The Pronunciation Of Linux

Before anyone points out that the meaning of language is most important, and that discussing minor points such as pronunciation is pointless, let me assure you that I mostly agree. I am, howeveer, having a friendly debate on this issue with a particular Check Point SE and my previously strong position seems quite a bit less tenable at this point.

Allow me to put forth some arguments on both sides so that you may decide which you like better and/or add your own:

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Arguments for Lih-nix:

This is the side that I’ve always been on, and I’ve always been rubbed the wrong way when someone called it Lye-nix. My main reason for thinking Linux was authoritative is the mp3 file that’s available online that features Linus saying: “My name is Linus Torvalds, and I pronounce Linux, Linux.”

This file is meant to end the debate, and for me it did. You see, he pronounces it, Leen-oox, just like his name which he pronounces, Leen-oos.

So, here’s my argument: if he pronounces Linux as Leen-oox, then theres a damn good chance that he’ll pronounce the word “finish” as “feen-oosh” or “feen-ish” — either way, it’s feen. So if he pronounces a short “i” as “ee”, then it makes sense that “Linux” and “Finish” would end up being pronounced the same.

This makes perfect sense to me.

Arguments for Lye-nix:

So, I thought I had a solid case until I came upon this wiley Check Point engineer who busted out with the following argument:

We need to look at the origin of the word itself and take into account the country it came from when bastardizing it into English. Linus is Finnish and based his new OS on an OS called “Minix”. Being Finnish, he probably pronounced this “Mee-noox”. Well, what was the English pronunciation? Probably “Mye-nix”, but I need help from the old-schoolers on that one.

So, if Linux is based on Minix, and Minix was pronounced “Mye-nix” originally, why would “Linux”, which is nothing more than a “Linus” adapted “Minux” not be correctly pronounced “Lye-nix”?

This was his follow-up point, but I found it stronger than his English bastardization point which included our pronunciation of the Linus character on Peanuts — which was “Lye-nis”. His point was that when you bastardize this type of word from Finnish to English, the “i” comes across as long, not short. He couldn’t give any more examples of this, however, and the Peanuts thing just wasn’t enough for me. As a result, I’m more interested in the Minix angle.

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Ultimately I’d probably still call the project “Lih-nix” because I think it’s more accepted and I don’t think Linus cares one way or another. I do want to know if I’m wrong about what’s “correct”, however. Why? Well, I’m a geek and I like discussing such things. I also take pride in presenting the most battle-tested, logical arguments when debating. As it stands, however, I currently have no such argument on this matter since such a solid counter to my position has been put forth.

So, thoughts? (other than that I need professional help with my OC problem)

Edit: The issue has been solved.

from safarla.com: The various ways to pronounce Linux are shown below using English letters in a phonetic way, and using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). You will need a font containing IPA characters for the display to be correct. Some versions of Internet Explorer have problems displaying IPA characters, even when an appropriate font is installed (other browsers, such as Mozilla, don’t have this problem). Many websites explain the sounds of the IPA, but the best explanations are found in the Handbook Of The International Phonetic Association: There are three main ways to pronounce ‘Linux’: /ˈlɪːnɤks/ (‘leenooks’) This is Linus Torvalds’ original pronunciation, based on the pronunciation of his name in Swedish. It’s rarely used by those who speak English as a first language, as it doesn’t seem very ‘natural’ to them. There is an audio file (in MP3 format) of Linus Torvalds saying ‘Linux’. /ˈlɪnʌks/ (‘linnuks’) This is now Linus Torvalds’ preferred pronunciation, as he considers /ɪ/ closer to the original /ɪː/ than /aɪ/. It also follows the pronunciation of the English word ‘linen’. There is an audio file (in wav format) of me pronouncing ‘Linux’ this way. /ˈlaɪnʌks/ (‘lynuks’) The other major alternative is based on the pronunciation of the English version of ‘Linus’. It also happens to be the version I use. There is an audio file (in wav format) of me saying ‘Linux’.

In addition to this evidence, it’s also been pointed out to me that a documentary called OS Revolution, Linus himself goes on record describing the various ways to say his name and such, but then goes on to explicitly say,

“… but Linux is always Linux”

…with Linux pronounced “linnux”.

So, I think that about settles it (not that it mattered all that much anyway). I just like having my ducks in a row when discussing things of this nature.

Let me know if you have comments…