how to pronounce 'ISO'

jhein01 · Jun 15, 2005

Okay, so 'ISO' replaced 'ASA,' which I know was pronounced A-S-A. So you'd figure ISO would be pronounced I-S-O. But isn't it so much easier to just cut the three syllables down to one by saying iso- as in in isometric?

There are industrial standards that that are called 'iso' standards, pronounced the one syllable way. So one industry thinks it's easier anyway.

How do you say it? How do most people say it?

Thanks!

sherwoodpete · Jun 15, 2005

Here in the U.K. I've always said eye-ess-owe.

But I know lots of these pronunciation things vary on different sides of the Atlantic.

Peter

bellboy57 · Jun 15, 2005

jhein01 said:
Okay, so 'ISO' replaced 'ASA,' which I know was pronounced A-S-A.
So you'd figure ISO would be pronounced I-S-O. But isn't it so
much easier to just cut the three syllables down to one by saying
iso- as in in isometric?

How can you pronounce "iso" as one syllable? Sounds like two to me.

jhein01 said:
There are industrial standards that that are called 'iso'
standards, pronounced the one syllable way. So one industry thinks
it's easier anyway.

How do you say it? How do most people say it?

I'm confused. Is your life-tempo so high-speed that you have to reduce the number of spoken syllables just to save time? Or, is your life-tempo so slow and empty that this constitutes a major issue, worthy of enlisting the aid of your community for assistance?

I want to help. I really do.

--
Jim Parson
http://www.pbase.com/bellboy57

'Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it. '

RLD · Jun 16, 2005

jhein01 said:
Okay, so 'ISO' replaced 'ASA,' which I know was pronounced A-S-A.
So you'd figure ISO would be pronounced I-S-O. But isn't it so
much easier to just cut the three syllables down to one by saying
iso- as in in isometric?

There are industrial standards that that are called 'iso'
standards, pronounced the one syllable way. So one industry thinks
it's easier anyway.

How do you say it? How do most people say it?

Thanks!

--The industriai "ISO" standards are from the same outfit as the film speed standard - International Standards Organization. I'd pronounce it ISO, but I think I-S-O is also used.

Incidentally, ASA was the initials of the American Standards Association which I believe was replaced by ANSI, the American National Standards Institute.
RLD

jhein01 · Jun 16, 2005

I thought this was a perfect issue to ask the community. It's your comment that is counter-productive.

My life isn't so fast paced, though yours seems painfully slow if such posts are your idea of a good time.

Thanks to everyone else for the discussion . . .

bellboy57 · Jun 16, 2005

Then you have my apologies.

My post was an attempt (albeit, an inappropriate one) at light hearted humor. It wasn't meant to offend and clearly it has.

I should know better than to post this late... way past my bedtime!

Sincerely though, my apologies.

--
Jim Parson
http://www.pbase.com/bellboy57

'The true voyage of discovery lies not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes.' Marcel Proust

jhein01 · Jun 16, 2005

No harm done . . . and notice I didn't address the syllable issue ;-)

bm bradley · Jun 16, 2005

jhein01 said:
Okay, so 'ISO' replaced 'ASA,' which I know was pronounced A-S-A.
So you'd figure ISO would be pronounced I-S-O. But isn't it so
much easier to just cut the three syllables down to one by saying
iso- as in in isometric?

There are industrial standards that that are called 'iso'
standards, pronounced the one syllable way. So one industry thinks
it's easier anyway.

How do you say it? How do most people say it?

Thanks!

--

Barrie Davis · Jun 16, 2005

jhein01 said:
Okay,

Don't you mean OK ?

jhein01 said:
so 'ISO' replaced 'ASA,' which I know was pronounced A-S-A.
So you'd figure ISO would be pronounced I-S-O. But isn't it so
much easier to just cut the three syllables down to one by saying
iso- as in in isometric.

I say ISO as in iso-metric, but I never did the equivalent with ASA, although I sometimes heard new photographers do so.

ISO pronounces nicely, so why not? It isn't if there's going to be much confusion.

Mostly we will find a way to pronounce these abbreviations, even if it means taking some liberties with the conventional pronunciation of the 'word' as spelled. Doesn't everybody call a JPEG, a "jay-peg" ?? And use "scuzzy" for SCSI ?

Never have been able to progress beyond P-C-M-C-I-A 'tho!

Of course there is a long history of engineering the leading letters to produce something pronounceable -- witty even......

