It may be unambiguous to you, but to me my first instinct was to pronounce it “jiff” analogizing with words like “gin” and “Gigi” and “giraffe” for some reason. To me, “gif” with a hard “g” should be “giff.” Not exactly sure why, that’s just how my brain reads it.
I originally pronounced it with a long-“i”, but everyone says “linnix,” so that’s the pronunciation I use now. With giff/jiff, I hear both fairly interchangeably. Like I said, I though the hard-g version was the correct one until this thread, even though I pronounce it was a “j.”
What, what? How can you make a “j” sound without your teeth touching???
Jiffy, Jim, Jack, Jerry, Jason, Julie, Jackass, Jury, Gif, George, Gin, Gemini…if your teeth don’t touch when you pronounce those words, you’re a mutant.
Unless you’re doing a bad Thurston Howell III imitation, there are no sounds in the English language that even allow, let alone require the teeth to touch.
My name begins with J and I have said it properly tens of thousands of times without my teeth touching. I suppose it is possible to touch the teeth but that would be an overpronunciation. But in no case would the teeth ever be “clicking.”
I think that the s sound could be pronounced with the front teeth touching, though with exaggerated sibilance. In fact if they are too far apart it is a lisp. Otherwise I agree completely.