Bad Form

[<JHertzman@xxxxxxx>]

In AD7-060 Scott Fisher writes, probably tongue in cheek,  

"As for giubo vs. guibo, because I've only read the terms on the
Internet, where correcting someone's spelling is considered Bad Form, I
have no idea what the actual Italian word is.  I am left to assume that
a giubo goes on a Giulia or Giulietta, and a guibo goes on a Guilia or a
Guilietta."

Il Topo recently sent me a photocopy of a hand-written letter, 24 maggio 1986,
by GianPaolo Garcea, a singularly literate engineer who was one of Orazio
Satta's right-hand men as Assistant Director of the Design and Experimental
Department. The letter, with lavish freehand illustrations, confirms and
elaborates on what Topo had previously told me and others, that "the ing.
Boschi had invented and patented the elastic joint (giunto) and later formed
his firm GIUBO SpA, which manufactured the first giubos for the 1900. "GIUBO"
= GIUnti BOschi.=Boschi joints, and the pronunciation is (gee-yew-bow  or jew-
bow)." That is the straight squeak from what is, as far as I know, the last
surviving purebred Portello mouse.

As for "the Internet, where correcting someone's spelling is considered Bad
Form," questionable form is always better than no form at all. (Witness the
Giulia Super, the Milano, and innumerable other examples of - shall we say -
idiosyncratic? non-jellybean form.)

Scott's statement that " Dell'orto and de Dion are both the accepted spellings
in published literature and also correct for the rules of their respective
languages" is true on both counts, but arguably incorrect. The engineer
Trepardoux designed the axle used on the De Dion car, manufacture by the firm
De Dion Bouton, which was founded by the Count de Dion. If the axle is named
after the Count, it is de Dion. If after the car or the manufacturer, then De
Dion. If after the designer, then Trepardoux. Alfa calls it De Dion in all
company references I can find. Dellorto/Dell'Orto is perhaps less clear-cut;
English literature often calls it Dell'Orto, but (after the humiliating
'snake' episode) I checked the Alfa parts books where it is Dellorto, and
double-checked a pair of carbs in the basement, which had no apostrophe.

John

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