NCSIST：正確發音及其重要性

2024/9/10

「NCSIST 不是讀成 /N-sist/，而是應該逐字母讀作 ‘N-C-S-I-S-T’。」

在 2017 年，我參加了一次在 AIT 的會議。會議開始前，大家自我介紹時，當美方人員提到 NCSIST ，都是逐字母發音為 “N-C-S-I-S-T”。

然而，我方人員卻不約而同地將其讀成 “N-sist”。當時我知道這樣的發音是不正確的，但苦於當時沒有適當的機會提出來。

在英語中，縮寫詞 (abbreviation) 可以分為三種類型：首字母縮略詞 (acronym)、首字母縮寫詞 (initialism) 以及一般縮寫詞 (general abbreviation)。

縮略詞 (acronym) 是將首字母組合成一個可以發音的單詞，如 NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), SATCOM (satellite communication), Radar。而首字母縮寫詞 (initialism) 則是逐個字母發音，如 FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)。一般縮寫詞則指像 Dr. (Doctor), App (Application) 這類的縮寫，則按照完整單詞的發音來念。

NCSIST 屬於首字母縮寫詞 (initialism)，因此應該逐個字母發音為 “N-C-S-I-S-T”，而不是像 /N-sist/ 這樣讀作單詞。因為 NCSIST 中，N 後面缺了母音，因此無法將其順暢地發音成一個單詞，所以不能讀作 /N-sist/。

正確使用英語的重要性已經不限於日常交流，更在國際層面扮演關鍵角色。例如，AIT 與台灣的教育部合作，推出了 U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative，此計畫包括 2030 年的雙語政策及 EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) 的推廣等。由此可見英語教育的重要性。

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“NCSIST: Correct Pronunciation and Its Importance”

“NCSIST should not be pronounced as /N-sist/; rather, it should be pronounced letter by letter as ‘N-C-S-I-S-T’.”

In 2017, I attended a meeting at AIT. Before the meeting began, everyone introduced themselves, and when the American personnel mentioned NCSIST, they pronounced it letter by letter as “N-C-S-I-S-T.” However, my colleagues consistently pronounced it as “N-sist.” At that moment, I knew the pronunciation was incorrect, but I didn’t have the right opportunity to correct them.

In English, abbreviations can be categorized into three types: acronyms, initialisms, and general abbreviations. Acronyms are formed from the initial letters of a phrase and pronounced as a word, such as NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Initialisms are pronounced letter by letter, like FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation). General abbreviations refer to those like Dr. (Doctor), which are still pronounced the same as the full word.

NCSIST falls under the category of initialisms, so it should be pronounced letter by letter as “N-C-S-I-S-T,” not as the word /N-sist/. Since there is no vowel following the “N” in NCSIST, it cannot be smoothly pronounced as a single word, so it should not be read as /N-sist/.

The importance of using English correctly is no longer limited to daily communication but also plays a key role on the international stage. For example, AIT and Taiwan’s Ministry of Education have launched the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative, which includes the promotion of the Bilingual 2030 Policy and EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction). This demonstrates the importance of English education.