On Tuesday, September 28, 2021, at 8:34 AM, the ambulance was called in for teacher Erica Morris, stunned once again with the debate in her class whether it was pronounced "jif" or "gif." A student had been the one to alert the campus nurse when Morris fell over in the middle of class. When we reached out for a statement from the mother of two after sneaking into the emergency vehicle, Morris became agitated. This had recently been debated passionately in her how home and had ended in a house divided. "Our house just isn't the same," she said. "I feel like I don't know my husband anymore."
Her husband had replied contrary to her beliefs on the matter.
"It's 'jif,'" she said confidently while still in the ambulance receiving a breathing treatment. "Think about it. Giraffes does not have a soft 'g' sound. That's just one example.'"
So it's 'jraphics' now?" the cameraperson chimed in interrupting the interview. Morris went on to reference a 2013 interview with Steve Wilhite, the creator of the format who spoke of 'jif,'" Even people continued to pronounce it different after the Pulitzer award ceremony in which he accepted a Webby award.
"It's another anomaly," Morris stated. "People say it in different ways, just like so many other words. Sure, the English language is not consistent. Move on. But if you say 'gif,' you're wrong.
When reporters reached out to her husband, he was unavailable for comment.
Update (10/3/21): Due to multiple complaints on his ethics and professionalism, Channel 11 news cameraperson Joshua Gyllenhaal was removed from his position and escorted off the premises, yet another example how a hard g sound can use a 'g' instead of a 'j'.