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The Master of Ceremonies abbreviated
Fiona Grant
March 7, 2006, 7:55 p.m. (Message 44532)
How is it that M.C. became emcee? (as in recent postings) If you follow the usual rules of pronunciation the two don't sound the same, so presumably you can't use the second word unless you know of the abbreviation? So why not use the abbreviation if too lazy to write out the whole title? And as we have been discussing etiquette on the dance floor and dance cards: Isn't it more respectful to give a person their proper title, even if abbreviated, rather than some bizarre phonetic interpretation? Did someone somewhere make a spelling mistake when setting out a dance ticket? Fiona Being pedantic in Bristol, UK
I´ll go with pedant on this one. It is neither a uniquely American or British tradition to turn abbreviations, into acronyms, into what sound like words. If HM can refer to the Queen, or an MP refer to the queen, and MD for medical doctor, RSM, etc., there is no reason why a lowly Master of Ceremonies can not be an MC. In the U.S. we have similar conventions, and in most cases, it saves a lot of time, as in CEO, HR, POTUS, C-n-C, OD, etc.
