Myra Tompkins on SLO vs S.L.O.

A San Luis Obispo Tribune Viewpoint (Letter to the Editor) published today by Myra Tompkins chastises some (I would guess the majority) San Luis Obispo residents in their calling San Luis Obispo, SLO ( slō). Instead, she insists quite strongly that we call it S.L.O. (as in es-el-oh). It’s all quite technical, she explains not very convincingly, citing the difference between acronyms and initials. And not only is it incorrect, she maintains, it is “ignorant, insulting and demeaning.” Apparently she associates the sound of “SLO” to “slow” and assumes that everyone who utters this sound is putting the meaning of “slow” into the listener’s head. I don’t see that. I don’t know Myra, but maybe she has some sort of childhood trauma where people used to call her slow, and it still haunts her to this day. The interesting thing is that just about everyone who says it SLO, if they associate it with any word whatsoever, associate it with the slow pace of a small town, which is actually a compliment. It’s not a derogatory word, unless you are predisposed at looking for the negative in the first place.

Regardless of whether she is correct on the grammatical technicalities of the difference between initials and acronyms, she just doesn’t get why we call it SLO. It’s because it’s easy to say. That’s all, Myra. One syllable. It rolls off the tongue easily. We mean no harm. Really.

Her taking personal offense to this issue is perhaps the most amusing thing. To her, we are using “lazy slang” to “insult and denigrate” a place that is “made wonderful by the climate and hard-working people, including five generation of my family.” Give me a break!

The really funny thing is she says we could also call it San Luis. Come on Myra, you know that’s not right either. Knocking off an entire word from the town’s proper name is much more of a modification than sounding out an acronym or initials. In fact, that makes it sound like Saint Louis.

I suggest Ms. Tompkins find a hobby.

Here is some of her letter, (Myra Tompkins, “Don’t call my town SLO; it’s S.L.O.”, May 11, 2008, Letters to the Editor)

you [the Tibune], like many others, do not understand the difference between initials and an acronym. The letters S-L-O (pronounced es-el-oh) are initials, not an acronym. Calling it SLO(w) is ignorant, insulting and demeaning.

For those who slept through basic English, an acronym is a word formed from the first letters of a compound term. For example, radar is an acronym for radio detection and ranging. Get it? NASA is an acronym for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Understand? Laser, NATO, AIDS, DOS — all acronyms.

Los Angeles is often referred to as L. A. (pronounced el-a). But, when you call it “la la land,” you insult and denigrate the place.

Is the fog clearing? How do you pronounce the initials A. G. (for Arroyo Grande)? Ag? I think not. How about U. S. A? Usa? Please.

San Luis Obispo is a place name, not an acronym. And, it’s a place made wonderful by the climate and hard-working people, including five generations of my family.

Call it San Luis Obispo, San Luis, or S. L. O. (once again, pronounced es-el- oh). SLO(w) is lazy slang invented by people from somewhere else.

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