The strange French addiction to acronyms

FRENCHOFFICIALDOMPFUEMEAESGAEPRPFUENHSNASATGVRERSNCFPSEELVLREMLFIRNFNLRCGTCFDTSMICCDDCDICSERTTBRIRAIDCSGURSSAFIFI)PLF is abuzz with preparations for the , which the and are organising for the in 2022. Lost? Spare a thought for the outsider who must daily navigate the French passion for acronyms and initialisms. All countries use them, but France has a particular penchant. The latest () refers to the French Presidency of the European Union, which starts in January 2022 (and is in fact the presidency of the Council of the European Union). No matter. The abbreviation is already everywhere, and, as the opening sentence says, officials from the foreign ministry and a secretariat in the prime minister’s office are preparing this occasion for the president.The preference of the French for abbreviations is so ingrained that they scarcely notice it. Britain may have its , or America . France has them for every part of life: transport (, , ), politics (, , , , (formerly the ) and ), unions (, ), work (, , , , ), the police (, ), taxes (, , . The principle seems simple: why use a word like budget when an abbreviation like () will do?