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It takes some getting used to this idea, but I try to remember that when someone mispronounces an uncommon word or jargon term, it means that they're getting al

It takes some getting used to this idea, but I try to remember that when someone mispronounces an uncommon word or jargon term, it means that they're getting all their information through textual means - which probably means they don't have people close to them with the same interests or intellectual curiosity. That usually means, especially if it's a younger person, that they are smart and probably lonely.

bobowzki 6y ago
This was certainly true when I got started with Un*x in the late 90s.
erikbye 6y ago
> That usually means, especially if it's a younger person, that they are smart and probably lonely. What a weird asssumption to make. Projecting?
- yyyymmddhhmmss 6y ago
  I make the same assumption, but I consider it the highest of honors to be one of these people. It means you spend your free time learning by way of your own curiosity in spite of everything else. This is nothing short of noble, in my view.
- dvirsky 6y ago
  Just basing on people I knew who were like that.
paledot 6y ago
With you until the last sentence. But yes, it does imply that they're resourceful enough to learn what they know with limited personal mentorship. It's worth gently guiding them towards the canonical pronunciation, but definitely don't be surprised if they show you up on how to use that thing they're mispronouncing.
quesera 6y ago
> they're getting all their information through textual means When I was very young, I had a friend who pronounced "modem" as "mod-DEEM" because he knew that the word is a portmanteau of "MOdulator-DEModulator". His first exposure to "modem" was in print (computer magazines or BBSes), and it was some years before he heard the word spoken. Many years later (but still many years ago!), I was pulled into a disagreement among a fledgling group of web designers: Is "GIF" pronounced with a hard G or a soft G ("jif")? I realized that I'd never spoken the word aloud, and chose the hard G, because the word is an acronym for Graphics Interchange Format. Needless to say, I did not resolve that argument with my appeal to originalism. In the intervening years, I've spoken the word countless times, and settled on the soft G because it flows better in speech. As far as I know, the correctness debate is still ongoing today.

bobowzki 6y ago

This was certainly true when I got started with Un*x in the late 90s.

erikbye 6y ago

> That usually means, especially if it's a younger person, that they are smart and probably lonely. What a weird asssumption to make. Projecting?

yyyymmddhhmmss 6y ago
I make the same assumption, but I consider it the highest of honors to be one of these people. It means you spend your free time learning by way of your own curiosity in spite of everything else. This is nothing short of noble, in my view.
dvirsky 6y ago
Just basing on people I knew who were like that.

paledot 6y ago

With you until the last sentence. But yes, it does imply that they're resourceful enough to learn what they know with limited personal mentorship. It's worth gently guiding them towards the canonical pronunciation, but definitely don't be surprised if they show you up on how to use that thing they're mispronouncing.

quesera 6y ago

> they're getting all their information through textual means When I was very young, I had a friend who pronounced "modem" as "mod-DEEM" because he knew that the word is a portmanteau of "MOdulator-DEModulator". His first exposure to "modem" was in print (computer magazines or BBSes), and it was some years before he heard the word spoken. Many years later (but still many years ago!), I was pulled into a disagreement among a fledgling group of web designers: Is "GIF" pronounced with a hard G or a soft G ("jif")? I realized that I'd never spoken the word aloud, and chose the hard G, because the word is an acronym for Graphics Interchange Format. Needless to say, I did not resolve that argument with my appeal to originalism. In the intervening years, I've spoken the word countless times, and settled on the soft G because it flows better in speech. As far as I know, the correctness debate is still ongoing today.