2022年11月18日 VOA慢速英语：制作缩写词：首字母缩略词、首字母缩略词

 

Have you ever seen, heard, or used these words before?
你以前见过、听过或用过这些词吗？
"LOL."
 
"Scuba"
 
"ASAP"
 
If you have, you know they are shortenings of longer expressions called abbreviations.
如果你有，你就会知道它们是较长表达式的缩写，称为缩写。
 
So how can we make abbreviations? In this week's Everyday Grammar, we will look at two ways to make abbreviations. Both by using the initials of the words we want to shorten.
那么我们如何制作缩写呢？在本周的日常语法中，我们将了解两种制作缩写的方法。两者都使用我们想要缩短的单词的首字母。
 
By the end of this report you will start to identify abbreviations and maybe even start making some of your own!
到本报告结束时，您将开始识别缩写，甚至可能开始自己制作一些缩写！
What are abbreviations?
>什么是缩写？
 
Abbreviations are shortened forms of words or phrases. They are used instead of the original words that they represent. For example, "appt." is an abbreviation for the word "appointment."
缩写是单词或短语的缩写形式。它们被用来代替它们所代表的原始单词。例如，“约会”。是“约会”一词的缩写。
 
We often use abbreviations in everyday life. Like when we write the time in the United States, we use the abbreviations "a.m." and "p.m." These are short for the Latin expressions "ante meridiem" meaning before noon and "post meridiem" for after noon.
我们在日常生活中经常使用缩写。就像我们在美国写时间一样，我们使用缩写“a.m.”和“下午”这些是拉丁语表达“ante meridiem”的缩写，意思是中午之前，“post meridiem”意思是中午之后。
 
We can also use abbreviations for other time periods, also. For example, we might shorten the word for the month of "November" to "Nov." And we use them in other forms of online communication, especially in text messaging and in social media. Like "NVM" for "never mind" or "LOL" for "laugh out loud."
我们也可以使用其他时间段的缩写。例如，我们可能会将表示月份“November”的单词缩短为“Nov”。我们将它们用于其他形式的在线交流，尤其是短信和社交媒体。就像“NVM”代表“没关系”或“LOL”代表“大声笑”。
 
There are many words in English that we do not realize are actually abbreviations like "scuba" or "laser."
英语中有许多我们没有意识到的单词实际上是缩写，例如“scuba”或“laser”。
 
These are actually acronyms, and they are just one way to make abbreviations of longer phrases.
这些实际上是首字母缩略词，它们只是对较长短语进行缩写的一种方式。< br/>
 
Let's look closer at acronyms.
让我们仔细看看缩写词。
What are acronyms?
什么是缩写词？
 
Acronyms are a type of abbreviation for a longer phrase or group of words. We use the first letter of each word to create the acronym. Acronyms are said as a whole word.
首字母缩略词是较长短语或词组的一种缩写。我们使用每个单词的首字母来创建首字母缩略词。首字母缩略词作为一个完整的词来表达。
 
For example, we have the acronym "NASA," which stands for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
例如，我们有首字母缩略词“NASA”，它代表美国国家航空航天局。
 
NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first person to step on the moon.
NASA 宇航员尼尔·阿姆斯特朗 (Neil Armstrong)第一个踏上月球的人。
 
Since acronyms are said as a whole word, sometimes we do not even know they are acronyms. This has happened with the word "scuba."
由于首字母缩略词是作为一个完整的词来表达的，有时我们甚至不知道它们是首字母缩略词。 “scuba”这个词就是这样。
 
Scuba is an acronym for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.
Scuba 是自给式水下呼吸器的缩写。
 
S stands for self.
S 代表自我。
 
C stands for contained.
>C代表contained。

U is for underwater.
U代表underwater。
 
B is breathing.
B是呼吸。
 
A is for apparatus.
A是仪器。
 
We do not say each individual letter. We pronounce the acronym as a whole, "scuba."
我们不说每个字母。我们将首字母缩写词作为一个整体发音为“scuba”。
 
Here is an example of how we would use "scuba" in a sentence.
这是我们如何在句子中使用“scuba”的示例。
 
She wants to take scuba diving lessons before her trip to Hawaii.
她想参加水肺潜水她去夏威夷旅行前的课程。
 
Another example of this is the word "laser." A laser is a narrow beam of intense light. We also call the devices that can create such energy, lasers. But, laser is an acronym of the words light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.
另一个例子是“激光”这个词。激光是一束狭窄的强光。我们也将能够产生这种能量的设备称为激光。但是，激光是受激辐射光放大的首字母缩写词。
 
