Are there exceptions for 3.1.4: Abbreviations?

[jake-abma]

When abbreviations become their own word, or when used as technical terms, do they still all need to have the definitions all the time in order to pass this SC?

Things like:

• DDR3
• 3GB
• 5400RPM
• Wifi
• PC
• etc...

OR

• FBI
• NATO
• etc...

OR (abbreviated names)

Pen | Penelope

• Ab (Abraham)
• Alex (Alexander)
• Pen (Penelope)
• Theo (Theodore)
• etc..

OR

• pic, picture
• photo, photograph
• phone (telephone)
• fax (facsimile)
• etc...

OR

• AM (ante meridiem)
• PM (post meridiem)

[patrickhlauke]

i guess this currently hinges on who decides if "the abbreviation has not become part of the language" (per https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/#dfn-abbreviations), and if that means purely "it's present in some official dictionary for that language" (like the German "Duden" or some other authoritative resource), or more a gut feeling of "this is now a very commonly understood abbreviation" (and in many cases, some abbreviations are even understood and commonly used by people even if they don't know what the expanded form actually is... e.g. people will be familiar with "KGB" without knowing that it stands for "komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti").

[jake-abma]

that's the hard part, how will I decide, for sure, that it is a common word 'for all', so the definite line is: "it is part of a dictionary"?

[patrickhlauke]

we've had this handwaving before in this context, haven't we? (if i recall, in the context of 3.1.2 language of parts and deciding when a foreign word has become part of the vernacular/host language or not)

[jake-abma]

this one? #1174

[fstrr]

This issue looks like it can be closed. If it needs to be re-opened, please do that and convert it to a Discussion.