Sunday, March 27, 2022

How Do YOU Say GIF?


HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Two things today.

First, GIFS. The inventor of the GIF, Stephen Wilhite, has died. And he certainly left a legacy. Not only the thing (a tiny clip of video that repeats and repeats), but, according to the New York Times, how to say the name of the thing. Here's a clip from the article.



Welp, I put it on social yesterday, and you'da thought the world was ending. (No comment about reality, that's supposed to be hyperbole in this case.) Some people were grateful for the information. Some people already said it like the peanut butter, JIF, (which Wilhite has said in a speech was an intentional reference), and were gratified to be reassured they were correct. 

But other people said that his pronunciation was...wrong. And that they would not say it that way. The theory seems to be that since the "G "stands for "graphic" in "graphics interchange format" it had to be GIF, with the G like in graphics. And, by golly, that's how they were going to say it. And, moreover, that if everyone pronounced it that way, then THAT was right. 

And it kind of escalated to: once it was "public," Wilhite didn't have the right to choose how it was pronounced. (I'm sorry, and it's social media, and I have to say I'm not quite sure whether that person was kidding, and I am afraid to ask.)

So. That's...interesting. And reminds me of a story. When I first met my husband's mother, she said to me: what’s your name again? And I said Hank Phillippi Ryan. And she said--FILL-uh-pea? And I said yes. And she paused for a moment, and then said: That’s not how it's pronounced. It's FILL-uh-pie. 

I was--is this when you use the word nonplussed? 

And since at that time we had just become engaged, I really didn’t want to fight with my future mother-in-law about that, (or anything), but you know, it was my name, and I actually do know how to pronounce it correctly.  I felt like saying "Well, if you don’t like it, your call, and I'll certainly answer to it, but it would be, dare I say it, wrong." 

Instead I just laughed. 

So how do you pronounce GIF? If you've been saying it the non-Wilhite way, will you change? 

Are we allowed to call something by a name WE prefer rather than what the inventor calls it? I can think of lots of examples of why that's perplexing, and even more than potentially confusing, but okay, Reds and readers. Up to you.


Okay, second topic.

It’s national "Joe" Day! Somehow that is so funny to me. Apparently, you are supposed to share a cup of Joe with a friend, or pay homage to someone named Joe or Joey or Josephine or a name like that. Joanne, Joan, does that count? Yay for ‘Joan Emerson’!

Years ago at channel 7 we had a brilliant and beloved political reporter whose name was Joe Day. So we used to call his birthday Joe Day Day. So today would be Joe Day Joe Day?

Anyway. I am a huge fan of coffee, passionately and devotedly. Some days, the only thing that gets me out of bed is the idea of coffee. So every day is Joe day.

 Sometimes, my husband has actually brought me coffee in bed, and I get to read in bed with coffee, and I am almost in tears at how lovely that is. I should’ve done that today, on Joe Day!


I always put skim milk, and real sugar, yes, real sugar, and it is absolutely ambrosial. Iced coffee, too, if it’s well made. And cold brew iced coffee, also ambrosial.

Are you a coffee person? Who would you like to share a cup of Joe with? Or who is your favorite Joe?

And again, thank you to Stephen Wilhite for the GIF gift. We are toasting your memory and legacy with our coffees this morning. 

93 comments:

  1. Well, I always said GIF with a hard “G” . . . but when I heard on the news that it was supposed to be a soft “G” sound, I switched to calling it JIF, just like the peanut butter . . . .

    Ah, the many and varied joys of coffee . . . oh, goodness, am I ever a coffee person! Every day is coffee day around here.
    I don’t know anyone named Joe to share a cup of coffee with, but I’ll share a cup with John and with anyone else who wants to enjoy a bit of that heavenly brew . . . .

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    1. I say it’s Joan day! And I’ll share a long distance cup with you! Xxxx

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  2. I'm not a coffee fan. I'll stick with water, straight up. Not even on the rocks. :)

    And I pronounce Gif with the soft G sound. Glad to know I'm correct.

