What did the creator of the GIF name them? Imagine if a bunch of people read your name wrong, then when you told them how it’s pronounced said that they don’t care, and your mom was wrong to pronounce your name that way.

[–] Risk@feddit.uk 12 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (13 children)

Eh, I prefer the descriptivist method of language. It's how language evolves over time.

Comparing it to a personal name is a false equivalence. GIF is an acronym, people could enunciate each letter if they so preferred and it would be more accurate/true to creation than even the creator's opinion of how to pronounce it.

[–] witheyeandclaw@lemmy.world -1 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I see what you’re saying, and to a point I agree. I see it as people reading it a certain way in their head and becoming attached to how they think it should sound. This happens often because English words especially can have all manner of exceptions to the usual rules of spelling and grammar. There is nothing embarrassing about reading, or at least there shouldn’t be. What I DO find embarrassing is when people find out that they’re pronouncing something differently and flat out disagree with the world about its actual pronounciation.

[–] Risk@feddit.uk -1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I mean, it's only embarrassing for them - if they want to be loud, proud, and wrong that's okay.

But at the same time, they may well set the trend for how it's pronounced in the future.

Lord knows, waDer (i.e. water) started somewhere...

Edit: I'm guessing I offended someone by implying that saying 'wadder' is the wrong way to say water, hahaha.

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