Every word you use should uplift your piece of writing. When you use a redundant abbreviation, you are using two or more words that mean the same thing. They add nothing new. It is more of a repetition. The redundant abbreviation can be defined as a phrase containing an acronym plus a word or phrase such that, when the abbreviation is expanded, the phrase would have a redundancy.
‘New Scientist’ writer Stanley Newman created the term “RAS syndrome” in 2001 as analysis for anyone who puts an extra word to the end of common acronyms like “ATM machine” (Automatic Teller Machine machine), making the entire phrase redundant and repetitive. You’ll be amazed how often examples of Repetitive Acronym Syndrome come up.
Here are 18 such redundant phrases that we unknowingly use in our everyday life:
Personal Identification Number (PIN)
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
Portable Document Format (PDF)
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
Detective Comics (DC)
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
Universal Product Code (UPC)
Grand Old Party (GOP)
Very Important Person (VIP)
Automated Teller Machine (ATM)
Central News Network (CNN)
Alternating Current/Direct Current (AC/DC)
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
Réspondez S’il Vous Plaît (RSVP)
A redundant abbreviation isn’t the planet’s most serious problem. But you should always know what an acronym stands for before using it.
Do you know of you any other redundant acronyms? If you do, please share it with us in the comment section.
