"tkinter"

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Thu, 14 Sep 2017 17:01:30 +1000, Ben Finney wrote:

> Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python at pearwood.info> writes:
> 
>> (1) Separate T K and INTER syllables.
>>
>> But the problem with that is that there's very little (but not none
>> whatsoever) precedence for sounding out letters individually in English
>> words.
> 
> It's not an English word. Yet we are still called upon to pronounce it.

This is the first time I've heard an English language jargon word 
described as "not English". If it is not English, what is it? You 
wouldn't typeset it in italics as a foreign word, would you?

The "tk" part comes from a pair of initialisms:

Tcl ("Tool Command Language") 

Tk ("Tool Kit")


and the "inter" is an abbreviation for "interface".


That makes it as English as any other jargon used by English speakers.



>> Hence that should really be spelled:
>>
>> Teekayinter
>>
>> which looks hideous.
> 
> There is plenty of precedent for pronouncing other initialisms. When
> they don't make a nice word (i.e. when they are not an acronym), we tend
> to spell them out for clear communication.

By definition, if an acronym doesn't make a nice word, its an initialism. 
(In other words, all initialisms are acronyms, but not all acronyms are 
initialisms.)

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/abbreviations-acronyms-
and-initialisms


On the other hand... there are initialisms which are never, or hardly 
ever, spelled out letter by letter either. I don't know anyone who spells 
out "N S W" for NSW (New South Wales), or "Q L D" for Queensland, for 
example. They always expand the acronym and pronounce the full words.


> That's IMO support for “tee kay inter” pronunciation of “Tkinter”.


I don't mind you saying "tee kay inter" so long as you don't mind me 
saying "N A Sa".

*wink*



-- 
Steven D'Aprano
“You are deluded if you think software engineers who can't write 
operating systems or applications without security holes, can write
virtualization layers without security holes.” —Theo de Raadt