• HatchetHaro@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      19
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      edit-2
      2 days ago

      This is a jem of a response, but by jeneralizing pronunciations of acronyms only by the way they are spelt, you are opening a jigantic can of worms on etymology and linguistics.

      The jist of it is that English is a weird language, jenerally descriptive, and there can be many correct answers to the same pronunciation problem.

      • frazorth@feddit.uk
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        2 days ago

        jigantic

        I read that as Jig-antic. I would have to turn it into jygantik for it to sound the same.

    • notacat@mander.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      16
      ·
      3 days ago

      Laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, and yet we all pronounce it “lay-Zer” not “lay-Ser”

      • HatchetHaro@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        2 days ago

        The A in amplification and E in emission are pronounced differently too, so the “correct” pronunciation would be “lah-seer”.

    • BumpingFuglies@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      18
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      3 days ago

      The creator of the format is documented as having confirmed the pronunciation is “jif”, but I don’t care. Once he created it and put it into the world, he relinquished his control.

      • DamienGramatacus@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        edit-2
        1 day ago

        I honestly believe he was just trolling when he said that and he probably giggles to himself everytime someone says (shudder) ‘jif’. It’s a hard G from graphics so I don’t know how else is could be reasonably pronounced.

      • makingStuffForFun@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        18
        arrow-down
        9
        ·
        3 days ago

        GIF is an acronym. Giraffe is not. The Giraffe response has been debunked for decades.

        Graphical is a hard G.

        • derekabutton@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          16
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          3 days ago

          Debunked? Its a counterpoint to the fact that it’s pronounced that way because it’s spelled with a g. If that poor argument wasn’t used, the giraffe one wouldn’t have to come up. It’s not evidence of anything other than that letters can be pronounced in more than one way.

          For the graphical thing, imagine pronouncing NASA wrong because of the way aeronautical is pronounce. Or underwater in scuba. World in WHO? The I in AIDS isn’t pronounced anything like immunodeficiency.

          Your argument doesn’t work either.

      • AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        3 days ago

        If there’s ever a Giraffe Interchange Format, I’ll pronounce it the same as giraffe. And unlike some people, I’ll be able to tell the two apart.