New front: file format by the name JIF already exists.
this post was submitted on 12 Jan 2026
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That's pronounced "yif", actually.
Then how a YIF file would be pronounced?
In Nordic languages (Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish), 'Y' is always a vowel sound, similar to saying English "ee" (like in "week") but with tightly rounded lips, often described as a "duck face" or a mix between "ee" and "oo". It's a high, front, rounded vowel (IPA: /y/ or /yː/), distinct from English 'Y' and varies slightly in length (short vs. long) depending on the following consonants.
Like in "Ymir"
Posts to non political community
Chooses the most controversial topic
It's also currently the most popular comic posted so far in the community 😁
Ghsot of Tolkien: It's pronounced Jandalf
Ja Ja Ja
I just realized this sounds like a slur.
Gaypeg
(No, this isn't meant to be homophobia)
Everyone knows that if someone wants us to pronounce gif as jif, then jpeg is gaypeg. Thems the rules.
I think its time to rename hard Gs as Js because having two letters with the same purpose makes no sense, especially when one has an alternative.
So now we have Jiraffe instead of giraffe, and Jeorge instead of George. We can correct all of this mess by fixing the alphabet!
GIF is an acronym first and foremost. Acronyms are invented by their creators who get to decide the pronunciation. No one is arguing that NASA, LASER, RADAR, MRSA, etc. are pronounced any differently because they don't follow 'English language rules'.
I knew someone with the initials A.S.S. They didn't go by that, they went by Ace. They came up with that because their initials reminded them of it and they liked it better. Are you instead going to call them Ass because you know that's what their initials spell, even though you know that isn't the name they want to go by?
The pronunciation is devoid of the spelling with acronyms. It never matters, and is always decided by the creator. With GIF they chose the pronunciation for several reasons:
- it's a pun meant to sell a product.
- products are easier to sell when they're memorable. Back in the early days of computing you had to work hard to spread what you'd done over what someone else had done
- it's fast, like jiffy
- they wanted to hitchhike off of the success of the peanut butter brand
Notably it's not one person that is deciding this pronunciation, though Steve was the inventor, the entire CompuServe company agreed on the pronunciation. It was written in the manual, and even the creators of .png agreed with the pronunciation (https://www.libpng.org/pub/png/pngintro.html)
Here is a picture from CompuServe's magazine showing the correct pronunciation (it's a product, it has a correct pronunciation) (you can read the entire article here )
Another fun fact
CompuServe used to distribute a graphics display program called CompuShow. In the documentation for version 8.33 in the FAQ section, it states:
The GIF (Graphics Interchange Format), pronounced "JIF", was designed by CompuServe and the official specification released in June of 1987.
The image below is an example GIF that came with CompuShow:
It is a picture of CompuShow's author, Bob Berry. He used some of the then-new features of the GIF89 format to display text on top of graphics. One of the lines he entered in the text states:
Oh, incidentally, it's pronounced "JIF"
You can't see this text within a web browser, but if you save this image and load it up in GIF Construction Set or another animated GIF89 editor, you can see the comment for yourself. Drag and View also displays this text, but kind of screwed up. For further proof from Bob Berry, check this out.
Steven O'Neill writes: Another way to get the JIF line out of Bob Berry using standard Unix tools:
~>curl https://www.olsenhome.com/gif/BOB_89A.GIF | strings | grep JIF
% Total % Received % Xferd Average Speed Time Time % Time Current
Dload Upload Total Spent Left Speed
100 37062 100 37062 0 0 69595 0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 166k
|s,Oh, incidentally, it'spronounced "JIF"
fun quote about the subject:
Anyone who pronounces "GIF" with a hard G simply does not understand computer programmers (and any programmers who still insist on this silly pronunciation are simply unfit). No decent coder would pass up an opportunity to inflict a horrid pun on the world. And seeing as peanut butter is one of the principle three programmer foods (the other two being Pepsi and nacho cheese Doritos), the reference is immediately obvious.
