lgorithmic **M** athematics **A** lgebra and **N** umber **T** heory.” So it was a Dutch word made out of an acronym, but the letters stood for English words. Is “diamant” a dutch word (for diamond?) ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/30 "2009-03-25T09:31:26Z")
Yes, it means diamond ---
**Author:** ![MarcusF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/31 "2009-03-25T10:34:50Z")
> [@hibernicus](#): > > North Big. > > Japanese does the same thing: tookyoo daigaku (Tokyo University) becomes toodai. British English also does this Manchester United becomes Man-U 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BunnyTVS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BunnyTVS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BunnyTVS)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/32 "2009-03-25T12:01:56Z")
::Slightly O/T:: We must never forget Red Dwarfs **C** ampaign for the **L** iberation and **I** ntegration of **T** errifying **O** rganisms and their **R** ehabilitation **I** nto **S** ociety ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/33 "2009-03-25T12:35:33Z")
> [@Tyrrell\_McAllister](#): > > I was a mathematics postdoc in the Netherlands, and my funding for a time came through the [DIAMANT](http://websites.math.leidenuniv.nl/diamant/index.php) cluster, where DIAMANT stands for “ **D** iscrete **I** nteractive and **A** lgorithmic **M** athematics **A** lgebra and **N** umber **T** heory.” So it was a Dutch word made out of an acronym, but the letters stood for English words. Interestingly (to me), I had a Number theory lecturer called Diamantis - think he was Russian, though, not Dutch. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/34 "2009-03-25T12:46:03Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > 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. Nitpick – “_Likud_” is \*\*not \*\*an acronym. \*Meretz \*OTOH definitely is (or, given their performance in latest election, possibly **was** …) > [@](#): > > 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. “_Arhab Ha-brit_,” to connoisseurs of the ridiculous 😃 Israeli PR types do this (coining “cute” names for their products and then reverse-engineering acronyms to fit them) _ **all. The. F** _ing. Time\*\*\*. I suspect it’s the feeling rampant among them that the general public will lap up anything that’s “Just like in the United States,” so they’ve copied this American trend, too :rolleyes: (not at the US – at the copy-cats who think this copy-catting sells) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/35 "2009-03-25T12:51:58Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > [SPOT](http://www.spot.com/?countryCode=US&languageCode=en) = _Satellite pour l’observation de la terre_ (Satellite for the Observation of the Earth). French name, English acroword. Technically, **all acronyms are pronounceable words**. Something that is just a string of letters is not precisely an acronym. “FBI” is not an acronym in the strictest sense of the word. “Radar,” “Scuba,” “MiG” and “SPOT” are. [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/acronym](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/acronym) FBI, CIA etc. are technically abbreviations (or initialisms) not acronyms. Some dictionaries are a bit permissive about this - allowing an abbreviation as a secondary type of acronym, but some are not. (my Oxford allows for only the primary definition, but M-W online allows an abbreviation as a secondary definition) The distinction’s valuable enough that, really, “Acronym” should be limited to words, not abbreviations. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/36 "2009-03-25T13:40:00Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > Interestingly (to me), I had a Number theory lecturer called Diamantis - think he was Russian, though, not Dutch. From m-w: “Middle English diamaunde, from Middle French diamand, from Late Latin diamant-, diamas, alteration of Latin adamant-, adamas hardest metal” It’s diamant in all Germanic languages I think, except those with an early merger with French. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/37 "2009-03-25T13:52:53Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > Interesting! Quebec has political parties called the Parti québécois (PQ) and the Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ). Partisans of the first are usually called “péquistes” and partisans of the second are called “adéquistes”. Even in formal contexts. Cool. I had completely forgotten about the old political parties in Venezuela. Accion Democratica (AD) whose partisans were called “adecos” and COPEI (I have no idea what it stood for now) whose partisans were called “copeyanos”. Also the URD and its “uerredistas” and the MAS and its “masistas”. All this words were also used in formal contexts. You would also talk about “la filosofia adeca” (The philosophy of AD). ---
**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 25, 2009, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/38 "2009-03-25T13:55:03Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > Interesting! Quebec has political parties called the Parti québécois (PQ) and the Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ). Partisans of the first are usually called “péquistes” and partisans of the second are called “adéquistes”. Even in formal contexts. Hum… you guys do know what PQ stands for in France French, right ? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/39 "2009-03-25T15:10:48Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > Nitpick – “_Likud_” is \*\*not \*\*an acronym. Seriously? I would have bet my life it was. Good thing no one asked me to do so! ---
**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 25, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568/40 "2009-03-25T18:54:02Z")
> [@naita](#): > > It’s diamant in all Germanic languages I think, except those with an early merger with French. Interestingly, it’s also diamant in modern French. > [@Kobal2](#): > > Hum… you guys do know what PQ stands for in France French, right ? 😃 I do, but obviously that’s not very much in use here. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-non-english-speaking-countries-have-acronyms-that-spell-out-words/490568.md?page=3)