this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2023
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Some arguments that people keep bringing up that are all wrong and carry zero weight in this discussion:
Ultimately, language is very dynamic and changes all the time. Words change their spelling, their meaning and their pronunciation too. Dictionaries tend to lag behind a little bit, but the fact that they publish a new version every year signifies how much languages change. The creator of a word can coin a pronunciation, but ultimately has zero control over whether it will be adopted or not.
So therefore whichever way most people actually pronounce it is by definition the correct pronunciation. And the polls done on this subject are pretty clear, showing that GIF is the preferred pronunciation, chosen by up to 70% in North America and over 80% in Australia and the UK. This depends on which poll you use, but in general the split is at least 2:1 in favour of GIF, and over time the usage of GIF tends to trend up over time.
So ultimately, the one true pronunciation is GIF, as decided by the people as a whole. However, most dictionaries do list JIF as an accepted alternative pronunciation, due to the not insignificant minority pronouncing it that way.
In other words, just choose which pronunciation you prefer, and use that. And try to avoid the pointless debates people like to have on the subject, filled with arguments that don't carry any weight whatsoever.
It's funny reading this with the soft-g pronunciation and imagining you arguing with yourself saying, "it's gif! No, gif! No, gif!"
I wouldn't say the arguments are all wrong and carry zero weight. How are you so sure that these arguments haven't swayed the majority towards one side or the other? These arguments are happening between actual people (I've heard normal people discuss this outside of online communities), possibly shaping their opinions, and could be what's shaping those 70/80% numbers.
I used to say JIF. Seemed intuitive and the argument about the creator made sense to me.
But I changed my pronunciation because another intuitive thing is that language does change and it's rather democratic.
This person is exactly correct. All those other arguments are just quips. They've all got a counterpoint and as you use them, you damn well know the counterpoint exists. But the argument is fun so you keep at it.
Some of us just want a resolution. My view lost. It's over.
No view lost lol what are you talking about, both ways are correct, but it's fun to give the others shit about it, it's just like rooting for your basketball team
We lost bruh. The election was rigged though. Everywhere I go, people are saying it. They say "hey, this was clearly rigged". And they're very upset they want me to do something about it. I want to, but, you know, the GIF campaign has deep roots. Nobody can get to the bottom of them. They're yhuge.