Viewpoint: Don’t call my town SLO; it’s S. L. O.

By Myra Tompkins

T he recent headline, “Population here increases SLO-ly” (May 3) shows that you, like many others, do not understand the difference between initials and an acronym. The letters S-L-O (pronounced es-el-oh) are initials, not an acronym. Calling it SLO(w) is ignorant, insulting and demeaning.

For those who slept through basic English, an acronym is a word formed from the first letters of a compound term. For example, radar is an acronym for radio detection and ranging. Get it? NASA is an acronym for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Understand? Laser, NATO, AIDS, DOS — all acronyms.

Los Angeles is often referred to as L. A. (pronounced el-a). But, when you call it “la la land,” you insult and denigrate the place.

Is the fog clearing? How do you pronounce the initials A. G. (for Arroyo Grande)? Ag? I think not. How about U. S. A? Usa? Please.

San Luis Obispo is a place name, not an acronym. And, it’s a place made wonderful by the climate and hard-working people, including five generations of my family.

Call it San Luis Obispo, San Luis, or S. L. O. (once again, pronounced es-el- oh). SLO(w) is lazy slang invented by people from somewhere else.

Myra Tompkins lives in S-L-O.