L is for light.
L代表光。
 
A stands for amplification
A代表放大
 
S is stimulated
S代表受激
 
E is for emission
E代表发射
 
R stand for radiation.
R代表
 
Notice that the prepositions of "by" and "of" are not included in the acronym. Such smaller words are often removed in abbreviated forms.
请注意，首字母缩略词中不包含介词“by”和“of”。此类较小的单词通常以缩写形式删除。
But not always. The international alliance ECOWAS is an example. It stands for the Economic Community of West African States. The letter "O" for "of" remains in the shortened version.
但并非总是如此。国际联盟 ECOWAS 就是一个例子。它代表西非国家经济共同体。 “of”的字母“O”保留在缩写版本中。
 
The same is true for "DOJ," or the Department of Justice. However, the abbreviation of the Department of Justice to DOJ does not make it an acronym.
“DOJ”或司法部也是如此。然而，Department of Justice 对 DOJ 的缩写并不能使它成为首字母缩略词。
 
DOJ is, in fact, an initialism, which brings us to our next subject.
DOJ 实际上是一个首字母缩写词，这将我们带到下一个主题。
 
What are initialisms?
什么是首字母缩写词？
 
Initialisms are also abbreviations like acronyms, but instead of being read as a whole word, they are read as the alphabet letter or initial of each word.
首字母缩写词也像首字母缩略词一样是缩写，但不是作为一个完整的单词来读，而是作为字母或每个单词的首字母来读。
 
For example, Voice of America is V.O.A. Each letter is read by itself.
例如，美国之音是 V.O.A.每个字母都是自己读的。
 
Government agencies often go by initialisms. Another place you can see them is in the world of universities. Degrees, for example are most often represented that way. For example, if you completed a 4-year program of study in astronomy, you would earn a B.S. degree, meaning a Bachelor of Science. Other degrees include A.A. or A.S., meaning Associate of Arts or Associate of Science. Higher level degrees are called Masters.
政府机构通常使用缩写词。另一个你可以看到他们的地方是在大学的世界里。例如，学位最常以这种方式表示。例如，如果您完成了天文学的 4 年学习计划，您将获得天文学学士学位。学位，意思是理学学士学位。其他学位包括 A.A.或 A.S.，意思是文学副学士或科学副学士。更高级别的学位称为硕士学位。
 
I have my M.A. in TESOL, or teaching English to speakers of other languages.
我拥有 TESOL 硕士学位，或者教授说其他语言的人英语。
 
And a Ph.D. is actually an initialism for the Latin term "philosophiae doctor" or, in English, Doctor of Philosophy.
还有博士学位。实际上是拉丁术语“philosophiae doctor”或英文哲学博士的缩写。
 
VOA Learning English's Dr. Jill has a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics.
美国之音慢速英语的吉尔博士拥有博士学位。应用语言学。

Some abbreviations can be read as either acronyms or initialisms like in this abbreviation, A.S.A.P., or ASAP. They stand for "as soon as possible."
一些缩写可以读作首字母缩写词或首字母缩略词，例如 A.S.A.P. 或 ASAP。他们代表“尽快”。

Please send Louise the money ASAP so she can pay the phone bill.
请尽快把钱寄给路易丝，这样她就可以付电话费了。
 
Closing thoughts
结束语
 
In today's report, we learned how to create two kinds of abbreviations. We can create abbreviations by shortening a word or phrase. If shortening a phrase, we can take the first letter of each word in the phrase and put them together to create either an acronym or an initialism.
在今天的报告中，我们学习了如何创建两种缩写。我们可以通过缩短单词或短语来创建缩写。如果缩短一个短语，我们可以取短语中每个单词的第一个字母并将它们放在一起以创建首字母缩写词或首字母缩略词。
 
We also learned the difference between these two. An acronym is pronounced as a whole word like the word "NASA." In an initialism, each letter is said separately like in Voice of America or V.O.A.
我们还了解了这两者之间的区别。首字母缩略词发音为整个单词，例如单词“NASA”。在首字母缩略词中，每个字母都像美国之音或 V.O.A 中那样单独说出来。
 
Now it's your turn. At the end of this lesson is a list of abbreviations.
现在轮到你了。本课末尾是缩写词列表。
 
Tell us if you think the abbreviation is an acronym or an initialism or just a regular abbreviation. And then tell us what the abbreviation means.
如果您认为该缩写词是首字母缩略词、首字母缩写词或只是常规缩写词，请告诉我们。然后告诉我们缩写的意思。