So how does one pronounce "GIF," anyway? The maker of a popular peanut butter is chiming in to ensure there's no confusion with its own brand.
According to Jif's parent company J.M. Smucker, "GIF" should be pronounced with a hard "G," like that heard in words like get, give and grab, and not like its delicious product.
Jif, of course, is the well-known spread that has satisfied many an appetite for decades -- and has long been properly pronounced by consumers, with the same traditional soft "G" sound heard in words like jail, junk, and jump. Animated GIF files -- Graphic Interchange Format files -- haven't been around as long, though, and the term has commonly, and mistakenly, been pronounced with a soft "G" that makes it sound identical to Jif's own product.
To officially set the record straight, Jif is teaming up with Giphy.com, the go-to GIF file search engine. The two will jointly launch a marketing campaign in preparation for National Peanut Butter Lover's Day on March 1.
“We’re teaming up with Giphy to put a lid on this decade-long debate and prove there is only one Jif -- it’s creamy, delicious peanut butter, not a looping picture you can send to make friends and family laugh,” said Jif's Marketing VP Rebecca Scheidler in a press release.
“Whether you like your G's hard or soft, let’s all share some fun and let peanut butter unite us in saying GIF and eating Jif," said Giphy founder Alex Chung.
As if to acknowledge that the campaign won't change any minds, Jif is offering a "Hard G pronunciation" limited run of its product labeled "Gif" on the company's Amazon store. The traditional version remains available at grocers everywhere.
(via USA Today)