RE: dark subforum ideas thread: xxx edition
05-04-2016, 08:24 PM
There's a difference here between descriptivism and prescriptivism in how we evaluate this.
Both are the main trends of thought when dealing with the study of language. Prescriptivism works to assign rules to languages and then determine if speech follows the rule or not. Descriptivism simply looks to study what rules are at play, but it refuses to say if one is right or wrong.
That is the first point here. This is a case where descriptivists would say that because both usages successfully functionally occupy the same niche in the language, both are "correct" pronunciations.
In order to say that pronouncing "gif" with a soft g is "incorrect" you have to first go against the descriptivist interpretation of linguistic rules.
Essentially, in order to even have a "this is the wrong/right way" argument here. You have to first conclude that a "wrong way / right way" of pronouncing it exists. If both pronunciations retain equal functionality, and both communicate the idea, then descriptivists would say that both pronunciations work.
If, however, you want to attempt to make the egregious point that using a hard-g is in fact the "ONE TRUE WAY". (and not just the way that happens to make sense to you.) You are standing on incredibly shaky ground.
The main standing point I have seen here is that, because ".gif" is an acronym, it should retain the pronunciation of the letters within its original word. (Aka, graphical, not giraffical)
The fallacy in this argument should be inherently clear. There is no linguistic rule that states that the pronunciation of acronyms is determined by their original words. Acronyms are unique words in their own right. Nobody says that you need to pronounce "Laser" with a long E, because the "E" in "Emitting" is long. We don't because we recognize that pronunciation is based solely upon the interactions within the new word.
A unique case with many acronyms, especially modern ones, however, is that their pronunciations are often established according to the body that developed them.
Of course, there is no need to focus on that point, as the governing body for .gif states that "the correct" means for pronunciation is with a soft -g.
However, I would side with the Oxford English Dictionary on this one, and say that, because both usages have found their way into common use, both are valid pronunciations.
If you still wish to insist, however, that the only way to pronounce .gif is with a hard-g, then meet me on the playground afterschool and we'll see how you pronounce it with a mouthful of rubber asphalt.
Both are the main trends of thought when dealing with the study of language. Prescriptivism works to assign rules to languages and then determine if speech follows the rule or not. Descriptivism simply looks to study what rules are at play, but it refuses to say if one is right or wrong.
That is the first point here. This is a case where descriptivists would say that because both usages successfully functionally occupy the same niche in the language, both are "correct" pronunciations.
In order to say that pronouncing "gif" with a soft g is "incorrect" you have to first go against the descriptivist interpretation of linguistic rules.
Essentially, in order to even have a "this is the wrong/right way" argument here. You have to first conclude that a "wrong way / right way" of pronouncing it exists. If both pronunciations retain equal functionality, and both communicate the idea, then descriptivists would say that both pronunciations work.
If, however, you want to attempt to make the egregious point that using a hard-g is in fact the "ONE TRUE WAY". (and not just the way that happens to make sense to you.) You are standing on incredibly shaky ground.
The main standing point I have seen here is that, because ".gif" is an acronym, it should retain the pronunciation of the letters within its original word. (Aka, graphical, not giraffical)
The fallacy in this argument should be inherently clear. There is no linguistic rule that states that the pronunciation of acronyms is determined by their original words. Acronyms are unique words in their own right. Nobody says that you need to pronounce "Laser" with a long E, because the "E" in "Emitting" is long. We don't because we recognize that pronunciation is based solely upon the interactions within the new word.
A unique case with many acronyms, especially modern ones, however, is that their pronunciations are often established according to the body that developed them.
Of course, there is no need to focus on that point, as the governing body for .gif states that "the correct" means for pronunciation is with a soft -g.
However, I would side with the Oxford English Dictionary on this one, and say that, because both usages have found their way into common use, both are valid pronunciations.
If you still wish to insist, however, that the only way to pronounce .gif is with a hard-g, then meet me on the playground afterschool and we'll see how you pronounce it with a mouthful of rubber asphalt.