Personally I am a “Ga-if” person- and “jif” used to annoy me, but not as much as people who looked down their nose and tried to “correct” me for saying “gif” or would think less of one for it.
That said, asides the introspection of the silliness of the whole thing came the realization that if I stand on my “gif” soapbox- I’m no better than the people who would annoy and try to correct me. Contextually we can generally easily know what someone means wether they say “gif” or “jif.” “Gif” has the advantage of not having a real homophone I am aware of in English- unless one misinterprets it or has a pronunciation where “I’m sending a gif” could be understood as “I’m sending a gift,” there just isn’t really any room for confusion there. I suppose “jif” is disadvantaged in that sense as a “jiffy” or “jif” can mean “quickly,” but it’s hard to imagine a case where “gif/jif” would be used in a way where one could misunderstand it to mean a verb as opposed to a noun. One could possibly…
.. understand “jif” to refer to a brand of peanut butter- but again- that’s a stretch- one would generally say “I’m sending some jiff” or a “a jar of jiff” etc. as a brand of peanut butter doesn’t self quantify and peanut butter in that sense isn’t singular- so anything with “a jif” is not likely peanut butter related. I suppose the closest I could think of that MIGHT be interpreted that way would be something like “please make me a jif before the next meeting ok?” That one would be odd- I mean, it’s common to use brand names as generics such as referring to any cola as a “coke” or a “Pepsi”
Or any cotton swab as a “Q-tip” or tissue as a “Kleenex,” and when a specific brand is desired or known to be on hand one might use the brand- “make me a ballpark (hot dog)” or “please make me a hot pocket (frozen food) before the next meeting.” Or such- but I’ve never heard of a sandwich solely referred to by its brand of filling and by filling type is rare enough outside of a sandwich shop or…
.. specific context save a few examples like the “hamburger sandwich” (hamburger) or “grilled cheese sandwich” (grilled cheese.)
While people in my experience commonly say “peanut butter sandwich” or “PBJ” I’ve not generally heard someone say “make me a peanut butter” or “make me a skippy.”
So “make me a Jif” could maybe? In some regional or such dialect or niche be misconstrued as a sandwich request- but on analysis I don’t think there is a lot of room for confusion between “gif” and “jif.”
They both seem to serve the purpose just fine and if properly written are both written as “gif” and thusly there is little ambiguity unless there is a lack of context and even then it is sufficient that there aren’t enough words outside perhaps certain circles where there may be jargon or acronyms that are close enough to cause confusion- but these are pocket cases to be handled case by case I think.
It generally is true that structure is more important than pronunciation or even often spelling in many languages- at least in English. We can generally understand entire sentences and paragraphs with single paired letters of each word transposed or substituted, we can generally understand when entire words are substituted with similar sounding or appearing words and may not even notice in some cases, or at least not without some time to notice or concentration.
We can often understand those who are learning the language, babies or non native speakers. Babies are a good example as they tend to butcher or make up words and while care givers are familiar with the child’s definitions strangers are not, but can often figure out with little dedication what the child is trying to say when they use their “baby-eese” word substitutions.
Now- I get conflicted. English changes with usage but there are some imperatives to try and keep the usuals somewhat consistent and for those who know, especially those well versed in the present version of the language there can be an imperative to try and keep the language close to the version they know so as to not leave them with obsolete linguistic skill adrift in a language that they were once a master of but could suddenly sound quite clumsy in.
A corner stone of language is some level of consistency as if we all have different words and use different structures for things communication becomes a labor. Each interaction is like trying to decipher some foreign tongue. So consistency is what allows fast, efficient, and precise and expressive communication. So I can sometimes dig my heels in and refuse to accept some “common mistake” of language lest that become acceptable. For my part I try to limit this to cases where I believe and can logic out how those cases might…
.. complicate or obscure communications that language. The flip side of course is that asides language changing with time, there are many rules and tricks to language. For many the opportunity or aptitude for mastery of basic proficiency by the rules just isn’t or wasn’t there, and for others they are in a transitive state where they are gaining altitude but in the meantime still have need to communicate using incomplete tools. If the goal is communication and the rules of a language would prevent someone from communicating because they don’t have sufficient grasp to speak without high probability or error- then they simply couldn’t speak or express certain things which goes counter to the idea of communication. So there is some balance point between draconian linguistic policing and an allowable tolerance for morphology and practical communication using a linguistic framework while not adhering to it strictly.
