Numeronym, words with numbers
To construct a Numeronym you start by removing all letter between the first and last letters and insert an integer totalling the number of characters removed
Author: Matthew Wittering | Published: 25th June 2009
In a previous post I wrote about Internationalization and Localization using abbreviations for both words as i18n and L10n. Words constructed in this manner are referred to as numeronym, a number-based word.
Numeronym examples:
- i18n - Internationalisation / Internationalization
- L10n - Localisation / Localization
- m17n - Multilingualization
- G11n - Globalisation / Globalization
To construct a Numeronym and thus shorten the word, you start by removing all letter between the first and last letters of the original word. The second step requires you to replaced removed letters with an integer totalling the number of characters removed.
Leetspeak
Writing is in this manner is very similar to that of leetspeak, which uses ASCII characters to replace Latin characters which in effect created an Internet language from English. 1337 or leetspeak derived from the English word 'elite' was typically used by gamers and programmers post 1980s to communicate on bulletin borders to discuss prohibited topics such as cracking and hacking.
Links
This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence
I am a graduate of Lougborough University where I read Computing and Management BSc (Hons) earning a 2:1 classification.