Since it’s the end of the week, I thought I’d look at some of the more bizarre stories that have been circulating the web during the past few days. Both involve English and I really pity anyone attempting to learn the language!
既然已经过了一周了，我想我会看看过去几天在网络上流传的一些更奇怪的故事。 两者都涉及英语，我真的很可惜任何尝试学习该语言的人！
According to Global Language Monitor (GLM), at 10:21 GMT on 10 June 2009 the English language consisted of precisely 999,999 different words. The millionth word appeared 1 minute later and earned its place in the dictionary. That word was: “Web 2.0”.
根据全球语言监控器(GLM)，2009年6月10日格林尼治标准时间10:21，英语恰好由999,999个不同的单词组成。 第百万个单词在1分钟后出现，并在字典中赢得了位置。 这个词是： “ Web 2.0” 。
Despite “Web 2.0” being an existing word with a digit on the end, GLM received a significant amount of publicity for their announcement. They are a commercial company who scour the Internet for new terms. A word must be used at least 25,000 times across national boundaries and outside specialisms for it to pass GLM’s rigorous validation procedures.
尽管“ Web 2.0”是一个已有的单词，但最后带有数字，但GLM的公告却获得了大量宣传。 他们是一家商业公司，他们在互联网上搜寻新条款。 一个单词必须在全国范围内和外部专家中使用至少25,000次，才能通过GLM严格的验证程序。
My analysis may not be as thorough, but a simple search on Google reports over 45 million references. Yahoo reports 173 million references. Bing does even better with 2.2 billion references (so much for it being a “decision” engine!). It’s strange that Web 2.0 had not been considered before; the term has been around almost 10 years and has certainly been popular since 2004.
我的分析可能不够全面，但是在Google上进行的简单搜索报告的引用量就超过了4500万 。 雅虎报告了1.73亿次引用 。 Bing的22亿次引用甚至做得更好(这对于“决策”引擎来说实在是太好了！) 。 奇怪的是，以前没有考虑过Web 2.0。 这个词已经存在了将近10年，并且自2004年以来一直很受欢迎。
Lexicographers were quick to point out that the exact size of the English vocabulary is impossible to quantify. The Oxford English Dictionary also estimates that the number of words is nearer two-thirds of a million.
词法学家很快指出，英语词汇的确切大小无法量化。 牛津英语词典还估计单词的数量接近一百万的三分之二。
Whether it’s hype or a ridiculous publicity campaign, I’m looking forward to “Web 2.0” appearing in the dictionary. Perhaps we’ll finally have a description of what it really means!
无论是大肆宣传还是荒唐的宣传活动，我都希望字典中出现“ Web 2.0”。 也许我们最终将对它的真正含义进行描述！
Graphics Interchange Format, or GIF, was introduced by CompuServe in 1987. Show someone the word “GIF” and ask them to read it aloud. Most English speakers will pronounce it with a hard “g” as in “gift”. Unfortunately, they are wrong — it’s pronounced “jiff”, with a soft “g”, and the evidence is presented at the GIF Pronunciation Page.
图形交换格式(GIF)由CompuServe于1987年提出。向某人显示“ GIF”一词并请他们大声朗读。 大多数英语使用者会像“礼物”一样用“ g”来发音。 不幸的是，它们是错误的-发音为“ jiff”，带有柔和的“ g”，并且证据显示在GIF发音页上 。
Personally, I don’t think it matters what the original programmers intended; almost everyone pronounces GIF the way it is written. There are pedants who insist on using “jiff” but no one understands them! Do you prefer GIF or JIFF? I’m firmly in the GIF camp and my campaign to correct its pronunciation starts here!
就个人而言，我认为原始程序员的意图并不重要。 几乎每个人都以GIF的发音方式发音。 有些学徒坚持使用“吉夫”，但没人能理解！ 您喜欢GIF还是JIFF？ 我坚守GIF阵营，我的改正其发音的运动从这里开始！
(Incidentally, the PNG specification also insists on “ping” rather than “pee en gee”, but it’s an open standard so we can change that!)
(顺便说一句，PNG规范也坚持使用“ ping”而不是“ pee en gee”，但这是一个开放标准，因此我们可以更改它！)
翻译自: https://www.sitepoint.com/watch-your-web-language/
