MIC drop on the GIF.
Join Team FranLab!!!! Become a patron and help support my YouTube Channel on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/frantone
#ElectronicsCreators #Shorts #FranLab
- Music by Fran Blanche -
Fran's Science Blog - http://www.frantone.com/designwritings/design_writings.html
FranArt Website - http://www.contourcorsets.com

By Fran

15 thoughts on “How to pronounce gif”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars lohphat says:

    I was a sysop in the 1980s and ran two BBSes. It was always "jiff" in conversations with my peers. It's even in the name of the letter "G" — "jhee".

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Justine-Paula Robilliard says:

    I am going to say it is GIF, as in gif no t, as it is not abbreviated, also it is in common use, think N A T O, we say Nay Toe we do not spell N A T O, and we say Poh tas for President of the the United States.. so GIF it is…

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars krbruner says:

    I do find it funny that when someone asks that question in written text, they ask, "is it gif or is it jif?"….well, if your "gif" example has a hard G sound, then shouldn't it sound like how the "gif" example sounds?

    That and there actually is a .JIF extension as well.

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Ferrule Bezel says:

    So when are you and Dave Jones going to get into a fight over "el-ee-dee" or "led" for LED?

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Christopher Hull says:

    It's amazing to me that anyone even cares at this point. Would anyone be confused regardless of the pronunciation?

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Mark H. Harris says:

    Most of us who were someone (anywhere) didn't pronounce the damn thing at all ! Why? thanks for asking.

    Because the GIF was patented and proprietary which required royalties and fees ; most of us used other perhaps "lossy" formats that were free (as in freedom) and did not require massive royalties and fees.

    So, while some were arguing about how to pronounce GIF, the rest of us could care less , and were using JPEG ; Which is pronounced J. Peg.

    GIF R.I.P.

    marcus

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Hola! TheCatLady says:

    It's pronounced the way people pronounce it! Language is infinitely malleable and everchanging. Different people pronounce the same words differently, pronunciation also changes over time and over different areas. All this debate over the "correct" way to pronounce a word is just fiddle-faddle.

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars David Sky Walker says:

    I grew up in Fishtown in the 80's where apparently everyone pronounced things incorrectly. When I moved to Collingswood in the mid 90's, everyone spoke such proper English, I thought they were French, or something.

    crayons = crowns
    picture = pitcher
    water = worter
    bowl = ball
    towel = tail

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Scott Grammer says:

    This from Merriam-Webster: "Both acronyms and initialisms are made up of the first letter or letters of the words in a phrase. The word acronym typically applies when the resulting thing can be read as a word; for example, radar comes from 'radio detection and ranging' and scuba comes from 'self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.' The word initialism only applies when the resulting thing is read as an abbreviation; for example DIY, which comes from 'do it yourself,' is pronounced by saying the names of the letters. Note that the word acronym is also sometimes used to mean 'initialism.'"

    So, if it can be pronounced as a word, it is an acronym, and it IS pronounced as a word. Since the acronym for "graphics interchange format" can be pronounced as a word, it is. Hence, Merriam-Webster states that it is pronounced either as "gif" of "jif." And, since it's not peanut butter, and since "graphics" begins with a soft g, it's properly pronounced (in my opinion only) as "gif" (soft g).

    I'd post the links to the Merriam-Webster pages, but Fran has links blocked, which is actually a wise move.

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Elsa Laiho says:

    if you want to make everyone annoyed, you could also use /jɪf/ as the pronunciation 😀 sure, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for modern English, but then again the pronunciation rules in modern English aren't consistent to begin with. And it would be a sort-of plausible pronunciation based on the rules of Old English!

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars DarrelGuitarMan says:

    Duh I've been wrong 😃. I'll make that change right now. When someone tries to correct me.. what do I say..? "No you're wrong"

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Joop says:

    Just like "L-E-D" i.s.o. "led" when you talk about a Light Emitting Diode?
    In Europe most people talk about "led".
    In the Dutch language the word "gif" means "poisson"….

  13. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Kevin Pluck says:

    Find any other English word that starts with "gif" that's pronounced with a soft "g".

  14. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Origami Mambo says:

    'Jiff' is a Peanut butter brand.
    GIF IS An obsolete nasty little format that no one really uses anymore. Why don't we argue about the best way to use a hand crank to start cars?

  15. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Erwin Pommel says:

    The correct thing to do is to wait until the person you're talking to pronounces it one way, then you proceed to use the other pronunciation. Bonus points if you can make them switch to your way. If they do, you immediately change to their original pronunciation.

    Alternatively, if you really want to piss everyone off, pronounce it 'yiff'.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.