Text Encoding Initiative
Abbreviations
Abbreviations and their expansions can be marked-up using either the <abbr> or the <expan> element. A transcription striving to be as neutral
as possible might give the unexpanded abbreviation, tagged <abbr>, as in the following example, showing a common Old Icelandic abbreviation for the word hann (he
), using the &bar; entity to represent the nasal stroke:
h<abbr>&bar;</abbr>
At most other levels the expanded form will be used, tagged <expan>:
h<expan>ann</expan>
In previous versions of the Guidelines (up to and including P4), the one element could also function as an attribute of the other:
h<expan abbr="&bar;">ann</expan>
Now, with P5, one is obliged to used separate elements. In order to make explicit the notion that these are alternatives, there is a new grouping element, called <choice>:
h<choice><abbr>&bar;</abbr><expan>ann</expan></choice>
One can also wrap the entire word within tags, and where choices are available within choices, the <choice> element can nest:
<choice>
<reg>hann</reg>
<orig>h
<choice>
<abbr>&bar;</abbr>
<expan>ann</expan>
</choice>
</orig>
</choice>