Sutrumpintais

Sutrumpintais is a term used in Lithuanian linguistics to refer to shortened forms of words or phrases, including abbreviations, acronyms, and clipped expressions. The word is derived from the adjective sutrumpintas, meaning shortened, with the instrumental plural form sutrumpintais. In discussions of language, sutrumpintais describes the category of forms created to save space or speed up communication.

Formation and types

Sutrumpintais forms arise through various processes. Simple truncation retains only a portion of a word, as in pavyzdžiui shortened to pvz. or tai yra shortened usage becoming t.y. More complex examples involve acronyms and initialisms formed from the initial letters of multiword expressions. In practice, sutrumpintais can also include shortened phrases produced by clipping individual components of a phrase. These forms are common in everyday writing, journalism, and informal speech, and they can be borrowed from other languages or adapted within Lithuanian.

Orthography and usage

In Lithuanian writing, sutrumpintais forms are typically presented with distinct punctuation, such as periods in abbreviations (pvz., t.y.). Their capitalization and ability to participate in grammar depend on the type of form and its function in a sentence. In formal prose, there is often a preference for expanding uncommon abbreviations at first mention, with occasional subsequent use of the shortened form.

See also

Abbreviation, acronym, clipping, Lithuanian orthography.