TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Pronouncing "gigabyte"; TAKE A STAND! From:"Craig Haggart, Accelerator Ops" <haggart -at- SSRL01 -dot- SLAC -dot- STANFORD -dot- EDU> Date:Tue, 1 Feb 1994 02:39:59 PST
> TAKE A STAND!
OK: hard G, please!
I use the prefix "giga-" every day, as do the technicians and engineers
around me. The only time in my life that I heard anybody utter "jiga-"
was in the movie "Back To The Future."
> It's "jigabyte," dammit, and don't let anyone tell you
> otherwise! I am not making this up.
Both pronunciations are listed in my dictionary. As always, usage will
decide; my money's on hard G. Ask any English-speaker who deals with
equipment operating in the microwave range to pronounce "gigahertz."
-Craig Haggart
Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lab at SLAC
Menlo Park, California
(haggart -at- slac -dot- stanford -dot- edu)
