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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

RAS syndrome stands for Redundant Acronym Syndrome syndrome and refers to the redundant use of one or more of the words that make up an acronym or initialism with the abbreviation itself, thus in effect repeating one or more words. The term "RAS syndrome" itself is an example of self-referential humor.

Technically, this redundancy is a form of rhetorical tautology, and in many cases a pleonasm.

Contents 1 Origin 2 Examples 3 Reasons for use 4 Less applicable examples 5 Similar occurrences 6 See also 7 References

[edit] Origin

The term "RAS syndrome" was coined in 2001 by the New Scientist magazine.^[1]

The similar term "PNS syndrome" (which expands to "PIN Number Syndrome syndrome," and further to "Personal Identification Number number syndrome syndrome") was coined by Usenet users,^[2] and in fact pre-dates the coining of "RAS Syndrome".^[3]

[edit] Examples

Other nonce coinages continue to arise. The terms themselves are occasionally referred to as "RAP phrases" ("Redundant Acronym Phrases phrases").^[4] Select examples of RAP phrases include:

• ATM machine (Automated Teller Machine machine)
• CSS style sheets (Cascading Style Sheets style sheets)
• HIV virus (Human Immunodeficiency Virus virus)
• ISBN number (International Standard Book Number number)
• PIN number (Personal Identification Number number)
• UPC code (Uniform Product Code code)

[edit] Reasons for use

There are several linguistic explanations for the prevalence of RAS syndrome:

• A limited amount of redundancy can improve (or seem to the speaker to improve) the effectiveness of communication (the pure-logic ideal of zero redundancy is seldom maintained in human languages). A phonetic example of that principle is the need for spelling alphabets in radiotelephony. The redundancy in phrases such as "ATM machine" can be likened to that in "pine tree" or "panda bear"; such constructions are particularly prevalent in English.

• Some instances of RAS syndrome can be viewed as syntactic examples of the principle where the speaker wishes to gently reinforce the meaning of an acronym or initialism, especially in pedagogical contexts (whether formal or informal). In such cases, the redundancy may help the listener by providing context and decreasing the 'alphabet-soup' quality of the communication.

• Some occurrences are in the interest of another form of clarity: disambiguation (whereas the clarity discussed above was of a 'decryptifying' type). For example, when discussing a mainframe computer's requirements, the initialism "AC" might refer to air conditioning or alternating current depending on the context; the redundant phrase "AC current" is used by some to distinguish them, although the phrase "alternating current" is clear, correct, and not redundant.

• Acronyms and initialisms from foreign languages are also often analyzed as un-expandable nouns when they are not translated. For example, in French, "le protocole IP" (the Internet protocol protocol) is often used, while in English "please RSVP" (roughly "please respond please") provides a redundant example of a French initialism.^[5]

[edit] Less applicable examples

Sometimes the presence of repeated words does not create a redundant phrase. For example, a "redundant RAID" may in fact be a backup RAID in the system being described, "LASER light" is light produced by a light amplification process, and "SMS message" is a message transmitted by a message service. In general, when the repeated word is used as a different part of speech RAS syndrome does not apply.

Some speakers would prefer that the expansion of the acronym/initialism be used in situations where disambiguation or clarity is needed: "cascading style sheets" instead of "CSS style sheets", "alternating current" instead of "AC current", etc. However, some people may be more familiar with the acronym than the expansion, which effects questions of the merits of acronyms themselves.

[edit] Similar occurrences

RAS syndrome is a subtype of using an acronym or initialism in a way which would not be grammatically valid if the acronym was expanded; another type is, for example: "I have RTFMed, for half the morning, and the information is not there".

[edit] See also

• Recursive acronym
• List of tautological place names

[edit] References

This article needs references that appear in reliable third-party publications. Primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article. Please add more appropriate citations from reliable sources. (November 2007)

New Scientist magazine - Feedback, 26 February 2005