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    1. Yay! Another water fan! Are you like me and have hot water in the morning? I call it "my tea" and it is surprisingly good.

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    2. Sometimes I have hot water before I do a class or a speech. But water is a good topic--we'll all have to chat some day!

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    3. No, Judi. I don't drink hot water. I will fill a water bottle and let it come to room temperature, but I don't heat up water to drink it.

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  3. Ah well, I have been pronouncing GIF wrong the whole time. I used a hard G, not JIF like the peanut butter.

    HANK: You were so tactful with your (future) MIL about how to pronounce your own name!

    I LOVE coffee but have cut down my consumption since retiring. I drink one strong dark roasted drip coffee (black) after 8 am. And my favourite JOE would be Robert Crais' JOE PIKE.

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    1. Oh, Grace, I wish you had been there! I still laugh, thinking about it. She was a woman who knew her own mind, that's for sure. xx
      And GREAT Joe pick! (Pike's Pick?)

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  4. RIP, Mr. Wilwhite, although I have to confess, .gifs give me headaches and I wished no one used them. If I run across one, I immediately click it to make it STOP.

    I've always pronounced as in JIF, probably learning that from the software industry long ago.

    Coffee - yes! Only two cups in the morning, always dark dark roast with a splash of milk. Am having mine right this minutes in western MA with my son, his darling wife, and Hugh. Three of us are presently (and separately) attacking our daily Wordle.

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    1. Also, my daughter-in-law just told me that the jokes are flying about the .gif pronunciation. "Now Mr. Wilwhite is with Jod..."

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    2. EDITH: Funny that your software industry experience taught you how to pronounce it like JIF. We had to insert graphics in most technical reports. Those graphics were GIF (before JPG). I learned to pronounce GIF with a hard G since that is how the computer technicians at Environment Canada pronounced it. So those tech experts had taught me wrong.

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    3. Yea, I "heard" from several "longtime IT" people about how Mr. Wilhite was "wrong," because that's not how "they" always said it. My fingers were itching to answer, and I had several lovely remarks composed, but I restrained myself.

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  5. I've always pronounced it with a hard "g", but I'm devoted to making the effort to jif it from now on! He invented it, he should know how to say it.

    Hank, my maiden name is Hoyo - four letters, pronounced hoy o. When I moved to Miami, I was often asked why I did not pronounce my name correctly oy o - Spanish style! I would shrug and smile, and stopped explaining that my grandfather changed it from Von Schnauge (sp?) because he thought it sounded more American!

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    1. SO TRUE. He gets to say what's correct. Of course, anyone can say it anyway they want, but I;M JUST SAYING that's not how the inventor wanted it to be. :-)

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  6. The arguments that you got on Facebook about the pronunciation of GIF are alarming. Do you have to hire security because you shook some schnuk out of his comfort zone? Geez! A sign of the times. "I'd rather fight than switch!"

    The tale about your MIL reminded me of my MIL who liked to call everyone by their formal name. She called me Judith. If she didn't know someone's formal name, she assigned one to them. She called my brother Robin because his nickname is Rob and she just couldn't get to Robert from Rob.

    I love coffee. No sugar in American coffee, thanks. I am drinking my first cup right now. On Monday nights, I attend a Hebrew Ulpan class on Zoom. Irwin brings me a cup of coffee at around 7:00 and the class erupts with a chorus of "Shaloms" and "Aw-w's."

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    1. Judy, I'm "aw-ing" right now! So sweet.

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    2. SO sweet!
      And I so agree. It was jawdroppingly acrimonious. I mean--whoa. And PERSONAL. Criticizing ME. I mean--why?

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  7. One more thing about coffee, please don't burn my beans!

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  8. Sipping French Truck Coffee made from freshly ground Le Grand Coq Rouge beans. Ahhh. I mail order the beans from New Orleans. A rich, mild, breakfast blend with a caffeine kick that keeps me going till late morning. Happy Joe Day!

