Originally Posted by lawleypop

I think it's because (for some reason) people think they're more important than they actually are, and thus, wasting a second of their precious lives is blasphemous. =P

Or they can't think of a better reason. Because I'm sure whether you say ELM or "EE EL EM," your plans for the day won't get pushed back. xD

Haha, yeah. It's either-or I guess, or perhaps something else I haven't thought of...

I know this isn't the most important discussion in the world... it's just something I kind of find interesting.

Originally Posted by Taunton

How do you pronounce it? Do you have a reason?

J-A-C-K-A-S-S.

Originally Posted by lorend

J-A-C-K-A-S-S.

Woah, is that directed at me? :p

Originally Posted by lawleypop

I think it's because (for some reason) people think they're more important than they actually are, and thus, wasting a second of their precious lives is blasphemous. =P

Or they can't think of a better reason. Because I'm sure whether you say ELM or "EE EL EM," your plans for the day won't get pushed back. xD

It adds up.

4 years from now you'll looks back and think: "Oh darn. I could've spent those 10 seconds doing something productive."

Originally Posted by JEFF_CHAN

It adds up.

4 years from now you'll looks back and think: "Oh darn. I could've spent those 10 seconds doing something productive."

When that day comes, I'll be sure to shed a tear. =P

Originally Posted by Taunton

Woah, is that directed at me? :p

Nooo. E-L-M.

You asked what we called it.

E-L-M ! But It seems the profs all call it Elm so theres nothing really to be done about that...we need a poll.
Saying the letter makes it sound more legit, if you know what mean

Before school started I called it E-L-M. Now that I keep hearing everyone pronounce it as elm, thats how I've started saying it too lol

Originally Posted by salimak

E-L-M ! But It seems the profs all call it Elm so theres nothing really to be done about that...we need a poll.
Saying the letter makes it sound more legit, if you know what mean

It's just the way people say it. It's just easier and more convenient. It's the same reason why we say "laser" and not "l-a-s-e-r".

I also say "elm".

Originally Posted by Taunton

I guess this brings up another topic for another thread... are people really that lazy, or is it because people can't think of a better reason?

That's really rude. You really need to learn how to word things properly on forums. If I were to talk to you about ELM and how slow it is, would you know that I'm not referring to a tree? Yes, yes you would. So why the heck, do I need to spell it out for you?

Originally Posted by ferreinm

That's really rude. You really need to learn how to word things properly on forums. If I were to talk to you about ELM and how slow it is, would you know that I'm not referring to a tree? Yes, yes you would. So why the heck, do I need to spell it out for you?

Wow, sorry I offended you. I'm genuinely interested and it's a legitimate question.

This was meant to be a lighthearted topic, not a debate... I'm just curious that's all. Trust me, if I meant to offend you (or anyone else for that matter), you would know it... I tend to be a very blunt person, so take it for what it's worth.

"E-Lean @ Mac" sounds to me like a pretty stupid name. I can't think of any reason why they would have chosen that unless they planned on using a "catchy" acronym like "ELM" instead of the letters. And since I dont spell out other acronyms that make words (NASA, NORAD, BIOS, etc) I'm not gonna spell this one out.

Originally Posted by reeves

"E-Lean @ Mac" sounds to me like a pretty stupid name. I can't think of any reason why they would have chosen that unless they planned on using a "catchy" acronym like "ELM" instead of the letters. And since I dont spell out other acronyms that make words (NASA, NORAD, BIOS, etc) I'm not gonna spell this one out.

That's a nice way of putting it... but notice this:

NASA, NORAD, and BIOS (just to use your examples) or ASAP (to use one of mine) all have two syllables when you say the acronym like a word (Na-Sa, No-rad, Bi-os, A-Sap). Maybe this has something to do with why there's more of a split in how people say "elm" or "E-L-M"... nobody spells out N-A-S-A or N-O-R-A-D or N-A-T-O; however there's a genuine split in how people pronounce "ELM".

Something else to add:

In Geographic Information Systems [GIS] (the field I plan on working in when I finish my degree this year), the primary company with the majority of the market share is called ESRI (for Environmental Systems Research Institute). More than 80% of GIS professionals use ESRI products.

In the GIS community, there's a notible divide between users who pronounce the company name like "ez-ree", and those who say "E-S-R-I". The divide in this case tends to be generational. Old users from the early GIS years (1980's) tend to spell out the acronym, while newer users (like myself) tend to say "ez-ree".

One of the reasons I find this so interesting is because in the GIS community, this "ez-ree" or "E-S-R-I" thing is actually considered somewhat of an issue... it's even included on the company's Wiki page and forum:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESRI

http://forums.esri.com/Thread.asp?c=93&f=114 8&t=87633

Also, ESRI is also a two-syllable word when pronounced as "ez-ree" which adds to my point in my previous post.

Originally Posted by Taunton

That's a nice way of putting it... but notice this:

NASA, NORAD, and BIOS (just to use your examples) or ASAP (to use one of mine) all have two syllables when you say the acronym like a word (Na-Sa, No-rad, Bi-os, A-Sap). Maybe this has something to do with why there's more of a split in how people say "elm" or "E-L-M"... nobody spells out N-A-S-A or N-O-R-A-D or N-A-T-O; however there's a genuine split in how people pronounce "ELM".

Then what about acronyms like AIDS or NOW? Single syllable, like ELM.

From what I've seen, any acronym that makes a plausible word is pronounced as the word, not as the series of letters.