Re: The definition of the Standard variation of British English

Arne H. Wilstrup <ahw@?.?.invalid> wrote
"Arne H. Wilstrup" <ahw> skrev i meddelelsen
news:4a6194e9$0$15877$edfadb0f@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I thought it was a well-known abbreviation for "respectively" which it
is in Danish (as far as I remember). If it is not, I apologize for the
inconvenience when reading the posting. Sorry.

I must rephrase, though:

According to the New Penguin Dictionary of Abbreviations there is such
an
"official" abbreviation for respectively.
According to the book p.327:

resp.: respective; respectively; respiration; respondent; response;
responsibility.

I presume that the New Penguin Dictionary of Abbreviations is attempting to collect, record and interpret a large number of abbreviations that are used by writers in English. It is evidence that the abbreviation 'resp.' is indeed used by some writers at some times to mean all of those things listed. I myself know at first hand that it is, by some people, sometimes, used to mean 'respectively', and indeed your own use of 'resp.' a few posts back is immediate evidence of that. If I hadn't known about it, I could have consulted that same dictionary, which would have served its editors' intentions by interpreting the abbreviation for me.

Neither this use of 'resp.', nor the fact that the use is recorded and interpreted in a list of abbreviations, confers any regularity or official approval upon it.

I have only seen and noticed it used as you used it by people whose native language is not English, but (I infer) a different language of the wider Germanic group. That's why I suggested 'bzw.' as its true meaning.

So unless you have another agenda here or can point out where the
mistake is (and according to the meaning of the opponents, resp. is of
non-standard English abbreviation) I must stick to the original meaning
i.e. resp. IS standard English according to the former definition of
what Standard English is.

I forget, or didn't pay attention to, the former definition, and reserve my position on whether I should agree with it.

If you disagree, I again urge you to tell me why, please.

It is not standard English because English writers - insiders, not outsiders - do not naturally use it.
--
Paul
.

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