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  9. NONPLUSSED! I've always wanted to use that word but I'm never sure if it meant what it means or the opposite... if you know what I mean.

    My mother had a bug in her bonnet about the word forte. For-TAY or FORT. On all matters English she knew her stuff, so I've always pronounced it FORT (as in English is not my FORT) but I've tried never to correct anyone else's forTAY.

    But really, Hank, that woman sounds like she must have been a nightmare. I'll bet she had plenty of opinions.

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    1. SO agree. It either means surprised or not surprised. And the correct one is the one it doesn't seem like it ought to be.

      Yes, FORT is right. Except for the piano.

      And OH YES. But she wouldn't have said they were "opinions." They were simply "THE TRUTH."

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    2. I’m laughing as I have lived with the correct or not pronunciations ever since I moved to the USA almost 53 years ago. So I say forte as in the French pronunciation. That’s what I learned in the UK. Another is Herb, not the name but my seasoning, but I’m surrounded by people who say ‘erbe, another Frenchism, though in this case I go English. At least we can all laugh at the silliness of it all. Back to THAT song.

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    3. You say "tomato" and I say "tomato?"

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    4. It depends on what the guy who discovered the tomato calls it. :-)

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  10. Ha! That's one of those words I just avoid like the plague. I eruditely call it "that thing." Garnering way less attention, early in its existence, apparently many writers pronounced Nanowrimo as Nanowreemo, rather than Nanowriimo. I only know this, of course, because I was among the early misarticulators!

    And ahhhh. Coffee. Truly a gift from the gods, right up there with fire and chocolate. Happy Joe Day to all!

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    1. Oh, we have been trying to think of other mispronunciation possibilities. Are there any other debatable acronyms?

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    2. I know how to type the internet acronyms and what they mean, but have not given much thought about how to pronounce them. Here's an interesting list and suggested pronounciations:
      https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2014/05/your-guide-to-properly-pronouncing-internet-acronyms/361545/

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    3. LOL! Great article..and it indicates the GIF wars have been raging for years, but even Jeopardy says it's jif.

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  11. It's JIF as in the peanut butter. When the creator of the damn thing says how it is pronounced, the argument is over, regardless of what the denizens of social media think.

    I am not a coffee fan. I don't like any hot drinks so I couldn't share a cup with anyone unfortunately. I don't have a favorite Joe since that would be hard to narrow down with all the variables that would go into deciding something like that.

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  12. The hard G/soft G argument is deeply personal to me. When I was a child, the name Gillian spelled with a G (or even with a J) was very unusual in Oregon. I was a shy child, but I had to speak up every first day of school when teachers called the roll. Not my favorite thing. I had a teacher in high school tell me that Gillian was a German boys' name and was pronounced with a hard G. Humpf. My mom taught me to say, "G as in George or giraffe." I always spell my name before I say it on the phone with medical or insurance people, as US-ers will invariably write it with a J if I don't. A guy I worked with at 9-1-1 could not stop calling me Gilligan. What was with that?

    I love coffee, but can no longer drink it regularly. Toasting Joe Day with a cuppa Yorkshire Gold tea.

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    1. Gillian, we have a friend named Gilda, pronounced the "G as in giraffe" way. We've never discussed it, but I suspect she's gone through the same struggles.

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    2. Gillian/Gilly is always hard for Americans, I think. Me, at least. I am reading the wonderful Gilly Macmillan's The Long Weekend right now, in preparation to interview her, and I have to keep reminding myself it's Jilly. ALthough Gillian Flynn is like the things fish breathe with.

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    3. Yes Hank! And Gillian Welch too, to my chagrin. I'll have to look for Gilly Macmillan. Gillie or GillieBean was my nickname.

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    4. We're reading her first chapter on First Chapter Fun on FB on Tuesday, and then the NEXT Tuesday, April 5, I'm interviewing her on A Mighty Blaze on Facebook at 4pmET! Join us!

