The Great Vi Controversy

[Anders Thulin]

In article <49631 at oliveb.olivetti.com> swirsky at olivee.olivetti.com (Robert Swirsky) writes:

>Perhaps a better way to tell a wizard is from the way he/she pronounces
>"gigabyte." If a person pronounces it with a *soft* "g" (as in gigantic)
>that person knows what he/she's talking about.
> 
>Every dictionary in the universe says that a soft g is preferred/correct.

Utterly irrelevant to computer wizardry, of course:

  ``There is something to be said for retaining the hard sound of the g
  even before e, i, and y, in such Greek-derived words as are not in
  popular but only in learned, technichal, or literary use. To those
  who know some Greek the sound of '-oji' in pedagogy or 'jeri-' in
  geriatrics or 'jini-' in gynaecology either obscures the meaning, which
  they would catch with the aid of the hard g, or, if they happen to
  be prepared for it and so do not miss the meaning, is still repulsive.
  To those who do not know Greek the sound of the words is immaterial,
  and they might allow the other party the indulgence of a harmless
  pedantry that affects after all but a few words. [ ... ]''

  Fowler: A Dictionary of Modern English Usage: Article 'Greek g'.


-- 
Anders Thulin, Programsystem AB, Teknikringen 2A, S-583 30 Linkoping, Sweden
ath at prosys.se   {uunet,mcvax}!sunic!prosys!ath