Why is I. S. I. S. pronounced as isis, but U. S. A. is pronounced U-S-A?

my fertile mind | 10/8/2014 | 1raider1

[1raider1]

Why is I. S. I. S. pronounced as isis, but U. S. A. is pronounced U S A?

[Sans-Culotte]

For that matter, why do so many people refer to this year as “two thousand fourteen”, when it should be “twenty fourteen”. Nobody referred to 1999 as “one thousand nine hundred & ninety nine”.

[Covenantor]

I'd say the slide began in earnest when the Marxists infiltrated (took over) the textbook publishers.

Just so. I can recall one of reading textbooks, circa 1954, that had stories with a whiff of Comintern influence. Chapters on children of the world and Mexican migrant children.

By the time Viet Nam war draft dodgers were opting for Education majors, the leftist college faculties were already in place.

[tophat9000]

I-S-I-S is a routing protocol.

So are we OSPF or BGP... or with Obama running it ...RIP?

[1raider1]

I hear you.

[DoodleDawg]

One is an acronym and one is an abbreviation.

[raccoonradio]

Wasn’t there a town in Japan that renamed itself Usa because we Americans might buy a product labelled “MADE IN USA”? :)

[AnnaZ]

Any thoughts?

Yes. I wonder how people tend to pronounce the acronym for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

[Resettozero]

And why cain’t I call them the Redskins!

[novemberslady]

i.s.i.s.

guess it all depends on what your definition of 'is' is...

[Fresh Wind]

Why not pronounce I.S.I.S as “is is” in honor of Slick Willy Clinton?

[lefty-lie-spy]

I thought about “radar” and then dismissed your entire premise for this silliness.

[1raider1]

That is great!

[1raider1]

Thanks for putting me in my place.

[lefty-lie-spy]

On a side note, it drives me crazy when the science podcast to listen to that are from the United Kingdom always read their URLs as “double-you, double-you, double-you, dot, bee-bee-see, dot, “ko”, dot, you-kay.” It always sounds so grating to me to only pronounce the “C-O” in the URL as “ko”.

Anyone else that has this pet peeve?

[1raider1]

Yes

[RetSignman]

[Vermont Lt]

Because there has been an “ISIS” since Egyptian times.

And because USA,pronounced, sounds stupid.

[dfwgator]

Not guilty.

[dfwgator]

What crow?

[Resettozero]

No.