dˌɪfɚɹˈɛnʃəl vˌɛɹɪˈeɪʃənəl ɪniːkwˈɔlᵻɾiz wɜː fˈɜːst fˈɔːɹməli ˌɪntɹədˈuːst baɪ pˈæŋ ænd stˈuːɚt, hˌuːz dˌɛfɪnˈɪʃən ʃˌʊd nˌɑːt biː kənfjˈuːzd wɪððə dˌɪfɚɹˈɛnʃəl vˌɛɹɪˈeɪʃənəl ɪniːkwˈɔlᵻɾi jˈuːzd ɪn ˈɔːbɪn ænd sɛlˈiːnə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi fˈoːɹ.
Differential variational inequalities were first formally introduced by Pang and Stewart, whose definition should not be confused with the differential variational inequality used in Aubin and Cellina (1984).