Gelati and ChatGPT

As citizen sociolinguists, as humans, we listen and learn from the language around us.  Inevitably, over a lifetime of living among multiple communities and generations, traveling here and there, raising a family, and having a career or two, our communicative repertoire will be more expansive and powerful than the sum of all the language we learn in schools, the vocabulary represented in the dictionary, or prose spouted as superior by ChatGPT or Claude or your AI robot of choice.  

This became clear in a very specific way last week when I asked my students to look at this picture of John’s Water Ice and tell me what the word “Gelati” means.  John’s Water Ice is a special neighborhood spot—the type that politicians like to drop by for photo ops, illustrating their connection to the community, and their love of local delicacies.  At the time this picture was taken (2011), President Obama was on the campaign trail with our Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey.  I learned later that President Obama ordered a lemon, my personal favorite. John’s Water Ice is delicious!  

But if you’re not from Philadelphia, like most of my students, you might be wondering, what is water ice? And even if you have a guess about what water ice is, you might really be stumped by “Gelati.”  When I asked my students (not allowing those from Philadelphia to respond), they were stumped.  So, of course, they asked AI.  ChatGPT came up with this:

I turned to the Philadelphians in the room.  Is that what “gelati” means in this illustration? No. 

But meanwhile, ChatGPT asked:

This sounds like ChatGPT might be catching on to the John’s Water Ice meaning of gelati.  Was it?  Here’s what followed: 

None of these examples come anywhere near the description of a gelati (a gelati, singular!) in Philadelphia. This is AI pomposity at its finest (and most embarrassing: “summer gelati vibes”?). Would you like ChatGPT to “break down the difference between gelato and regular ice cream.”  No! 

Here in Philadelphia, as the locals in my class began to explain, a gelati (singular) is like a parfait: A bottom layer of ice-cream (or “custard”), followed by a layer of water ice (flavored ice of the most sublime, slushy texture), followed by another layer of ice cream, and topped with one more colorful dollop of water ice (ideally pronounced “wooder ice”).  This, my phriends, is a gelati.  

Now, if you will look back at the picture of Obama and Casey, you’ll see it, plain as day: 

GELATI

WATER ICE * ICE CREAM

Combo

Knowledge this delicious comes from humans and experience in the world!  It expands one’s communicative repertoire in useful and wonderful ways.  Do you know local language that only humans and experience could illuminate?  Of course you do!  Please share your citizen sociolinguistic expertise below (or with a friend, in real life).