For the Record: the Pronunciation of "Gynoid"

Karel · Post by **Karel** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 8:42 pm

I don't know if the answer to this question should be obvious or not. Should the "g" be hard or soft?

noidguy · Post by **noidguy** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 9:12 pm

robotman wrote:I'm not really sure myself, though I think it sounds like "guy-noid". I've never really liked the word.

Me either. What a stupid word. And some idiot is selling the domain name.

petey · Post by **petey** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 10:08 pm

I don't think I've ever said it out loud, but when thinking it I always consider it a soft g. Then again, considering the root the word is derived from, it should probably be a hard g.

Screw it, I'm still thinking "jy-noid"

andoroido · Post by **andoroido** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 10:40 pm

Hard g.
Soft g makes it seem like we're basing the word on "gyro"
Which makes soft g "jynoid" sound like some kind of
small ball-bearing joint structure, maybe invovled in navigation.

And because English language has really screwed up spelling vs. pronunciation rules, the sentence
"How many gyros does your gynoid have?"
with one soft g and one hard g
actually makes sense

Karel · Post by **Karel** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 12:08 am

I always imagined "gynoid" as having a hard g, but I've never understood why "misogyny" has a soft one and "gynecology" a hard one.

WinterRose · Post by **WinterRose** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 2:37 am

Dunno... I've always pronounced Misogyny with a hard G.

Yosuke · Post by **Yosuke** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 4:30 am

Hey! so do I. We have something in common.

Pleasureunit · Post by **Pleasureunit** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 8:26 am

I've always imagined it as "guy-noid".

And I'm with Robotman and Noidguy. I don't like the term either!

What's the provenance of it, for that matter (as in, how long has it been in usage)?

While some of the members say gynoid reminds them of an alien, to me it's suggestive of that obnoxious Domino's cartoon mascot, The 'Noid, that mutters "Pizza, pizza!"

Queenbot

The Collector · Post by **The Collector** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 8:33 am

Actually, your majesty, The infamous Noid .. I'm not sure what he says, but that 'Pizza pizza' line, is Little Caesars. I generally always say 'Gynoid' as if it were starting with a 'J'. just sounded right to me. (shrugs)

keraptis · Post by **keraptis** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 6:44 pm

Though WinterRose brought up the soft G in "misogynist," I think the better example is the hard G of "gynecologist." I've always thought of this word as having a hard G sound.

I've also never particularly liked the word ... it certainly isn't as sexy as a bunch of other alternatives. I prefer "female android," "female robot," or "robot woman" ... though if it has to be said in a single word I probably like "girlbot" the best. Sounds more playful and sexy than "fembot" which for some reason sounds hard to me. In other words, "fembot" sounds like it's equipped for combat but "girlbot" sounds more like somebody I'd like to take home.

Karel · Post by **Karel** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 10:13 pm

The word's provenance, I think, is from a year or two before the A.S.F.R. newsgroup (tell me if I'm right or not on that, noidguy), but its pedigree is impeccable. It's a perfect masculine form of "android," and I suspect it will one day be a useful, accepted, and remarked-upon technical term

Fembot-Fem · Post by **Fembot-Fem** » Sun Apr 02, 2006 8:07 pm

With a soft G, it always sounds too much like Gyros. So I personaly use the hard G.

dale coba · Post by **dale coba** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 4:20 am

The word "gynoid" isn't of much use in speech, not to me at least. It's virtually unknown outside of our internet community(s), and it doesn't sound sexy with either a soft or hard G. It's a legitimate neologism, with good roots, and a literate person would understand the meaning after a half a moment's reflection. Plus, outside of on-line, I'm closeted enough that the word would never pass my lips aloud.

However, "gynoid" does have one important use - as a search term. Along with "fembot' and the historical "ASFR" label, "gynoid" won't ever give you irrelevant hits at the search engine.

If only "girlbot", "chicbot", "babebot", "hottiebot" or some similarly pleasing term were in any widespread use, I'd be glad to let "gynoid" fade into the fondly remembered past.

Dale Coba

Korby · Post by **Korby** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 5:27 am

Just to weigh in on the discussion, I had always assumed gynoid to be pronounced with a hard G.

That said, I'll echo Mr. Coba and Keraptis and mention that the word 'gynoid' doesn't really ring my bell much. "Female android", for whatever reason, is a little bit more to my taste.

"Girlbot" is not without a certain appeal, I will admit... I rather like that.

Fembot-Fem · Post by **Fembot-Fem** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 3:32 pm

Oh geez, Robotman, you bring up memories of my first google image searches for Gynoid! Before I found this site! Aparently there is a similar condition with the name Android, if I remember correctly...

Karel · Post by **Karel** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 11:12 pm

Yeah, "android" is used in the same context, Robotman, to describe how fat in men accumulates around the gut rather than the thighs or breasts.

And I don't expect the word will ever be in common use, but I think it will one day be popular amongst tradespeople, engineers, and other industry professionals for its specificity (that is, when there's an industry).

For the Record: the Pronunciation of "Gynoid"

For the Record: the Pronunciation of "Gynoid"

That damn'd term

On the Utility of the term "gynoid"