GIF creator Stephen Wilhite dead at 74

[merikafyeah]

Stop arguing with your egos and see sense.

Where's the sense in saying a rule applies in one case but not in others? Can you demonstrate that you have standards aside from 'double standards'? Why does the format's own creator pronounce it differently? Once again the only appropriate conclusion is what I said in the very beginning:

"It's pronounced however you want to pronounce it."

I pronounce it 'GIF' not 'JIF' because that's how I like to pronounce it. I haven't deluded myself into believing there's a consistent logic to my choice. After all, I pronounce 'SIM card' with "I" like in "image" even though it stands for "Subscriber Identification Module" Notice how the "I" in 'image' is pronounced differently from the "I" in 'identification'? Of course you noticed but you ignored it because if you didn't ignore it you'd have to accept that your logic is inconsistent.

 

[kenny loris]

 

[ZedRM]

Where's the sense in saying a rule applies in one case but not in others? Can you demonstrate that you have standards aside from 'double standards'? Why does the format's own creator pronounce it differently? Once again the only appropriate conclusion is what I said in the very beginning:

"It's pronounced however you want to pronounce it."

I pronounce it 'GIF' not 'JIF' because that's how I like to pronounce it. I haven't deluded myself into believing there's a consistent logic to my choice. After all, I pronounce 'SIM card' with "I" like in "image" even though it stands for "Subscriber Identification Module" Notice how the "I" in 'image' is pronounced differently from the "I" in 'identification'? Of course you noticed but you ignored it because if you didn't ignore it you'd have to accept that your logic is inconsistent.

That argument is semantics and pedantic. Anyone who has studied the English language at any level above the 7th grade knows that special rules and exceptions exist. However, in the case of the acronym "GIF", there are none.

 

[merikafyeah]

...special rules and exceptions exist. However, in the case of the acronym "GIF", there are none.

Isn't that what I've been saying? There are no hard rules for pronouncing GIF so there is no "proper" way to say it. It's just preference.

Unless you're saying there is in fact a rule for pronouncing GIF in which case, please clearly state this rule so that we can all be on the same page that it does indeed have no exceptions.

 

[scavengerspc]

Unless you're saying there is in fact a rule for pronouncing GIF in which case, please clearly state this rule so that we can all be on the same page that it does indeed have no exceptions.

🅶🅸🅵 🅸🆂 🅽🅾🆃 🅰 🆆🅾🆁🅳. 🅸🆃'🆂 🅰🅽 🅰🅲🆁🅾🅽🆈🅼. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶 🆁🅴🅿🆁🅴🆂🅴🅽🆃🆂 🅰🅽🅾🆃🅷🅴🆁 🆆🅾🆁🅳 🆆🅷🅸🅲🅷 🅷🅰🆂 🅰 🅷🅰🆁🅳 🅶!!! 🅼🆈 🅶🅾🅳!!!

 

[ZedRM]

Unless you're saying there is in fact a rule for pronouncing GIF

Yes, THAT is the context you and others have been missing. The rule is that the sound for the "G" in "GIF" is inherited from it's root word "Graphics", as defined by proper English mechanics AND the file format & acronym creator.

The failure to understand proper context does not rest with those explaining the proper promounciation, but instead rests with those insisting, in ignorance, that the acronym is pronounced "JIF", or "however you want to pronounce it".

 

[merikafyeah]

🅶🅸🅵 🅸🆂 🅽🅾🆃 🅰 🆆🅾🆁🅳. 🅸🆃'🆂 🅰🅽 🅰🅲🆁🅾🅽🆈🅼. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶 🆁🅴🅿🆁🅴🆂🅴🅽🆃🆂 🅰🅽🅾🆃🅷🅴🆁 🆆🅾🆁🅳 🆆🅷🅸🅲🅷 🅷🅰🆂 🅰 🅷🅰🆁🅳 🅶!!! 🅼🆈 🅶🅾🅳!!!

It's not like Stephen Wilhite didn't realize that. He chose to say it his way and it's not wrong, just less popular. As I've repeatedly pointed out, not every letter in an acronym must be pronounced as its corresponding word is. If the examples I've provided don't count please explain why.

 

[merikafyeah]

Yes, THAT is the context you and others have been missing. The rule is that the sound for the "G" in "GIF" is inherited from it's root word "Graphics", as defined by proper English mechanics AND the file format & acronym creator.

