A New Measure for Checking out Lecturers’ Confidence

On Monday October 22, during the time of Business Mathematics class Mr. Usmani said that at the end of the class somebody would come and would teach you accounting and you could ask him any question. Ok, but who was that person and what was the story?

Actually, he was a new lecturer and that was a testing session before being employed. We were all waiting for this man and very curious that what he would be like.

At last, he came. At the first glance it could be guessed that was not able to teach. But that was not fair. We must have let him to show himself. And we did. Everybody was completely silent and just listening to him that how he wanted to present his lecture. Unfortunately, our guess was true and very easily, even from the first sentence he said, it could be understood that he was not ready for teaching. Helplessness was appeared from his top to toe. Little by little, Mr. Shams and Mr. Nasir came. Mr. Usmani and Mr. Niazi were already there. Wow! With those very many Mr.s how could he control himself, then!?

At last, his lecture was finished –I supposed, but I didn’t know exactly how- and it was the time of asking question. “No! Please!” During his lecture he did not let anyone to ask question. Mr. Niazi first asks him a question. Well, he was prior to everyone. Then, Mr. Shams. “Oh, My God! Stop it!” But there is no end; especially, in this class. After that, it was our turn to ask question and to pester him.

Anyway, asking questions was finished, too. He could go then. But these were all just for knowing our opinions about that new lecturer. But why our class? Wasn’t there any further class at this University to hold a testing session for a new lecturer? Of course, yes; but actually, not exactly like this one. “Hey man, what are you talking about?”

Nothing, but you can tell me, how many lecturers we have had conflict with, during this semester and the first semester. Ok, I’m not saying that it has been good or bad, but just talking about what we have been labeled as, at this university. What do you think?

Abbreviation or Acronym?

Just a few days ago, during the time of English Composition class, it was mentioned a point about the difference between the terms, “Abbreviation” and “Acronym” which I think Mr. Qasimi, some of my fellows and also myself, were all wrong. As a modern personality, I think of this as a responsibility to write about it and open that discussion a little bit more.

First I am going to give a definition for each term, “abbreviation” and “acronym”, then pay to the stated opinions to reject or approve them.

According to Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Online, “abbreviation” is:

1. “A short form of a word or expression.”

And the example:

- “‘Dr’ is the written abbreviation of ‘Doctor’.”

The same dictionary defines “acronym” as:

- “A word made up from the first letters of the name of something such as an organization. For example NATO is an acronym for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.”

The definition of “acronym” which Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary Online gives is:

- “An abbreviation consisting of the first letters of each word in the name of something, pronounced as a word”

And the example:

- “AIDS is an acronym for ‘Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome’.”

But what was the problem? In that session of English Composition class that was about “Letter Writing”, it was asked that what MZQ was at the end of the letter. Mr. Qasimi said it was an “abbreviation” of “Muhammad Zafeer Qasimi”. I disagreed with him and said it was an “acronym”. Also some of my fellows gave their opinions.

But after that session, through looking up some dictionaries, I got to the result that you considered and that, we both were wrong.

Now I want you to pay attention to the definition of “initial” according to Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary Online:

- “The first letter of a name, especially when used to represent a name.”

And the examples:

- “He wrote his initials, P.M.R., at the bottom of the page.”

- “Paul M. Reynolds refused to say what the initial "M" stood for.”

Therefore I think that “MZQ” must be an “initial” of “Muhammad Zafeer Qasimi” and neither an “abbreviation” nor “acronym”.

But as linguistics and translation are of my hobbies, this question arises (!) that, what words we can use in Persian for these terms, “abbreviation”, “acronym” and “initial”. Daryoush Ashouri’s Dictionary for Human Sciences suggests new words for these terms:

abbreviation: کوتهْ‌‌نوشت
acronym: سرواژه
initial: سرنام

Also you can click here to read a fragment about this point.

Your comments about this fragment are welcomed.

I Have Come!

I have come to write!

To write about anything, everything, nothing! About Kardan Uni­versity, our fellows, the handsome boys, pretty girls. For me eve­rything is important. I am going to write about everything hap­pened or let’s say related to this university.

I want to write freely. I don’t want to choose the bad or goods. I don’t want to judge morally. I want to talk about what I want to say, what I feel, I see, I like, I love, and much more.

I want to bring any idea, every idea—traditional and modern, religious and nonreligious, ethnical and non-ethical, etc.—to this page and you can share your ideas and comments with me and the others. All comments will be displayed definitely and nothing will be deleted!

I’m not going to talk too much. So I think that’s enough for now.

But, I have come to write!