nomenclatura

[<JHertzman@xxxxxxx>]

In AD7-024 Les Singh surveys nomenclatura and other pregnant topics, making
many good points- but I believe he is less than totally precise when he says
that the phrase "it is something, up with which ,I will not put" is
Australian-speak. I believe it was originally Winston Spencer Churchill's
response to a young editorial assistant who blue-penciled his use of a
grammatically incorrect dangling preposition (as, "this is something I will
not put up with"). Winnie may have been an honorary Australian in spirit, as
he is half-American in descent, but the Brits can still claim him first.
(Incidentally, his use of the middle name on his writings came about because
there was a widely published, albeit relatively minor, American novelist named
Winston Churchill (1871-1947), three years older than Sir Winnie, who had dibs
on use of the name and refused to yield).

Back to Alfas. Les objects to people "lumping all these types together". Pat
Braden has argued for broad applications of family names to Alfas, saying (if
I am remembering correctly, and Pat is sure to contradict me whether I am or
not) that for all practical purposes the 105-115 cars are an intimately
related group which can be thought of as Giulias. Following that logic, with
which I largely agree, all the 750/101 cars are members of the Giulietta
family, even when they have the 1600 engine and the Giulia name, all deDion
cars are Alfettas, all boxers are 'Suds, and all non-boxer fwd cars are- well,
lets not open that bag of worms.

Les goes on to say "Worse still in my book is to call them "Nords" ... yuk! ..
a
designation not found anywhere but perpetrated I believe by ignorami. (Heh,
heh! this will start something.)" Shouldn't that be 'ignorante'? Actually, I
find the 'Nord' term charming and would think it very useful in places where
the boxers predominated. Another usage which has migrated into US-speak from
the digest, I believe, is 'Bertone' for all of the various-named coupes from
the Giulia Sprint GT to the 2000 GT Veloce. Useful, and why not?

Les makes a particularly interesting point (which he ignores, but never mind)
about the use of the initials "GTV". I could not find any Alfa reference to a
"GTV" before the Alfetta GTV 2000 in either Fusi or d'Amico-Tabucchi; it is
always GT Veloce. And I cannot leave THAT, without expressing regret that in
the end (at least in the USA) Alfa reduced 'Veloce' to merely meaning a
particular trim-level, with no connection to any mechanical condition. Sigh.

John

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