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    1. What a sweet story re your last name!

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    2. Too much personal info in my first post!

      My Uncle Joe was a dear man, and one of the nephews is named after him. Think I'll text Joe a Happy Joe Day. He'll get a kick out of that. And of course, there's my mother, who is a Joan!

      As I do every day, I'm having my coffee with you all right now, along with my daily dark chocolate. Coffee made in a French press pot, from freshly ground beans. I think this batch is Caribou.

      Until I read about Mr. Wilhite and his GIFs (which I've always pronounced with a hard "G"), I didn't realize he was born and raised in my home county. And then lived just a few miles from where I live now. Who'd have predicted a Cincinnati connection for something so ubiquitous?

      And I'm with Edith--can't get rid of them fast enough. My kids love them, though.

      As for names. Well. I used to tease Steve that he married me because I could both spell and pronounce his last name. Even people he has known his entire life don't say it right. For the record, it's Maz-LOVE'-ski. I always say there's love in the middle.

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    3. Oh, good to know! (Oh, I've been saying LOUGH like allow. Sorry...xoxoo No I will remember.) SEE? I would never say--well, that's WRONG, and I'm saying it how I think is right. SHeesh.

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    4. Thank you, Hank. I appreciate that!

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    5. Me too,Hank. Karen ever since the TLC days of yore I've been saying your last name incorrectly. Now I know better! I like "LOVE" in the in the middle! xo

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  14. I say JIF, or would if I ever said it. I'm not sure I ever had.

    Coffee is a think with me. Always a latte or a cappuccino, made in my Nespresso machine, with the darkest brew available. I very rarely have more than one. And no sugar but I do use a little hazelnut syrup, sugar free.

    But Sunday morning is usually a two cup day! I have a crush on Jane Pauley.

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    1. Joe Pepper was my first boyfriend. He was 9 and I was 8. His mother and mine had the same birthday. And so did our fathers. And our parents also shared a wedding anniversary. Joe's birthday is the day after mine and he is a year older.We often call each other on for our birthdays.

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    2. Jane Pauley is as lovely as she seems. We worked together when we were in our 20s, and she's terrific and very talented.

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  15. My last name has 2 syllables and our family pronounces it with the accent on the second syllable. A neighbor persists in pronouncing it the other way no matter how many times I have pronounced it correctly for him. As when I call I say this is Judi Correct pronunciation. Sometimes I guess he likes to mix it up though and will call me Judith instead of Mrs. Wrong pronunciation. i don't make an issue of it with him but I am amused.

    I don't think I ever used the word Gif out loud but in my head it was with a hard G. Probably now I will be endlessly confused, knowing I was "saying" it wrong but now not sure which way is right.

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    1. Just think about peanut butter. Peanut butter is always right.

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  16. *Interesting typo up there. Think instead of thing. Freudian slip?

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  17. I was in the wrong, I admit it; I was in the group who thought 'graphic.... therefore hard G.' I can't see that it matters if I self-correct every time I see the word, but I probably will now that I know.

    My favorite Joe is my oldest brother, Joe Francis. Joe has probably corrected numerous people who assume he's a Joseph. Nope, just Joe, our Joe. And I'm Flora, please God, not Flo--never Flo, although somehow I cannot convince my neighbor of this. I suspect he's just trying to be friendly, he's been a terrific neighbor otherwise. Sigh.

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    1. People who give you nicknames they think make you seem like a closer friend. SO weird! I'll introduce Jonathan as Jonathan, and people say--Hi, Jon. Um, why would you do that?

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    2. Hank, exactly! I know several Michaels--always Michael--but they get called Mike all the time.

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    3. I'm convinced people don't listen.

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    4. Hank, I can empathize, as it irks my husband somewhat when new people are introduced to him as David, and they call him "Dave"....which only his parents and a few close friends called him occasionally!

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  18. If the guy wants it to be soft-g gif, so be it. While it is true that the guy can't control what happens in the real world, it is at least respectful to do what he wants.