By and large being that the term and the concept of “gif” are relatively modern and highly specific, designed to refer to one specific technology which in all likelihood will one day be obsolete and largely forgotten- I don’t see any grand linguistic threat from the use of “jif” or “gif.”
There is a saying I am rather fond of- one which isn’t perfect and there at exceptions and caveats and such, but so long as we don’t take it too literally or absolutely I think is a nice reminder. It is: “never judge someone for mispronouncing a word, especially an obscure word, as that means they may likely have never heard it and only read.” Something like that. It stuck with me because we often consider mispronunciation a sign of lack of intelligence or education or such- but many intelligent and educated people have read a lot and perhaps might not have the most real world experience in something, or might come from a place where the speech is slightly different than what we may be used to or..
.. may be considered “correct.” I think in general it is more telling when someone knows how to use a word. How we say a word is strongly influenced by where we are exposed to it or who we associate with, but not necessarily tied to how we think or the quality of our thoughts. Perfect elocution and pronunciation of the word “perspicacity” tells me that one likely comes from a certain social sphere and is possibly carrying some degree of formal education or upbringing, but if it is perfectly executed in speech but someone says something like: “you’ve got a lot of perspicacity to come to my house uninvited and make demands!” Well…. They may come from a certain environment but I also have some glimpse of what they learned there and that is a definite impression of one who is more about how it is said than what is said or who is perhaps out of their depth and trying to put on airs.
Conversely a mispronunciation with proper usage implies someone who for whatever reason isn’t used to hearing or saying the word in a manner consistent to formal and “proper” language but does grasp the ideas they are trying to convey. Communication is about conveying ideas if we recall- the rules exist to standardize and simplify the ability to do so accurately and consistently, but idea itself is perhaps most important. Humans can communicate critical information without shared linguistic rules or vocabulary but if we share those things and our ideas lack substance or existence… if you have nothing to communicate or can’t conceive of communication then rules are moot.
Now- there are exceptions here too- and to the previous example of misuse of words- non native speakers are one huge exception. I’ve met scientists and doctors with little to no grasp of English who if one didn’t know better and was to judge them simply on their English communication
might think they were fools. They have brilliant minds and posses expert communication on their native tongue and often other languages asides English- but they may lack the ability to convey ideas in English. Likewise, for an idiot I am a possessed of a relatively or at least average intelligence and a fairly decent command of English. I am no where near as capable in any other common human spoken language and completely ignorant of many as well as woefully inadequate in a few. I’ve sat there with people who didn’t speak English, attempting to speak to them, and looking like a complete bafoon. In my youth I went on a day trip with a friends visiting relative who didn’t speak much English and as…
.. I tried to translate a relatively simple thing for her, a name of a menu item, I struggled for the words and tried to use words as close to correct as I knew. She seemed rather… shocked… and there was a bit of awkwardness and then much laughter as we managed to puzzle out that instead of what I thought I had said, I had suggested putting my finger in her butt. Not my classiest moment and despite us both having a fun time, neither one of us managed to leave with much impression of the others banter and it is hard to gauge someone’s personality or intelligence from such interactions. We did end up hanging out quite a few more times though and remain friends. Though we seldom speak to each other unless one of us happens to be visiting the others country, and even then… lol.
So I mean- it is human nature to form impressions of people from context, it’s a survival based behavior and one of those things we look for is wether someone appears to know and follow our ways- language and linguistic skill are some indicator. Of course more commonly language and linguistic skill is used to gauge socio economic status. The boys at Eaton tend to leave with a certain manner as do the flock at Yale or Harvard. Much we don’t realize revolves around such things. While a joke for some time, and at this point a somewhat obscure one- “wearing white after Labor Day” is such an example in the U.S.A. It began as a trend among the more well to do and privileged in metropolitan circles- primarily the North East. They had the income of course to tailor their fashion to the seasons and trends much more readily, but the whole thing is largely arbitrary. Those who were “in” were aware of the “rule” and to not know the “rule” was a sign that one was an outsider and likely of lower..
