Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
gymnasium, gym (n.)
The usual American meaning is “a building or hall equipped for athletic activities and contests,” as in We played volleyball in the gymnasium. This sense of the word is pronounced jim-NAI-zee-uhm, and it is regularly clipped to gym (JIM) in all but the most Formal and Oratorical uses. The other sense of gymnasium is “a secondary school in many European countries,” and this sense is pronounced gim-NAI-zee-uhm or gim-NAH-zee-uhm (there is no clipped English form for this sense). Both senses are Standard.
