Standard ML is a statically typed functional programming language commonly abbreviated SML. A Small Language Model is abbreviated SLM.
Why the distinction matters
Compiler-runtime research may discuss a Standard ML parser, Hindley–Milner type inference, pattern matching, closures, bytecode, and garbage collection. Model-runtime research may discuss tokenizers, transformer layers, quantization, attention, and generation. Combining the acronyms creates ambiguous routes, diagrams, and implementation tasks.
Editorial rule
Spell out both terms on first use. Use SML only for Standard ML and SLM only for Small Language Model.