    My name is deaun. I answer to most things, except Duane. My preference is dee-awn or dee-on. My father's mother called me Day-on and if I could live with that, I can handle strangers who can't get it right. Usually. I did correct the shop lady who watched me write it down on an order form, turned the page around and corrected the "u" to an "n." To her, I mentioned that it WAS my name and that I'd learned to how spell it a while ago. I was young and the look on her face taught me not to be that snarky again. One day at the bridge table, I introduced myself and my opponent asked how to spell it. When I obliged her, she said "But, that's not French." I think I smiled when I said, "Nope, it's not."

    I love coffee but have nothing to say about Joe.

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    1. SHE CORRECTED YOUR NAME?? I don't think you need to hold back on that. SO funny.
      And "Nope, it's not" is perfect.

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  19. My 40ish kids and I just had a discussion about this pronunciation. They told me it was hard G so according to Willhite we were wrong and I’m happy to defer to him!

    I’m a serious tea drinker so not much to say about Joe Day; sometimes I’ll have a cup of decaf after a meal out and usually add some cream to it.

    Re: name pronunciation. I recently listened to Nancy Clare and Abir Mukherjee on SPEAKING OF MYSTERIES podcast. Abir commented that WASPs can’t pronounce any name that has more than two syllables and looks “foreign.” That made me laugh out loud and also realize that I’ve only recently begun trying to verbalize a “foreign” name—shame on me...

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    1. Wow! A lot to unpack in there!

      And yes, you can show the article to your kids now :-) xx

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  20. I am so relieved to learn how to pronounce GIF, as I have wasted endless breath saying "GIF or JIF or however it should be pronounced" every time I use that term! Now I can save myself all those unnecessary words.

    As for coffee, yes, absolutely. Dark roast with cream: yum! One strong cup in the morning is my regime.

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    1. So funny! I have done that too


      And I am so fond of hearing how differently we all like our coffee. It’s so very personal, isn’t it?

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  21. For GIF, I have just said each letter individually - G I F. Simplistic, sure but I actually thought the letters were just initials and we were supposed to pronounced it as initials, like IBM or USA.

    I am so sensitive in the correct pronunciation of names I normally apologize before I even get to the name, that I know I'm going to mispronounce. My name has been mispronounced or incorrectly spelled for more than 63 years. My parents thought that simply adding an "A" to my granddad's name was just fine. He was Dean Dele. I'm Deana Dale. Dean-a, not De-anna. There are Dinas or Deenas or Dean'nas of the world. All lovely people with lovely names, I'm sure. I know these names may sound like mine but are not how we spell my name. And guess what? Each example is spelled correctly. Maybe I'm a little over sensitive. :-)

    Yes, please, I'd love a cup of coffee. I have a cup or two at the office everyday but tend to not make it at home unless I have more than a couple days off. It's just a bit more than I want to do when I need to get out the door for work in the morning. Oh, with 2% milk with real sugar, please.

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    1. Oh, your name completely makes sense if you know the backstory, right?

      G-I-F would have been a lot clearer, I agree!

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  22. I am 100% a soft G "jif" gal. In part because the hard G "giff" sounds like you're mispronouncing "gift." As for the origin word "graphical" influencing the pronunciation - well, ATM stands for "automatic teller machine," and we don't say we're stopping by the "AwTM."

    Hank, I used to disagree with my husband about how to pronounce our own last name! He would say "Hugo-VĪ-dahl" and I would say "Hugo-vĭ-DOLL." All the kids say it my way, which is, I think, a just exchange for the fact they all look much more like Ross than me.

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    1. That is the funniest thing I ever heard. I think of it as Vee-DOLL. But you say Vih-DOLL?

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  23. Several years ago, the cousins on my mother's side of the family held a reunion, The Rolly Rally. A part of the family that none of us knew was invited, and they came. And they pronounced the family name differently! Instead of RAH-ly, they said ROLL-y. And then my mother, who was at the party said, "Oh yes. It was ROLL-y, but when I was in school, the nun said we were pronouncing it wrong and I told my parents and we switched to RAH-ly." You cannot make this stuff up!