..status. It isn’t just the “elite” with such traditions- among peer groups and various sub cultures the way one wear their hat or laces their shoes or many other little “rules” are used to gatekeep who is “in the know” and who is not. As people discover these “rules” they tend to become “fads” or even social norms as people strive to be accepted and identified certain ways. So language is often a gatekeeper which we use to gauge the socioeconomic status and identify some concept of group identity from.
While this is fairly intuitive human behavior and generalizations can serve useful purpose, we do have to remember the old saying about books and their covers- or less ambiguously- an impression or generalization at be a tool in absence of information but it is not accurate and exists only to serve as necessary or prudent until we can gather specific information to attain an educated understanding.
That said, asides the introspection of the silliness of the whole thing came the realization that if I stand on my “gif” soapbox- I’m no better than the people who would annoy and try to correct me. Contextually we can generally easily know what someone means wether they say “gif” or “jif.” “Gif” has the advantage of not having a real homophone I am aware of in English- unless one misinterprets it or has a pronunciation where “I’m sending a gif” could be understood as “I’m sending a gift,” there just isn’t really any room for confusion there. I suppose “jif” is disadvantaged in that sense as a “jiffy” or “jif” can mean “quickly,” but it’s hard to imagine a case where “gif/jif” would be used in a way where one could misunderstand it to mean a verb as opposed to a noun. One could possibly…
Or any cotton swab as a “Q-tip” or tissue as a “Kleenex,” and when a specific brand is desired or known to be on hand one might use the brand- “make me a ballpark (hot dog)” or “please make me a hot pocket (frozen food) before the next meeting.” Or such- but I’ve never heard of a sandwich solely referred to by its brand of filling and by filling type is rare enough outside of a sandwich shop or…
While people in my experience commonly say “peanut butter sandwich” or “PBJ” I’ve not generally heard someone say “make me a peanut butter” or “make me a skippy.”
So “make me a Jif” could maybe? In some regional or such dialect or niche be misconstrued as a sandwich request- but on analysis I don’t think there is a lot of room for confusion between “gif” and “jif.”
They both seem to serve the purpose just fine and if properly written are both written as “gif” and thusly there is little ambiguity unless there is a lack of context and even then it is sufficient that there aren’t enough words outside perhaps certain circles where there may be jargon or acronyms that are close enough to cause confusion- but these are pocket cases to be handled case by case I think.
We can often understand those who are learning the language, babies or non native speakers. Babies are a good example as they tend to butcher or make up words and while care givers are familiar with the child’s definitions strangers are not, but can often figure out with little dedication what the child is trying to say when they use their “baby-eese” word substitutions.
A corner stone of language is some level of consistency as if we all have different words and use different structures for things communication becomes a labor. Each interaction is like trying to decipher some foreign tongue. So consistency is what allows fast, efficient, and precise and expressive communication. So I can sometimes dig my heels in and refuse to accept some “common mistake” of language lest that become acceptable. For my part I try to limit this to cases where I believe and can logic out how those cases might…
There is a saying I am rather fond of- one which isn’t perfect and there at exceptions and caveats and such, but so long as we don’t take it too literally or absolutely I think is a nice reminder. It is: “never judge someone for mispronouncing a word, especially an obscure word, as that means they may likely have never heard it and only read.” Something like that. It stuck with me because we often consider mispronunciation a sign of lack of intelligence or education or such- but many intelligent and educated people have read a lot and perhaps might not have the most real world experience in something, or might come from a place where the speech is slightly different than what we may be used to or..
might think they were fools. They have brilliant minds and posses expert communication on their native tongue and often other languages asides English- but they may lack the ability to convey ideas in English. Likewise, for an idiot I am a possessed of a relatively or at least average intelligence and a fairly decent command of English. I am no where near as capable in any other common human spoken language and completely ignorant of many as well as woefully inadequate in a few. I’ve sat there with people who didn’t speak English, attempting to speak to them, and looking like a complete bafoon. In my youth I went on a day trip with a friends visiting relative who didn’t speak much English and as…
While this is fairly intuitive human behavior and generalizations can serve useful purpose, we do have to remember the old saying about books and their covers- or less ambiguously- an impression or generalization at be a tool in absence of information but it is not accurate and exists only to serve as necessary or prudent until we can gather specific information to attain an educated understanding.