I forget what the man's department was, but remember he had E.I E.I.O. on his door!

Regards,
Baz

Frits Thomsen · Jun 16, 2005

--
Frits Thomsen
See my pictures at
http://www.pbase.com/yoicz

Jim Coffey · Jun 16, 2005

RLD said:
--The industriai "ISO" standards are from the same outfit as the
film speed standard - International Standards Organization.

Actually, it's:

International Organization for Standardization

http://www.iso.org

RLD said:
pronounce it ISO, but I think I-S-O is also used.

I've heard both I S O and I-so

Ed Halley · Jun 16, 2005

jhein01 said:
There are industrial standards that that are called 'iso'
standards, pronounced the one syllable way. So one industry thinks
it's easier anyway.

It's the same thing. The same International Standards Organization which brings a company some ISO9002 certification is the same company which produced a standard formula for film sensitivity ratings. If you say "eye-soh nine thousand two," you might as well say "eye-soh four hundred" for the sensitivity rating.

--
[ e d @ h a l l e y . c c ] http://www.halley.cc/pix/

rayk · Jun 16, 2005

I still pronounce 'ISO' as 'ay - es - ay'. Old habits die hard, I guess.

Ray Kinnane
Saga-shi, Japan

cnut · Jun 16, 2005

Eye-so

Typeaux · Jun 16, 2005

One part of my job is to write ISO quality compliance standards to meet the ISO 9000 standards for industry. Everyone says "EYE-SO 9000" and yes, it is the same International Standards Organization. In fact (annoyingly), people use the redundant "ISO Standards" all the time, too.

I see no reason to pronounce it differently just because it is used to relate to exposure sensitivity. So, I use the true acronym method, that is, a true acronym are initials that you pronouce as a word, like "scuba" or "laser."

Other abbreviations, like ATM, are NOT real acronyms, but people use the term acronym so commonly now for any kind of abbreviation that I've given up the battle. Sad... no word to replace it, really.

-- Typeaux

Typeaux · Jun 16, 2005

Barrie Davis said:
Mostly we will find a way to pronounce these abbreviations, even if
it means taking some liberties with the conventional pronunciation
of the 'word' as spelled. Doesn't everybody call a JPEG, a
"jay-peg" ?? And use "scuzzy" for SCSI ?

A pronounceable abbreviation or "initialism" is called an acronym. The word acronym was coined in the 1940s. Common words we use all the time like "scuba" (self-containted underwater breathing apparatus) and "laser" (light amplitude simulated emission radiation) are true acronyms.

While I know that it is merely a matter of preference, it bugs me a bit that people pronounce GIF as "JIFF" when the "G" stands for "graphic" and is therefore a hard G, not soft. I pronounce it like the G in "gift" because otherwise it would stand for something prounced "juraphic interchange format."

People also write TIFF as TIF, but that is merely the throwback to the old DOS three-letter extension. TIFF stands for "tagged image file format" and therefore has two Fs, not one.

But this is the extent of my rant. I don't correct individuals unless they ask. The life of a technical writer is an exercise in tolerance, after all.

)

-- Typeaux

chuxter · Jun 16, 2005

Typeaux said:
...people
use the term acronym so commonly now for any kind of abbreviation
that I've given up the battle. Sad... no word to replace it, really.

Sure there is...and you used it in your earlier post: "initialism" is a perfect word for abbreviations that are not commonly pronounced.

--
Charlie Davis
CATS #25
PAS Scribe @ http://www.here-ugo.com/PAS_List.htm
HomePage: http://www.1derful.info
'I brake for pixels...'

Dasher · Jun 16, 2005

I have always used "I so"

Typeaux · Jun 16, 2005

chuxter said:
Sure there is...and you used it in your earlier post: "initialism"
is a perfect word for abbreviations that are not commonly
pronounced.

While I agree with you on one level, you cannot believe the pushback from people. Five-syllable words just don't appeal to many people. I've given up trying to evangelize the cause, though, and only use it myself.

The advantage of a word like "initialism" is that, in context, you knew exactly what I meant even if you hadn't heard the word before.

-- Typeaux

Weth · Jun 16, 2005

Typeaux said:
"laser" (light amplitude simulated emission
radiation) are true acronyms.

Most certainly a minor correction, but to avoid any confusion:

LASER light is amplified, not amplituded.
LASER light is stimulated, not simulated.

LASER = Light Amplification by Stimulated Emmision of Radiation

how to pronounce 'ISO'

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