Sunday, 5 July 2015

abbreviations - Understanding customary usage(s?) of “FYI”

In English speech, "FYI", pronounced /ɛfwayay/, can be used like a Class II Adverbial Subordinating Conjunction, and can be modified by just.



  • (Just) FYI, she is not his girlfriend.

In English writing, "FYI" is a TLA, and may be used like any common non-literary abbreviation, wherever formality is less important than letter count.



In both cases, however, the speaker (or writer) is assuming a Personalized (wink, wink; nudge, nudge) stance with respect to the listener (or reader), which reminds one somewhat of Tom Lehrer's story about




"a letter I received which said:
Darling, I love you and I cannot live without you. Marry me, or I will kill myself. Well, I was a little disturbed at that, until I took another look at the envelope and saw that it was addressed to Occupant."


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