this post was submitted on 05 Oct 2023
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If gif is the proper noun for the format, it's pronounced as the creator says.
Why? He has no linguistic expertise, and he didn't have the perspective of the format's popularity when he made that decree. And his decision was based on intentionally infringing on copyright. And it intentionally goes against the intuitive pronunciation. And the term "gif" now even refers to files that aren't even .gif - it's way past him.
This may sound harsh, and I want to acknowledge that he did something really awesome - but the Jif pronunciation will not survive once he, as a person, is forgotten. But the format will. It's not his anymore.
you’re thinking of trademark, and .jif image file format would not, in fact, violate jif’s trademark on peanutbutter products.
if you don’t know, you can just not say something.
Lol, thanks for the tip.
The point isn't which word is legally accurate - I'm not taking anyone to court, and neither is Jif - the point is that it's not a good basis for your branding.
Also who said it's a proper noun
Nah. We've had that conversation before, with SCSI files. No one pronounces those as "sexy" despite the creator's insistence on that being the correct pronunciation.