How do you pronounce "SATA"?

[RabidPossum]

Originally posted by: thorin

Originally posted by: RabidPossum

Originally posted by: thorin
It isn't a word it's an accronym you say the letters.

S - A - T - A
(ess - eh - tee - eh)

SCUBA is an acronym, too, but I've never heard divers pronounce it as ess-see-yu-bee-aye.

Interesting point but kinda wrong:

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=scuba

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=sata

As websters states in the above links some accronyms are adapted as words due to the placement of the vowels and their use in everyday speach. However there are still alot of accronyms that don't bend themselves nicely to being spoken as words:

ie:
SATA
KPH (K - P - H not keh-puh-hu or keh-f)
MPG (M - P - G not mmmmm-peh-guh)
PSI (P - S - I not sigh or "pssy")

Therefore the general rule of thumb is accronyms are spelt out in speach not spoken/interpreted as words.

Thorin

That's fair enough, but my only point was to demonstrate that there is no rule that says that an acronym cannot be used as a word, esp., like you said, if the structure of the acronym lends itself to a word-like pronunciation. I think one could easily make the argument that, because of its vowel-placement, SATA could be pronounced as say-tah.

On the other hand, there are a number of acronyms that fall into the latter category that are still pronounced as words, i.e., Fannie Mae (FNMA). I think the rule is that there is no rule. Whatever becomes the more prevelant (i.e., popular) way of pronouncing an acronym is what is eventually entered into the lexicon.

 

[DaisyHead]

Here's my observation:

When it's 3 letters or less, it's usually spelled out - like ATA, IDE, PSI, ...

When it's 5 letters or more, it's usually pronounced - like SCUBA, RADAR, ...

4 letters present a problem beause it's the middle of the road - slightly long and short enough??? Therefore, you hear them in all sorts of way - "Say Tah" or "S.A.T.A" are both acceptable - depending on how fast you want to talk.

 

[thorin]

We could get in to a long discussion about this but it's hardly worth it. It's like having a debate with your father, grandfather, or grade 2 teacher about the Oxford Comma.

As for your example Fannie Mae is Fannie Mae sometimes abbreviated FMF (Fannie Mae Foundation). Federal National Mortgage Association is abbreviated FNMA. But no one (except maybe you) tries to pronounce either abbreviation, they say the full name or the letters.

Lastly if someone was actually going to try and pronounce SATA as a word it'd be say-tay not say-tah since both A's are hard.

Anyway I'll try to digress now. I agree there's no english language rule for dealing with accroymns however the commonly accepted rule of thumb (ie: not written in stone but usually the safest bet) is that accronyms are spelt out not pronounced.

Thorin

 

[UMfanatic]

its not an acronym unless it spells a word as well

 

[buleyb]

Did you people call ATA aataa, or DMA d-maa, if so, don't fess up.

I'm with Thorin, its an acronym, not slang.

S-A-T-A

 

[GTaudiophile]

I say the letters: S-A-T-A.

I don't say SATAN minus the N.

 

[mkahn5]

see rial aaa tee aaa

 

[Atlantean]

ESS A Tee A

 

[pelikan]

say eet ta mee baby. who ees yer dady.

 

[suklee]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
I say the letters: S-A-T-A.

I don't say SATAN minus the N.

Sometimes "Serial-A-T-A"

 

[martind1]

ok, here is the thing. ATA is already a used acronym.

you dont want to use the acronym as part of another one, so i feel serial ATA is the way to go, since SATA makes it seem like you are talkgina bout something COMPLETELY different.

but that is just my view ...

serial ATA

 

[airfoil]

I just say the letters S A T A or use Serial ATA.

So how was PATA pronounced?

 

[RabidPossum]

Originally posted by: thorin
We could get in to a long discussion about this but it's hardly worth it. It's like having a debate with your father, grandfather, or grade 2 teacher about the Oxford Comma.

As for your example Fannie Mae is Fannie Mae sometimes abbreviated FMF (Fannie Mae Foundation). Federal National Mortgage Association is abbreviated FNMA. But no one (except maybe you) tries to pronounce either abbreviation, they say the full name or the letters.

Lastly if someone was actually going to try and pronounce SATA as a word it'd be say-tay not say-tah since both A's are hard.

Anyway I'll try to digress now. I agree there's no english language rule for dealing with accroymns however the commonly accepted rule of thumb (ie: not written in stone but usually the safest bet) is that accronyms are spelt out not pronounced.

Thorin

Not wanting to protract this debate any more, I'll limit my rebut to two points and I'll lay the matter to rest:

Firstly, many people do in fact use the term Fannie Mae to refer to the acronym FNMA. This would stand to reason since Fannie Mae is, in fact, the FNMA and the term Fannie Mae originated as a way to "say" FNMA. The Fannie Mae Fountation or FMF is actually a seprate non-profit organization that was founded by the FNMA. The FNMA (the corporation) is referred to in all financial and real estate circles that I've been part of as "Fannie Mae", so apparently it's not just me.

Secondly, the hard "a" on the end of SATA would not necessarily dictate that the word be pronounced as say-tay. I haven't heard too many people pronounce data as day-tay. And your claim that no one would pronounce it that way isn't necessarily true, since, according to some of the previous posts, a number of people do, in fact, pronounce it this way.

That having been said, I have no particular affinity for pronouncing it as say-tah. I just wanted to make the point that, not only is it possible to do so, but there is no specific rule that I'm aware of precluding anyone so inclined from doing so.

 

[Regs]

Originally posted by: shminu
you sound gay if you say saataa

God, I feel sorry for the people who have to say Data...

 

[thorin]

As I said earlier it's like debating a comma before and (", and ...").

Thorin

 

[beatle]

I say Serial A-T-A. I never heard PATA until SATA came out.

 

[Fern]

say-tah or serial A-T-A

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: thorin
It isn't a word it's an accronym you say the letters.

S - A - T - A
(ess - eh - tee - eh)

Thorin

 

[Sid59]

S A T A

 

[PizzaDude]

Originally posted by: thorin
We could get in to a long discussion about this but it's hardly worth it.
Thorin

word.

 

[bendixG15]

How doo you say FBI ???

 

[Linux23]

Originally posted by: bendixG15
How doo you say FBI ???

Eff-Bye?

 

[CZroe]

Originally posted by: tapir
funny, my friends and i just say sah-tah

Idiot friends then

I once had a Business English class in which the book said that acronyms were always pronounced as if they were a word in the technology industry. TOTALLY UN-TRUE. They even tested the students on this

PIO, IEEE, DMA, SATA, ATA, OS, IDE, ISA (I hear this one "sounded out" a lot... by idiots!), EISA, AGP, CPU, DDR, USB, HDD, FDD, FDC, HSF, PSU, etc. NONE of these are to be pronounced as a word... Unless you want to sound like an idiot

BIOS, GUI, SCSI (This is probably what perpetuated the myth), ROM, RAM go ahead. I still call GUI "Gee You Eye" anyway because I'm not a sheep.

For everything else, use common sense...
DRAM = "Dee Ram"
SDRAM = "Ess Dee Ram"
SATA != "Ess Atta"

Everyone I know calling ISA "Eye-sa" heard it from their ignorant techer at a community college or A+ class... As did I (Explains the Bus. Eng. class!)!

 

[Bovinicus]

I would say Serial A T A, or just pronounce each letter: S A T A.

 

[JustAnAverageGuy]

Serial A-Tee-A