The New Intimacy

Do you pronounce GIF with a hard or soft G?

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Contributor: surreptitious surreptitious
(Review Program Mentor)
The GIF, or Graphics Interchange Format, has recently been a topic of hot debate among techies because the creator, has come out and said that it is pronounced JIF, like the brand of peanut butter.

While this makes sense linguistically - generally, when the letter G comes before an I, the sound is that of the affricate /d?/, as in "George" - I (and many others) continue to pronounce it with the /g/, as in "Graphic." Much like when Asus came out and told us that we were all mispronouncing their brand, I'm not going to be changing a thing, but I'd like to know how many of you pronounce it one way or the other.
Answers (private voting - your screen name will NOT appear in the results):
I pronounce it "JIF," with a soft G
10  (27%)
I pronounce it "GIF," with a hard G
27  (73%)
I have never heard of this word.
Total votes: 37
Poll is closed
05/24/2013
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Contributor: Trysexual Trysexual
I say Gif (hard G)> Jiff is peanut butter and my favorite, so I'm not changing either.
05/24/2013
Contributor: ViVix ViVix
Quote:
Originally posted by surreptitious
The GIF, or Graphics Interchange Format, has recently been a topic of hot debate among techies because the creator, has come out and said that it is pronounced JIF, like the brand of peanut butter.

While this makes sense linguistically - ... more
Wow. I had to think about that one for a minute.
05/24/2013
Contributor: PropertyOfPotter PropertyOfPotter
I guess I've always said it with a soft g.
05/24/2013
Contributor: surreptitious surreptitious
(Review Program Mentor)
Ha - I just realized that Eden isn't displaying my IPA symbols properly. I guess that cuts linguistics out of the things that I'll be discussing on here.

It's interesting to me that the score is so close so far! I've never heard anyone use a soft G before, so now I'm starting to wonder about age groups, locations, etc. I really shouldn't start discussions on linguistics anyways, because it seems like I want to know everything.
05/24/2013
Contributor: Hummingbird Hummingbird
Always pronounced with a hard G
05/24/2013
Contributor: BrittaniMaree BrittaniMaree
I pronounce it "GIF," with a hard G
05/24/2013
Contributor: Sbmsvschoolgirl Sbmsvschoolgirl
I just read an article about this this morning that basically said it doesn't matter how you pronounce it as long as your meaning is understood.

I've always pronounced it 'jif' and had never even heard it pronounced 'gif' until I took a computer class and my professor said it that way. He also said "24 by 7" instead of "24/7" which always bothered me lol.
05/24/2013
Contributor: namelesschaos namelesschaos
I use the hard G.
05/24/2013
Contributor: Pierced Blaqk Skies Pierced Blaqk Skies
I read an article somewhere a few days ago that the man that came up with the idea of GIFs said that it was to be pronounced with a hard G. I've been saying it that way for forever.
05/24/2013
Contributor: Lildrummrgurl7 Lildrummrgurl7
I use the hard G pronunciation.
05/24/2013
Contributor: TheirPet TheirPet
I use hard G even though I know the designers wanted it to be a soft g.
05/24/2013
Contributor: misskat misskat
I say it like Gif and my partner says Jif. I don't know why, but it just seemed like it should be Gif.
05/24/2013
Contributor: The Vixen The Vixen
I used at always use a soft G and say "jif". It drives my husband nuts, and he would always tease me. I say it both ways now.
05/24/2013
Contributor: sXeVegan90 sXeVegan90
I've always pronounced it with a hard G.
05/24/2013
Contributor: surreptitious surreptitious
(Review Program Mentor)
Quote:
Originally posted by Pierced Blaqk Skies
I read an article somewhere a few days ago that the man that came up with the idea of GIFs said that it was to be pronounced with a hard G. I've been saying it that way for forever.
The creator, Steve Wilhite, just came out with a statement that it is pronounced with a soft G, which is what's stirred up all of this drama. Many techies who've been pronouncing it with a hard G were outraged.
05/24/2013
Contributor: surreptitious surreptitious
(Review Program Mentor)
Quote:
Originally posted by Sbmsvschoolgirl
I just read an article about this this morning that basically said it doesn't matter how you pronounce it as long as your meaning is understood.

I've always pronounced it 'jif' and had never even heard it pronounced ... more
I think that the stance that it doesn't matter how things are pronounced is a bit naive, but it could pretty easily be the four years of linguistics professors deciding that for me. Though, I suppose that in this single, isolated case, it is likely an easy enough argument to make - even some dictionaries list it as being one way, some list it as being the other and some list both.
05/24/2013
Contributor: married with children married with children
I guess I use the hard G, but then I don't use GIF very often. Not a computer guy.
05/24/2013
Contributor: PeaceToTheMiddleEast PeaceToTheMiddleEast
I say it with a soft G.
05/24/2013
Contributor: MrWishyWashy MrWishyWashy
Hard G because that is the correct way LOL.
05/24/2013
Contributor: Cosmonaut Cosmonaut
I pronounce it "GIF," with a hard G
05/24/2013
Contributor: alliegator alliegator
I've always assumes it's "jif".
05/24/2013
Contributor: joiedejouets joiedejouets
Hard G!!
05/24/2013
Contributor: VeganChick (is Gone) VeganChick (is Gone)
Neither! I just say the letters G-I-F.
05/24/2013
Contributor: surreptitious surreptitious
(Review Program Mentor)
Quote:
Originally posted by VeganChick (is Gone)
Neither! I just say the letters G-I-F.
I didn't even think to include that option! I wish that there was a way for me to go add it in. That's really interesting - do you do that with a lot of other acronyms?
05/24/2013
Contributor: Wicked Wahine Wicked Wahine
I use a hard 'G', as in gift and graphic. I expected more people to speak the letters individually! (I, too, with there was a way to edit the poll choices, not just the intro & the end date!)
05/25/2013
Contributor: KinkyKatieJames KinkyKatieJames
I always said it with a hard g. I only recently learned that some people pronounce it as jif.
05/25/2013
Contributor: Gone (LD29) Gone (LD29)
With a hard G. I tend to pronounce the letters in acronyms the same way you'd pronounce them in the words they represent.
05/25/2013
Contributor: KyotoAngel KyotoAngel
0_0 Wow...and to think I've been mispronouncing it all these years!
I've always said it with a hard G, I guess I just figured that's how it was supposed to be for some reason.
05/25/2013
Contributor: K101 K101
Quote:
Originally posted by Trysexual
I say Gif (hard G)> Jiff is peanut butter and my favorite, so I'm not changing either.
Me too. I say "GIF" as in almost "gift," but without the T.

Never knew which it really was, but that just fit with me, so that's how I pronounce it. This happens to me a lot. I'll just say things however they sound "best" to me & that often leads me to pronouncing things my very own way... for years. LOL. Kind of like "Kegel." I've always said "Kee-gel" LOL. It's just what sounds best to me, and I like it that way, so I just go with it. Lol.
05/25/2013