pedanteria

[JHertzman@domain.elided]

Tom Washburn says
A guy is an alfisto, a gal is an alfista.

Walter Buchignani says 
alfista, singluar, for male, female and everyone in between;
alfisti for plural ... no such word as alfisto ...

Samantha Evans says 
There is no such form as "alfisto".  That is incorrect.  The correct 
singular form is "alfista"(for both male or female).  "Alfisti" is the 
plural form for a masculine or mixed group.  "Alfiste" is the plural form
strictly for feminine gender. 

Dana Loomis says 
It's alfista, regardless of the gender of the person referred to.  
things get really exciting with plurals: a crowd of male enthusiasts, or a
mixed group of men and women, are alfisti, while a crowd of enthusiastic
women are alfiste.  

Alessandro Casadei della Chiesa, in Italy, says:
"Alfisto" doesn't exist, in Italian language. Definitely, "Alfista".

Jochen Tydecks says 
"o" is masculine, the plural is "i" -
"a" is feminine (with some exceptions as "problema"), the plural is "e".
that means:
"Alfisto" is a male one, "Alfisti" are male ones -
"Alfista" is a female one, "Alfiste" are female ones.

Guy Swarbrick says that it is always alfista because Alfa is
feminine 

Back to school, Jochen.

Dave Shimano writes 
"If anyone knows I am searching for same info re the infamous
tomato/tomata potato/potata controversy.."

The book says it is potato/patata (except in Indiana) and tomato/pomidoro.

I would only add that for those who hang their conclusion on "Alfa" being
feminine, it isn't "Alfa", it is "Alfa Romeo", which would be at least
hermaphrodite (ermafrodito), which is masculine, or totally masculine based on
the 'o' in Romeo.

The consensus (or consenso) is alfista, alfisti, alfiste. 

That settled, I have been reading guibo, guibo, guibo over and over in the
digest lately for the pesky driveshaft couplings. The word is giubo. "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 a genuine Portello fossile, who kindly
relayed photocopies of original documentation to me. Dennis Lou spells it
correctly, as does Caxambu, and Fred Di Matteo, and probably a few lurkers.
The rest may yet-

Cordially, 

John H. 

------------------------------