The public decides. That's how language works. It's Gif with a hard G.
You're assuming "the public" has reached a uniform consensus, which it certainly hasn't.
Your argument is like a politician saying "people love me, they say I'm the best." It's an appeal to an abstract entity as a placeholder for your own opinion.
Even if you had data backing up your claim, that would still be an appeal to popularity, which is a logical fallacy.
You're assuming "the public" has reached a uniform consensus, which it certainly hasn't.
I have literally never heard someone say "jif" outside of an online post claiming people do.
I've always pronounced it jif. Just because you're ignorant of the other side doesn't mean your side is right
I didn't say it does. Language is not prescriptive. I'm just wondering if this is as much a scam as Flat Earth. Insofar that I doubt the sincerity of people saying that, but I realise that might just be because I'm biased for some reason.
I just have never heard anyone saying "jif" and hearing it makes me think of a semi-computer-illiterate boomer who's reading a file-ending aloud to their nephew while never having heard anyone say it out loud.
Again, I realise that's probably not true, but it's the mental image I get.
That's funny, because pronouncing it with a hard g sounds just as silly to me.
And it's nothing like flat earth. The earth's shape is a matter of science and empiricism; there's a wealth of evidence confirming that it's spherical, and nothing credible suggests otherwise. Flat earther arguments are completely disingenuous; it even started as irony and anyone who believed it has serious defects. Even Aristotle knew the earth was round by the way a ship's mast appears on the horizon before the hull.
Pronunciation isn't a matter of empiricism. All language is a social construct. It wouldn't make sense for Brits and americans to argue over who pronounces a word the "correct" way. Even in america, people won't agree on words like "pecan" or "crayon."
But for some reason anyone who pronounces gif with a hard g has this really arrogant attitude towards anyone who pronounces it with a soft g. It's really weird.
If people actually read the comments they reply to ffs
Also the difference you're trying to explain is called prescriptivism vs descriptivism
I think you're proving my point, but go off
I think you're proving my point, tbh. You didn't properly read my comment and you're going on about "empiricism of language", which means you don't understand the terms "prescriptive" / "descriptive".
No, I definitely read your comment, but it seems like you didn't properly read mine. I specifically said that empiricism doesn't apply to language, as a counter to your argument that pronouncing it "jif" is comparable to being a flat earther.
I understand prescriptive vs. descriptive just fine, but you're the one making a prescriptive argument for something that's categorically descriptive. You're just so confused that you're projecting that onto me.
that empiricism doesn't apply to language
The fact that you don't understand how badly you're misusing those terms instead of talking about prescriptivism and descriptivism is what shows how little you know.
It's not "empicisim" you dolt, which you'd know if you had any understanding of the subject.
Now you're trying to use the terms, but fail hard.
I never even argued there's even a single prescriptive rule, and I never would, because unlike you, this isn't the first time I'm hearing the terms and I thus don't make prescriptive arguments. You can look at my comment, it's not been edited.
Point out a single prescriptive rule I even remotely imply. Oh there isn't one?
How odd.
It's not "empicisim" you dolt, which you'd know if you had any understanding of the subject.
I know it's not, jackass. That's why I said it doesn't apply. I only brought up empiricism to address your comparison to flat earthers, which is a matter of empiricism.
But since you're so intent on butchering what I say in order to shape it into whatever nonsense argument you find easier to counter, you're clearly not interested in having a serious debate and thus I no longer take you seriously.
Goodbye.
I know it's not, jackass. That's why I said it doesn't apply
You've just no idea how ignorant you are? :D Yes, you specifically connected it to the concept. Negative or positive, doesn't matter. It shows how you conceptualise the idea.
That's why it's so wrong.
Empiricism would constitute both descriptive and prescriptive language, only prescriptive language less so. What you're trying to do is prescribe rules to language, and because you don't even understand what youre doing, you don't even have the words for it. Which is why you're now pathetically trying to pretend you knew those words before I pointed this out to you.
