Categories: Cars

‘Dodici Cilindri’, or just ‘Twelve C’? The car name pronunciation game

Many would call Fiat’s city car a ‘Five Hundred’ rather than a ‘Cinquecento’, but that logic doesn’t always apply…

How will you say 12Cilindri, as in the new Ferrari, if you’re an English speaker?

Will you opt for ‘Twelve Cylinders’ or will you give it the full ‘Dodici Cilindri’, perhaps touching your forefingers to your thumbs and chucking in a Dolmio Family accent as you go?

I ask because I have a colleague or two who say they will not call the new car the Dodici Cilindri. They think it will make them sound like the sort of person who says Paree instead of plain old Paris (insufferably pretentious, in other words). 

I thought that was reasonable until I remembered they say Ferrari Roma and not Ferrari Rome, and that they don’t translate Quattroporte (four door) or Testarossa (red head) to English either. So what gives?

I’ve said Dodici Cilindri a few times out loud and I rather fear it does make me sound pretentious, a bit like saying Porsch-er, which I’m afraid I also do. Yet I feel no embarrassment saying Maserati Granturismo, nor did I with Fiats Cinquecento (500) or Seicento (600).

Although for some of the 500 models, like the new ones, I do instead say Five Hundred. And it’s possible that the potential problem lies in numbers: the mix in the 12Cilindri’s name of both numerals and letters.

If it were numerals only, I’d do the translation: like we do Five Hundred, or Nine Eleven rather than Neun Elf (Porsche). Yet if it were spelled out, as it is with Europa (Lotus) or Torino (Ford), I would say it in its natural form. 

There’s almost enough evidence there to make a solid call for the style guide. Almost, but not quite: because the Ferrari 250 Europa is surely a Two Fifty Europa, and what is a 458 Italia if not a Four Five Eight Italia?

Alas, I don’t think there’s a definitive precedent. So I’m going to give Dodici Cilindri the full Captain Alberto Bertorelli treatment, and you can think what you like.

Source: Autocar RSS Feed

WBN

Share
Published by
WBN

Recent Posts

You Won’t Get 79% Off The Galaxy Z Fold 6 on Amazon, But You Can on Samsung’s Official Site

These Samsung foldable phones are less than six months old but are priced amazingly.

11 hours ago

Best Black Friday iPad Pro deals: save up to $1,000

Apple's iPad Pro has been heavily discounted as Black Friday deals week is well underway,…

11 hours ago

This Version of Microsoft Office Is 68% Off For Black Friday, Now at an All-Time Low

If you use Microsoft Office for personal tasks, there's no reason to choose a monthly…

11 hours ago

Amazon Cuts The Price of The Sonos Beam Gen 2, Hitting an All-Time Record Low For Black Friday

It's the best soundbar you can get for under $300, and it offers great value…

11 hours ago

The BMW M5 Touring (G99) Finally Arrives in the U.S.

Last week, BMW dropped some big news at a press event in South Carolina: the…

11 hours ago

The Invincible developer Starward Industries announces new “anti-combat” RPG Dante’s Ring

The Invincible developer Starward Industries has announced its next project: action-adventure anti-combat RPG, Dante's Ring.…

11 hours ago