Abbreviation pronunciations

I was curious about how other readers read 'LAC' and 'CLAC'. Judging from the joke about 'COLAC' in Echoes of Honor, 'LAC' is pronounced in-universe as 'lack', rather than 'ell-ay-see' or whatever else. (No temptation toward 'lah-see' or 'ell-ack' to report here, for instance.)

But 'CLAC' - I don't recall any indications about how it's pronounced in-universe. I sometimes try to read it as 'clack' but that never, ever sounds right and I default to 'see-lack'. 'See-ell-ay-see' is hopelessly long, and nothing else seems like a realistic candidate.

How do they sound in your heads?

JeffEngel wrote:I was curious about how other readers read 'LAC' and 'CLAC'. Judging from the joke about 'COLAC' in Echoes of Honor, 'LAC' is pronounced in-universe as 'lack', rather than 'ell-ay-see' or whatever else. (No temptation toward 'lah-see' or 'ell-ack' to report here, for instance.)

But 'CLAC' - I don't recall any indications about how it's pronounced in-universe. I sometimes try to read it as 'clack' but that never, ever sounds right and I default to 'see-lack'. 'See-ell-ay-see' is hopelessly long, and nothing else seems like a realistic candidate.

How do they sound in your heads?

Still would have been great if it was COW-LAC(commanding officer wing)

LAC = LACK in my book for pronounciation.

JeffEngel wrote:I was curious about how other readers read 'LAC' and 'CLAC'. Judging from the joke about 'COLAC' in Echoes of Honor, 'LAC' is pronounced in-universe as 'lack', rather than 'ell-ay-see' or whatever else. (No temptation toward 'lah-see' or 'ell-ack' to report here, for instance.)

But 'CLAC' - I don't recall any indications about how it's pronounced in-universe. I sometimes try to read it as 'clack' but that never, ever sounds right and I default to 'see-lack'. 'See-ell-ay-see' is hopelessly long, and nothing else seems like a realistic candidate.

How do they sound in your heads?

Personally, I have always read those as:

CLAC = see-lack
COLAC = co-lack

looksbeforeheleaps wrote:

JeffEngel wrote:I was curious about how other readers read 'LAC' and 'CLAC'. Judging from the joke about 'COLAC' in Echoes of Honor, 'LAC' is pronounced in-universe as 'lack', rather than 'ell-ay-see' or whatever else. (No temptation toward 'lah-see' or 'ell-ack' to report here, for instance.)

But 'CLAC' - I don't recall any indications about how it's pronounced in-universe. I sometimes try to read it as 'clack' but that never, ever sounds right and I default to 'see-lack'. 'See-ell-ay-see' is hopelessly long, and nothing else seems like a realistic candidate.

How do they sound in your heads?

Personally, I have always read those as:

CLAC = see-lack
COLAC = co-lack

^^^This.^^^

I always read them "sea lack" and "co lack"

However, I always read LAC as "ell ay sea.". Calling a war ship "a lack" sounds kind of demeaning to me.

My experience is that while separate vowels are rare I think, it is usually broken up into two or three letters for a syllable with single consonants separate. Ex. CLAC (see lack). Unless a word is actually spelled out. Ex. BUSHIPS (bu ships). IYAOYAS ( eye yo yas) if you ain't ordnance you aint shit. Only vowel acronym that came to mind. F'n BB stackers.

crewdude48 wrote:I always read them "sea lack" and "co lack"

However, I always read LAC as "ell ay sea.". Calling a war ship "a lack" sounds kind of demeaning to me.

I also agree that it sounds demeaning but military personnel tend to be sarcastic, cynical and of the low brow humor variety and then after a while it doesn't even register as an acronym without intentionally thinking about it. It just becomes it. I think we tend to go for either the coolest sounding pronunciation or the easiest (also translate as shortest). That's why my mind auto inserts the sound lack. Three less sounds to rattle off. Then there's BBOD-Boat Bay Officer of the Deck. No reason it can't be pronounced bee bod. Just not by me. It's not cool. Bee bee oh dee it is.

Since the ship CLAC, is a "thing," it will be pronounced as the shortest possible. It will be CLACK. Two syllables. It certainly will not be 3. c, la, ck. cl-ack is shorter.

COLAC will be pronounced however the military thinks is most austere yet respectable. Why it was not COWLAC.

So, Co-Lack = COLAC

Relax wrote:Since the ship CLAC, is a "thing," it will be pronounced as the shortest possible. It will be CLACK. Two syllables. It certainly will not be 3. c, la, ck. cl-ack is shorter.

COLAC will be pronounced however the military thinks is most austere yet respectable. Why it was not COWLAC.

So, Co-Lack = COLAC

I don't think clack is cool. Short but not cool.

Yow wrote:

Relax wrote:Since the ship CLAC, is a "thing," it will be pronounced as the shortest possible. It will be CLACK. Two syllables. It certainly will not be 3. c, la, ck. cl-ack is shorter.

COLAC will be pronounced however the military thinks is most austere yet respectable. Why it was not COWLAC.

So, Co-Lack = COLAC

I don't think clack is cool. Short but not cool.

So, what you are saying is, if I pronounce it in my head the way you do, I get a whole new series to read?

I am of the lack (LAC), see-lack (CLAC), co-lack (COLAC) variety, since this seems to be a informal survey.

Edit to add my wife's viewpoint. She reads Honorverse for the relationship and the vengeance on the bad guys. She skims the battles and info dumps and if she has a question, I play guru on the mountain. So she sees LAC, CLAC, and COLAC as ship, ship and officer.