…Linguistic Dilemma…

Last night on the drive to the Next Act after climbing we had a discussion, or some might say a disagreement, on the pronunciation of the acronym for Virtically Inclined Rock Gym aka VIRG.

More and more I hear (new) climbers and (new) VIRG staff pronounce this VIRG – with a hard G sound. Wrongfully, I equate this pronunciation with the low-cut, low-rise LuLuLemon outfitted new(ish) climber that make you wonder if they are there to climb or there to pick someone up.

I have always pronounced it with a soft G sound.

My argument last night was that we don’t pronounce gym – with a hard g. However, I find myself pondering this at work, because my job is just so mentally stimulating, and this rationale is not consistent. For instance, I say MEC with a soft E, but it stands for Equipment – hard E – I don’t say MEEK.

I have come to the conclusion that the only real reason why I feel so strongly about the pronunciation of VIRG with a soft G is because that is how Greg S pronounces it. Greg is our climbing hero, he is the best climber we know, he has been there forever, he helped make VIRG what it is today, Greg is the kind of climber that can not go climbing for months and months and then begin on a tough a 5.11d and redpoint it (last summer at Lake Louise). Uhm, yeah, Greg is great. If that is how he says it, that is how I say it.

I suspect that Greg wouldn’t really care how it is pronounced.

~ by finnland on January 17, 2007.