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    1. Oh my golly, that is amazing. That is almost… well, I will not choose a word. XO

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  24. HANK,
    Thanks for a good chuckle! I cannot believe there was a real person named Joe Day! I once met a Oxford professor named James Bond and he looked more like the British actor Roy Dotrice? than Roger Moore. LOL. And I met a real person named Buck Rogers - he had curly dark hair and did not look like Gil Gerard.

    Hank, I have been meaning to ask about your names. Is Phillippi a Greek name? Ryan is Irish and I have seen "black Irish" people who look like you. If your Mother in Law knew Sign Language, she could just finger spell the letters of your names instead of worrying about how to say your names. LOL

    Speaking of pronouncation (sp?) of "GIF", I was reminded of a college classmate. She was warned before going abroad that the French is very critical of accents. She said "Since she is Deaf, she does not have to worry about pronouncing words nor accents." LOL. Yes, I read that Stephen Wilhite passed awat.

    Great post today!

    Diana

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    1. So much in that! I am told Phillippi is Corsican. Something about French ancestors having moved to Corsica. I did not pursue that, and now I will probably never know any more about it. My name situation is complicated, and a very boring blog in itself :-) .
      Yes, and the real Joe Day was absolutely brilliant and groundbreaking and much missed.
      And that remark about accents leaves me shaking my head. xxxxx

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  25. p.s. I forgot the coffee thing. I am very picky about my coffee. Most of the time coffee has NO taste! Maybe it is my sinusitis acting up? Air pollution? When I was in Scandinavia, I could taste the coffee.

    For me, I really love Strong ITALIAN coffee or espresso. I noticed that I am more inclined to drink tea than coffee these days. Tea has more flavour to me than coffee.

    Diana

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    1. Really good coffee is so much different than bad coffee :-)

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    2. True, though I have very high standards. LOL

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  26. Am I the only one who has never said GIF out loud? I've been reading it as a hard G but I'll try to get my brain to reform. People have mispronounced and butchered my last name since I married and acquired it. It can be entertaining to hear new versions of Dupuy. My wonderful grandpa could say it until he saw how it was spelled. If people see it written first they fumble with the pronunciation. Phonetically it is doo pwee. Either syllable can be accented but usually the first one. We're not picky.
    As for coffee, yes. Just yes. Usually black, dark roast, nothing added. Sometimes with milk. Sometimes a chicory blend.

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    1. Yes, your name is beautiful, and I think the pronunciation exactly reflects the spelling.

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  27. Hard G. As in graphic.
    Coffee: black, strong I prefer Starbucks Yukon blend.

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    1. So funny!

      And I love Starbucks Yukon blend too. Their Christmas blend is always good, too.

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  28. Well, now I know how to pronounce it, and thank you for telling us! One thing I really can’t stand is when people try to tell me how to pronounce my names, either first or last name. I can sympathize with you, Hank! I don’t mind if they don’t use my preferred pronunciation, but please let ME pronounce it the “right”way!

    I’m such a coffee lover that every morning I post three coffee memes on a private social media platform I’m on. People there now send me coffee memes! I’m not at all a morning person but I look forward to having that cup of Joe every morning.

    My favorite Joe is my nephew Joe, who just turned thirty last week!

    Have a good Sunday! May it involve coffee!

    DebRo

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    1. Exactly! And yes, indeed, it does. Xxx And you, too!

