Sorry that this question doesn't really have a point, but I was re-reading SotG and I got curious.
How come the International Fleet is reffered to as the I.F, while the Free People of Earth is reffered to as FPE? I.F. uses periods, and FPE doesn't. Is that just because I.F. is an official abbreviation, and FPE is just an acronym?
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
It's simple enough: I.F. demands to be pronounced EYE-EFF. Whereas IF is a word in all-caps. FPE doesn't have this problem. You can't actually say "fpe." Well, you can, but people will think you're spitting at them.