Medical acronyms in Catalan: self-centered or allo-centered?

Authors

Keywords:

acronyms, abbreviations, healthcare communication, medicine, Catalan, terminology

Abstract

In this article we review the uses and problems associated with abbreviations in the healthcare field, such as abuse, polysemy, and the complications they can entail for understanding. We focus specifically on acronyms, which are one of the categories

of abbreviations, and on how they are used in different texts in Catalan, including those addressed to other professionals and those intended for laypersons. After that, we compare the situation of Catalan, its trends and the available resources (dictionaries,

publications, etc.) with Spanish and English, the other two languages that are used in healthcare in Catalonia. Likewise, we analyse acronyms of 15 compound terms to find out when those produced from terms in Catalan (self-centered acronyms) are used and when, on the other hand, acronyms are used that are based on terms in another language (allo-centered acronyms) and especially in Spanish. We then conclude by proposing some solutions for a better use of abbreviations in the biomedical sciences.

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References

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Published

2023-12-30 — Updated on 2024-02-29

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How to Cite

Kotátková, A. (2024). Medical acronyms in Catalan: self-centered or allo-centered?. Terminàlia, 2(28), 14–26. Retrieved from https://revistes.iec.cat/index.php/Terminalia/article/view/150603 (Original work published December 30, 2023)

Issue

No. 28: December 2023

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Articles

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