NEC: is it "neck" or N-E-C?

[Charlie Morgan]

It's not an abbreviation, it's an initialism.

CWM

Then you should switch to the coffee in the green can! 8^)

[Doug Miller]

I've never heard anybody call EMT "EMT" -- it's always "thinwall".

[Doug Miller]

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[Nate Nagel]

A lot of the electricians I've dealt with actually call it "EMT" but then again they are all fire alarm specialists not general electricians so there may be some differences in common usage.

nate

[mwesecretary]

In the USA, it is referred to as the N-E-C. It is also used in several Latin American countries, where the custom has been to pronounce it. However, those of us involved with the code spell it out.

Mark Earley Secretary of the NEC

[Doug Miller]

When hearing "EMT" almost everyone thinks "Emergency Medical Technician", not "Electrical Metallic Tubing."

[Doug Miller]

With all due respect, while you folks involved in *making* the code may indeed spell it out, in my observation the guys in the field *using* it pronounce "NEC" as "code".

[Mark Lloyd]

I feel that way too. Since a lot of people get angry, I created a web page where I post stuff like that.

lot of it is apostrophes that don't belong. I included a bunch of funny-sounding definitions.

[Mark Lloyd]

My mother worked in a library, and used "initialism" that way too. I don't hear it much.

[Mark Lloyd]

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[RicodJour]

Just as you mention in your post about referring to the NEC as "code", the context would pretty much nail EMT to mean conduit and not some guy with some bandages. You've got to pick one side, Doug!

R

[Mark Lloyd]

That's what I would think of.

[Mark Lloyd]

Some people, when listening, notice the actual sounds they hear. This comes before recognizing context.

[RicodJour]

I'm sorry, what did you say? ;)

If someone randomly interjects the initialism EMT, yes, I would also think of ambulances and spurting arteries. But if I were talking to someone about construction and electrical work, and wiring and related materials in particular, EMT means conduit. It's impossible to be clear in any language without taking into account context. If elaborations are required and the odd misunderstanding takes place, the odds are it won't be a critical oversight.

R

[Doug Miller]

OK, try this: walk into the electrical department at Home Depot and ask the first employee you see where the EMT is. I betcha the first reaction will be a blank look.

Obviously the results would be different at an electrical supply house.

[RicodJour]

Hey! No fair fixing the bet. All I ever get is blank looks at the Depot!

My personal "favorite" was asking a guy in plumbing for an item, being told that it was in the kitchen department when I knew that was _highly_ unlikely, walking to the kitchen department and being told it was in plumbing. The kitchen guy was a bit dumbfounded that a plumbing aisle guy would be so clueless, so he walked me back over to plumbing. The original clerk _denied_ telling me that it was in kitchens! I nearly smacked him.

R

[George E. Cawthon]

Initialism? Who coined this? It's still an abbreviation even if only the intials are used.

[George E. Cawthon]

That would not reflect so much on the usage of EMT as on the knowledge of the HD employees. There are a whole lot of things on HD shelves under a specific name that the employees don't recognize.

[RicodJour]

An abbreviation in its strictest sense is merely a shortened form of the word. An initialism uses the initial letters.

R

[Mark Lloyd]

I suppose I pay more attention to what is actually happening when I do things, than some people do.