Linguistics style tip 307. No linguistics abstract (henceforth LA) should contain more than two totally novel abbreviations (henceforth TTNA). Abstracts that violate TTNA impose an unreasonable burden on the poor tired and cranky abstract reviewer (henceforth PTACAR), causing PTACAR to lose track of the TTNAs, and rendering it far more likely than otherwise that LA will be given a lower score than it deserves (henceforth LSTID). LAs that violate TTNA and are consequently LSTIDed by PTACAR deserve the score that they get.
Corollary: Don’t introduce a new abbreviation unless you immediately use it, and frequently. Otherwise PTACAR gets really p.o.‘ed (henceforth POed) trying to find what the stupid abbreviation (henceforth SA) means on page 2 that was introduced in a parenthesis somewhere on page 1 and never reused. And of course don’t introduce any abbreviation that you’re never going to use.
David Pesetsky has some useful linguistics style advice, or, why Linguist Facebook is the best facebook. (Shared with permission.)
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