Abbreviations

Encoding Instructions (new P5 version)

1. The WWP currently uses the element choice with nesting elements abbr and expan to encode abbreviations whose unexpanded meaning is not clear to the modern reader. Where the expanded value is obvious, and where the abbreviation is renditionally distinct, it gets tagged simply as abbr with a rend attribute. When common abbreviations, or abbreviations that never occur in their expanded form, are not renditionally distinct, they do not get tagged. The following list contains many, but not all, instances of abbreviations which do not need to be wrapped in abbr if not renditionally distinct:

A.D., Ave., B.C., Bk. (for book) c.f., Ch. or Chap or Cap. (for chapter), Co., d. (for British pence), d. (for ditto), do. (for ditto), Dr., ed., e.g., esp., Esq., etc., &c., et al., ff., H.R.H, ibid., i.e., Inc., l. (for line), l. (for British pounds), lb., ltd., Mr., Mrs., N.B., no., oz., p. or Pag. or pp. or pg. (for page), p.s., Rev. (for Reverend), s. (for British shillings), St. (for either street or saint), U.S.A., viz., vol.

The WWP also does not expand abbreviations for academic degrees, points of the compass, days of the week, months, and the names of speakers in drama.

2. The period following an abbreviation is included within the abbr element. The exception to this rule is that where the abbreviated word falls at the end of a sentence, the period is treated as a sentence-ending period, not as an abbreviatory period, and is placed outside the abbr element.

3. The abbr element is applied to the smallest meaningful unit which is abbreviated, whatever that may be in the given case.

4. The abbr element is also used to expand abbreviated references to texts such as the Bible or the classical authors.

A word-level expansion:
          <choice><abbr>Gov’m’t.</abbr><expan>Government</expan></choice>

A phrase-level expansion:
          <choice><abbr>H.R.E.</abbr><expan>Holy Roman Empire</expan></choice>

A single brevigraph, such as a letter with a macron or superscript:
        <choice><abbr>&amp;emacr;</abbr><expan>em</expan></choice>