English

Noun

alphabetism ‎(plural alphabetisms)

1. An initialism: an abbreviation which is read letter-by-letter, such as "U.N."
   • 2002, Gunnel Tottie, An Introduction To American English, Blackwell Publishing, ISBN 0631197923, page 118:

     Some alphabetisms are written as if they weren't alphabetisms at all, like deejay for DJ, disc jockey, or emcee for MC, master of ceremonies.

2. The ability to read an alphabet, a rudimentary form of literacy.
   • 2001, Ziony Zevit, The Religions of Ancient Israel: A Synthesis of Parallactic Approaches, Continuum International Publishing Group, ISBN 0826463398, page 639:

     Some of the activities involved in ... corvée and military needs stimulated the spread of a certain type of minimal alphabetism for inventorying and most likely encouraged the development of a professional scribalism for record-keeping and book-keeping.

3. Excessive reliance upon the alphabet or alphabetic structures.
   • 2006, Daniel Doron Silverman, A Critical Introduction to Phonology: Of Sound, Mind and Body, Continuum International Publishing Group, ISBN 0826486606, page 208:

     The answer, I suggest, is that phonemism is rooted in alphabetism. Indeed, many linguists have suggested that there really is a /g/ phoneme at the end of 'fang' and other [ŋ]-final words in English, except that they are not pronounced!

4. Discrimination on the basis of the first letter of a name.
   • 1983, George F. Will, The Pursuit of Virtue and Other Tory Notions, page 134:

     The injustice of "alphabetism" is, of course, a thorn in the Zitser side, and he playfully promises to assign the problem to "alphabetically neutral" aides.

Translations

Related terms

• alphabetization
• analphabetism