Why do GLO's abbreviate their names?

[Au2maticPrncess]

Hi! I know nothing about GLO's, I've never been in one, but Pop Culture bombards us with images and stereotypes of them constantly, and one thing I constantly notice is how GLO names get shortened and I don't understand how or why.

1) In Friends, Rachel passes some girls at Ross' University and says, " Hey, there go some Kappa Kappa Deltas! I was a Kappa!"
2) In Black Christmas, the sorority is Alpha Kappa Gamma but they answer the phone 'Alpha Kappa?'.
3) In Animal House, the fraternity is Delta Tau Chi but they call it Delta house.
4) In Scream II, characters call sisters of Delta Lambda Zeta, Delta Lambda's.
5) In "that" book Pledged, we hear about Beta Pi and Alpha Rho - what were they short for?

So, I get the concept of giving your GLO a nickname or whatever, but why do they all do it differently? If you were talking about Delta Lambda Zeta and called it Delta house, no one would who you were talking about, right? Or how do you when someone answers the phone "Alpha Kappa?" that they're not actually Alpha Kappa Alpha or even Alpha Kappa Psi?

Uh, thanks for listening to me ramble

[Elephant Walk]

Uhm...

so its shorter

[Au2maticPrncess]

Originally Posted by Elephant Walk

Uhm...

so its shorter

But why don't they all follow the same system? Read the question...

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Au2maticPrncess

So, I get the concept of giving your GLO a nickname or whatever, but why do they all do it differently?

They don't. Pretty much every GLO has a "standard" nickname, or maybe a couple of standard nicknames. If you're familiar with the real names, you'd probably be familiar with the shortened names/nickames. For example, you'd know that Kappa Sigma is "Kappa Sig," Kappa Alpha Theta is "Theta," Beta Theta Pi is "Beta," Chi Omega is "Chi O," etc. There are a few times that there can be the possiblity of confusion -- for example "Kappa" could be Kappa Kappa Gamma (an NPC sorority) or Kappa Alpha Psi (an NPHC fraternity). Context usually makes it clear.

When it comes to the fictional GLOs you've described, they're just making it up as they go along.

[epchick]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

or Kappa Alpha Theta (an NPHC fraternity). Context usually makes it clear.

Kappa Alpha Theta is an NPC org.

I think you mean Kappa Alpha Psi which is the NPHC fraternity that goes by Kappa (think prettyboy lol)

[Au2maticPrncess]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

When it comes to the fictional GLOs you've described, they're just making it up as they go along.

Originally Posted by AnotherKD

There's no formula or anything. Most of the time, it just is.

So there really is no system or proper way to do it, everybody does it differently.

I got it, thank u for your answers everybody

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by epchick

Kappa Alpha Theta is an NPC org.

I think you mean Kappa Alpha Psi which is the NPHC fraternity that goes by Kappa (think prettyboy lol)

I did mean Kappa Alpha Psi. Too many distractions. Thanks for the correction.

Originally Posted by Au2maticPrncess

So there really is no system or proper way to do it, everybody does it differently.

The "proper" way to do it is to use the nickname(s) each particular organization, for its own reasons, prefers.

[SWTXBelle]

I've long wondered why Gamma Phi Beta never became the Gammas. We are the only NPC that starts with Gamma, so that would be an obvious choice - but we are Gamma Phis. Hmmm . . .

[LucyKKG]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

I've long wondered why Gamma Phi Beta never became the Gammas. We are the only NPC that starts with Gamma, so that would be an obvious choice - but we are Gamma Phis. Hmmm . . .

One of my sisters kept trying to call them "Gammas" on our campus, and I was like, "Nooo, that's not just what they're called!" She also tried to call Theta Chi "Theta." I realize we don't have a KAO chapter at my school but...oy!

[AnotherKD]

For your #5, we know that they are ficticious houses. They could just be "Alpha Rho" and "Beta Pi" and that's it.

Say your name was Melissa. You decide you want to be called Mel, so that's what you tell people. You know someone else named Melissa, but she prefers to go by Lissa. There's not necessarily a rhyme or reason why houses shorten their names. Another for instance- my best friend is a Delta Gamma. Well, two names that they go by are DG (Dee Gee) and Delta Gam. There's no formula or anything. Most of the time, it just is.

Oh, and also, what Elephant Walk said.

[phimusam]

I have heard Alpha Chi Omega called both A Chi O and Alpha Chi. Is this a time-frame or location thing?

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by phimusam

I have heard Alpha Chi Omega called both A Chi O and Alpha Chi. Is this a time-frame or location thing?

I think it's probably both...same for Delta Gamma being Delta G or DG except that DG is probably the most common...when I was in school, Alpha Chi Omega was called Alpha Chi on my campus. Now they are called A Chi O there.

[agzg]

I was thinking the Gamma Phi thing maybe had something to do with the other sororities founded at Syracuse? There's Alpha Phi, Alpha Gam, and Gamma Phi.

Not that I know anything about this, because I don't.

Nicknames are regional, too. On my campus they didn't call us Alpha Gams, they called us AGDs.

[axoalum]

When I was an active, we were taught that the preferred choice was Alpha Chi so we would not be confused with Chi O but we always answered to both. Even now, I will tell you I am an Alpha Chi but will write "AXO" in a letter, email, etc.

[angels&angles]

Not to mention, it changes from campus to campus. For instance, I believe Pi Kappa Alphas are normally known as Pikes, but for some reason on my campus they're known as PIKA (almost always all caps too). Similarly, I've usually heard Lambda Chi Alpha shortened to Lambda Chi, whereas we called them just the Lambdas. Both of these would sound weird on a different campus, but anything else would sound weird on my campus. Last year a bunch of freshmen on campus started a movement to shorten Sigma Chi (always known by the full name) to Sig Chi. It may even catch on.

To sum up, it just is. It doesn't really make any sense if you sit and think about it. Why did Phi Kappa Sigma get "Phi Kapp" and not Phi Kappa Psi? And the KKG/KAT question in interesting. I would guess the "A Chi O" vs "Alpha Chi" question has something to do with the presence of Chi O on the campus, and also what they're trying to rhyme it with for songs

That's all.