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Subject:Re: "a" versus "an" with an acronym From:Stuart Burnfield <slb -at- FS -dot- COM -dot- AU> Date:Fri, 21 Nov 1997 14:33:41 +0800
John Bell <jbell -at- PARAGREN -dot- COM> said:
> SQL stands for Structured Query Language and the programmers here
> pronounce it either as "SEQUEL" or "SQUIRREL". In conversation they
> may say: "I wrote a SQUIRREL command to solve the problem."
During my Information Processing course we were privileged to have a
demonstration of SQL. I don't think it was even part of a commercial
product then (1983). The sysadmin had to take everything else off
our IBM mini -- even then the lights practically dimmed every time
they demonstrated a query. Hence our pronunciation: "squeal" -- as
in "like a pig".
> I had to convince our programmers that my use of "an SQL" in our
> documentation was correct, at least according to the creator of
> SQL (C. J. Date)!
Hmm, author of our text book 'An Introduction to Database Systems,
Third Edition'. We used to say that all our information about
databases was 'out of Date'.
Rocking away on the porch of the Old Programmers' Retirement Home. . .
---
Stuart Burnfield "Fun, fun, fun
Functional Software Pty Ltd In the sun, sun, sun. . ." mailto:slb -at- fs -dot- com -dot- au