It's a good comparison to flat earthers, because you're equally ignorant of your own ignorance. It's a veery different subject, but youre still quite as unable to understand what you understand as they are.
Oh yeah "I no longer take you seriously, goodbye" as if that isn't the mating cry of every fucking moron proved utterly incorrect and who has to run away in shame.
Everything you're saying is projection.
I didn't "connect" empiricism to language. You compared my argument to a flat earth argument. I debunked that claim by explaining that flat earth theory can be debunked empirically, and phonology cannot because it is not within the realm of empiricism. If that sounds like a connection to you, then it's entirely based on you connecting pronunciation to flat earth theory in the first place.
And you're being childish for trying to twist that to make it look like I made the mistake that you did.
I understand prescriptive and descriptive language just fine, and you're being arrogant by assuming that I don't. You simply can't admit that you're wrong, so you attack me as if I don't know what I'm talking about.
What you're trying to do is prescribe rules to language
That's not what I'm doing at all. That's what you're doing. I argued that the people who insist that "gif" with a hard g is the only correct way are wrong and arrogant. I said I pronounce it with a soft g, as in "jif." I never said everyone must pronounce it that way, therefore I did not make a prescriptive argument
You, on the other hand, did make a prescriptive argument by saying that only the pronunciation with the hard g is the right way. So again, that's more projection.
It's a good comparison to flat earthers, because you're equally ignorant of your own ignorance.
Pot, kettle, black.
I'm not "running away in shame," I'm simply capable of recognizing when someone isn't capable of engaging in good faith argumentation, and I have more self-respect than to waste my time on people like that.
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Not for proper nouns they don’t. Just because you pronounce my name taylor doesn’t mean you’re right. I get to decide how to pronounce my name, not you.
Both pronunciations are acceptable because different people pronounce it different ways. That's how language works. Eventually one or the other pronunciation may win out as so few people pronounce it any other way. We're not anywhere near that point yet.
We're not anywhere near that point yet.
Never have I ever heard anyone saying "jif" outside of a humouristic clip / antagonistic post online.
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You don't understand how language works. Someone can indeed come up with an acronym and insist that there is a correct pronunciation. But we, the masses, can correctly decide that it's stupid and use a better one.
And absolutely none of that applies to proper nouns, especially not completely made up ones. The public doesn’t get to decide how to pronounce my name, I do. Same for any proper noun.
Of course you do get to have a preference for how people should pronounce your name, because you are a person who can have a preference. They way you just apply that to all proper nouns is wrong, though. An acronym is not a person. It has no preference to how it wants to be pronounced. We, collectively, can absolutely decide that the way it once was intended to be pronounced is utterly dumb and pronounce it in a much saner way.
English doesn’t have rules, it has exceptions, and there are absolutely no rules for acronyms besides needing to be said as a word, so no there is no “saner way” than the actual name.
Here’s the thing though, you can pronounce it however you like, you’ll just be wrong.
You are very self-important if you automatically assume English is God's language
I assume there is no god. And English is my third language.
Give it a few days and people will be pronouncing it yod.
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This is all very well thought out and I think for the most part is true that what the original creator wanted should be respected.
2 counter points however...
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Sometimes the creator comes up with a stupid name.
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Sometimes cultural influence is simply more powerful than the Creator's original intent. Exhibit A: everyone calls it "The Bean" and not "Cloud Gate" as named by the artist. Not an acronym, but I still think cultural influence should be considered.
Yeah, "human spider" wouldn't have caught up well either.
MRSA
In the UK we call that M-R-S-A (and we've had enough well publicised outbreaks in hospitals for people to become familiar with the term). I remember watching House when I was younger and being confused about what the fuck "mercer" was.
seeing as peanut butter is one of the principle three programmer foods ... the reference is immediately obvious.
Not to this programmer, it isn't. I have no idea what they're referencing.
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