The Jem Report: Pronunciation of Software Names

“I’m a big fan of languages; I see tremendous value in different
human expression. Even with a language like English, a language I
dream in, I’m told by my close friends I still pronounce things
quite badly at times, often to hilarious effect. Blatant errors
aside, language and its commonality can be crucial for community
development; this is especially true for communities dealing with
specific topics. Back in the day, in most of the Western world,
scholars and scientists used Latin to communicate as an
intellectual community.

“Today, ‘experts’ use ‘jargon’ not only to put out verbal neon
signs that they know the language of the subject at hand, but also
to differentiate between those who know and those who do not know.
It’s almost like a test, a rite of passage within a community… if
you don’t know the language, how can you know the subject? This
article will examine how language is used in the Free and Open
Source Software community and how you as a newcomer can more easily
fit in by using the right pronunciations for the right
terms…”

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