The failure to understand proper context does not rest with those explaining the proper promounciation, but instead rests with those insisting, in ignorance, that the acronym is pronounced "JIF", or "however you want to pronounce it".

The FDA has a designation called GRAS and guess what? No one pronounces it 'jras' even though it stands for:
Generally Recognized As Safe

Funny how that works. What was the rule again?

 

[scavengerspc]

The FDA has a designation called GRAS and guess what? No one pronounces it 'jras' even though it stands for:
Generally Recognized As Safe

Funny how that works. What was the rule again?

I'm going to use all easy words here. Maybe that will help you.

1. Wilhite made the GIF. He named it badly, but that does not mean he was right.

2. FDA made GRAS. Even though they didn't think of proper English when they decided its meaning, that does not mean they were right.

The FDA is just as wrong as Dr. Wilhite. But to you, that somehow makes it right. To you, two wrongs have made a right.

Funny how that works! What have you been wrong about again?

 

[merikafyeah]

The FDA is just as wrong as Dr. Wilhite. But to you, that somehow makes it right. To you, two wrongs have made a right.

I can think of another example but at this stage it wouldn't matter, because to you it'd just be "three wrongs don't make a right" and then "four wrongs don't make a right" and so on.

The problem is what you've basically said is: "They are wrong, because I said so!"
That is not a valid reason. A valid argument would be presented as:

"They are wrong because [insert rule here]." And,
"The previous examples to the contrary do not count because [insert reason here]."

Unlike some people I don't have a problem accepting that I am wrong. All I require is a clearly stated reason explaining why that is more than just some random internet person's opinion.

 

[scavengerspc]

The problem is what you've basically said is: "They are wrong, because I said so!"
That is not a valid reason.

No, they are wrong because they didn't understand how English works, apparently. And it's not just me, it is pretty much everyone in this thread. And the English language.

A valid argument would be presented as:

"They are wrong because [insert rule here]." And,
"The previous examples to the contrary do not count because [insert reason here]."

Fun! I'll take a stab at it.

"They are wrong because" [they pronounced it wrong from day 1].
"The previous examples to the contrary do not count because" [they pronounced it wrong from day 1].

Let's try this scenario:

A bus stop at a street corner. You are only about 10 feet away from it taking a wiz on a fire hydrant. Someone walks up and looks at the sign and says, "What the hell is a Bus Stoop?" A few seconds later, someone else walks up and also says, "What the hell is a Bus Stoop?" And this happens seconds later for a third time. So you tie the rope around your burlap sack drawers and put your Keds back on and think, UMM, the whole world has been wrong all this time!

Different people making the same mistake does not suddenly make it right.

Disclaimer. Taking the wiz and the burlap sack was only added to hopefully inject some humor. But I have no problem believing you still wear Keds

 

[merikafyeah]

"They are wrong because" [they pronounced it wrong from day 1].
"The previous examples to the contrary do not count because" [they pronounced it wrong from day 1].

You do realize that circular reasoning is a logical fallacy right?

I understand your point that x number of people doing something incorrectly doesn't make it right, but that doesn't apply in this specific case because language is a living entity that evolves along with the people who speak it.

Forget how acronyms are pronounced there actually isn't a "proper" way to pronounce anything. There are only ways that are understood, and ways that are not understood. English doesn't have any hard rules because it isn't really one language, none of the natural languages are. English was influenced by its neighbors e.g. Latin, French, German, and those neighboring languages were influenced by their neighbors and so on. The origin of any natural language is as unclear as the origins of humans themselves.

I know why you don't want to sincerely provide a grammar rule to back up your position of "correctness", because even you would realize that as soon as you clearly state a rule, there would be exceptions to it. But even if you could provide a rule without exceptions, it ultimately wouldn't matter because language is descriptive not prescriptive. A perfect example is the French Academy. Everything in regards to the French language is dictated in writ by the Academy, as they proclaim themselves to be the authority on the language. And yet even the French in France don't always abide by the Academy let alone the millions of French speakers outside of France. If the Academy thinks it should be one way but the people actually prefer another way, who's wrong?

A language lives in its people. For every person who says "GIF", that is one vote for that way of pronouncing it, and likewise for every instance of the "JIF" pronunciation. "JIF" is certainly less popular, but to say that it is "wrong" demonstrates a lack of insight into how human languages actually work.