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    2. DebRo, you just reminded me that I mispronounced memes when they first appeared on the internet, saying them the French way, as in the phrase "plus ca change,plus c'est la meme chose"...meme meaning same, and pronounced like a shortened version of memo! Didn't know those things were called "meems" until I heard it on TV several times! And last names are often said so differently. I was happy to take my husband's last name, Vaughan, because I thought it would be so much easier for people to pronounce than my maiden French-Canadian name,which ends in "eaux" (silent x) and hardly anyone outside of Louisiana knew how to say it!(Ramona & Toni McGee Causey were very familiar with it!) Well, people can't seem to always say Vaughan ("vawn", like Stevie Ray's name)and phone calls are worse, besides even when I spell it and write it, we get bills and official documents which leave off the extra a. Frustrating, but I've dealt with it for 49 yrs. now.
      As for favorite Joes, my late FIL's name was just Joe, not Joseph! And one of David's cousins was named just Joe, after him, plus one of our great local pals is also just Joe! I had to quit caffeine a few decades ago, though I grew up drinking little demitasse cups of mostly milk, cream or evaporated milk with my grandma and both great-grandmas in NOLA. Later I cut out the sugar and dranks copious amounts of coffee with milk. I miss it, and can handle an occasional bit of coffee ice cream or a rare dessert like tiramisu, but I'm a decaf iced tea drinker, or hot mostly herbal teas.

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    3. Nope, you were pronouncing it correctly, “meme” rhymes with “fem”.

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    4. Lynn, I would cry if I had to give up coffee!

      I had a freshman college roommate who told me on the day we met that it was okay if I never learned to pronounce her last name, much less spell it!! I like a challenge, and I learned to do both that same day! It just felt like it would be morally wrong to not be able to spell or pronounce the name of someone I was living with. Years later I became friends with someone whose family name has a bunch of letters in it but most of them are silent. She said that when she was in college, on the first day of class one semester, a professor read off the names of all the students and stumbled over hers, and apologized. My friend told her “that’s okay. You came close enough.” The professor said “close enough isn’t good enough. Your name is your identity in this world, and it would be disrespectful of people to not learn the proper pronunciation. Please keep correcting me if you need to.”

      DebRo

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    5. I would not be happy giving up coffee. LOVE that professor. I so agree. Not getting into the meme discussion--meme (femm, meaning same) and meme (meem, meaning the thing on social media) are two different words.

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  30. Hank, I agree with you, that it's Joe Day every day. It's something my husband, 45 years ago, brought with him when I was 22. Up until then, I'd had an occasional cup, with cream and sugar. But, when we would be on the road to somewhere, we took a thermos of black coffee, so I learned to like black coffee. It's a stable of my day, in the morning and even after supper, sometimes in the afternoon. I will say I don't drink quite as much as I used to. I seldom fix the afternoon coffee and I miss the after dinner coffee sometimes. If there's dessert, coffee is a necessity. I'm never quite sure what to think about people who don't even own a coffee maker. It's like not having books in your house. Hahaha! I will say that I like my coffee on the mild side, no dark roast or espresso for me.

    Hank, I saw your post online yesterday, and even though I have pronounced "gif" with a hard "g," I will try to rectify my mistake. The only thing I worry about is that I feel like so many people pronounce with the hard "g" they might not realize what I'm talking about when I say jiff.

    I laughed about your MIL telling you how to pronounce your name. A friend of mine once introduced me with a French twist to someone. She said, "Kathleen Bonee (long o) Reel." Of course, "Boone," the real name is pretty much set correctly in people's minds because of Daniel.

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    1. Like--Boh-NAY? That's so sassy! xxx

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    2. Kathy, that made me laugh! Your ancestor Daniel was a favorite hero of mine, so I can't imagine Boone being pronounced any other way! And our mutual pal who lives near the town of Boone where I visited a few times when my folks lived in NC for a few years would probably cackle, too!

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  31. OK, I'm still chuckling, Hank. THE TRUTH.
    Oh, my. What a broad!

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    1. Totally. She was hilarious. And brilliant. We finally got along beautifully --after she realized I'd just laugh when she tried to bait me.

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  32. Ack!!!! I just lost an ongoing (as in years) gif/jif debate with the Hub!!!!! I think I’m having an existential crisis. LOL.

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    1. Think of it as a cosmic question answered. And he can be right ONCE, right?

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