RAS syndrome (short for "redundant acronym syndrome syndrome"), also known as PNS syndrome ("PIN number syndrome syndrome", which expands to "personal identification number number syndrome syndrome") or RAP phrases ("redundant acronym phrase phrases"), refers to the use of one or more of the words that make up an acronym or initialism in conjunction with the abbreviated form, thus in effect repeating one or more words. Examples include "PIN number", which may be expanded as "personal identification number number".
A person is humorously said to suffer from RAS syndrome when he or she redundantly uses one or more of the words that make up an acronym or initialism with the abbreviation itself. Usage commentators consider such redundant acronyms poor style and an error to be avoided in writing, though they are common in speech.[1] The degree to which there is a need to avoid pleonasms such as redundant acronyms depends on one's balance point of prescriptivism (ideas about how language should be used) versus descriptivism (the realities of how natural language is used). For writing intended to persuade, impress, or avoid criticism, usage guides advise writers to avoid pleonasm as much as possible, even if not because such usage is always "wrong", but rather because most of one's audience may believe that it is always wrong.
The term RAS syndrome is itself intentionally redundant,[2][3] and thus is an example of self-referential humor.
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The term RAS syndrome was coined in 2001 by New Scientist.[3][4]
The similar term PNS syndrome (which expands to "PIN number syndrome syndrome," and further to "personal identification number number syndrome syndrome") was coined by Usenet users[5] before the coining of RAS Syndrome.[6]
Other nonce coinages continue to arise. The terms themselves are occasionally referred to as "RAP phrases" ("redundant acronym phrase phrases").[7] Select examples of RAP phrases include:
There are several linguistic explanations for the prevalence of RAS syndrome:
Sometimes the presence of repeated words does not create a redundant phrase. For example, a "redundant RAID (redundant array of inexpensive/independent disks)" may in fact be a backup RAID in the system being described, "laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) light" is light produced by a light amplification process, "CSS (cascading style sheets) sheet" is used to express a sheet written in the language.