You forgot minI, miNI, mINI, mInI, ... well you get the idea....

 

Now there you go confusing things with facts.

 

I agree with Edge. Case closed. =op

Zip

 

I'm with you Doc, I own a 67 Austin Mini, 04 JCW Cooper S,& 06 Cooper CVT & that's how I refer to them. Upper case, lower case I never understood it, just one more thing for my 52 year old brain to remember.

 

Mini
MINI
MINI The newer bigger and better should be BOLDED!

 

this distinction only works in print. How does it work spoken? Just think of the potential confusion!

Yet another reason why I think it's silly.....

Matt

 

ONe cAn control LangAge . . . or communicate. The environment for language has changed with computers, whose 15 year old experts compete with all of our first grade teachers for ultimate authority. I say MINI and you say tomatoe. Apparently you're not paying close attention. I could say R56 and R53, except I might be wanting to talk about the cabrio. To you, and also to the uninitiated, if I say MINI and mini . . . and if there are a MINI and mini parked next to each other as we talk, you and I AND the uninitiated will know which is the MINI and which is the mini. As for the R56, I recon time (about 1 1/2 weeks) will tell. I'll propose MINI ME, but I don't think it will catch on. MINI new. NewMINI. MINI Lights Low. More MINI. MoMINI. 56MINI. We'll find out.

Ya gotta take it as it comes, Slick!

 

Precisely as BlueBonnet suggested (indirectly), capitalization matters.

Why did you sign your name Matt? Why not mATT? Or mAtT? Or just matt? You capitalized your name, right?

It's an important distinction because printed form has different rules than spoken form. Rules of printed form are far more precise than spoken form.

The all-caps word MINI was selected long ago by the company (and also by the wider community) as being the acceptable term for all BMW-designed MINIs. That's just how it is. Some choose to ignore it, some follow it, but it is the accepted practice.

Really, it isn't that hard to follow.

To answer your real question though, when using spoken word, these days it seems the word "Classic" is usually prefaced with the word Mini, so it is understood that the older cars (2000 and before) are the topic of discussion. At least here in the USA, where there really aren't that many Classic Minis around, and the newer BMW-designed MINI is the norm.

 

For some, to speak the difference between Mini and MINI the terms Mini and Bini are used. A person using the term Bini sometimes has a bit of a nasty snarl.

 

I must be getting old. Despite all the descriptions, I think that, yet again, someone in a marketing department stuck us all with an inconvienient name that doesn't make sense....

And I capitalize the first letter of my name for all the reasons others do, to capitalize the first letter of a proper name is the convention in English... Yes, I think the convention is used for proper nouns? Do I remember correctly?

But don't others appreciate that this distinction is market-speak, and not real language?

Don't others find it interesting that the labelling is delivery specific (and how many other examples of this can you find) where the launguage is different in written ans spoken communications? This is becoming like Patent-Speak!

I know nothing will change.

And despite all the descriptions and expalnation, I still think it's dumb...

As for using model designation, that's silly too, and is one of the reasons I find the BMW world so impenitrable for a newbie. I don't speak the language of E36 or whatever... While it may make the group more "groupie", it sure make a communication barrier to the uninitiated.

To me, life is complicated enough without things like this.

But life will go on, whether I'm happy about MINI or not!

Matt

 

Further proof that we are all slaves to Commercial America.

MINI it is... and MINI it will remain.

 

I don't get what's so inconvienient about it. Don't let go of the Shift key, or leave Caps Lock on, when typing the word. Big deal!Yes, of course you do - the capitalization is important, even though there is no capitalization when you say the word... right?

That was my point, Matt... you can't use "spoken word doesn't recognize capitalization" as a valid argument, because there are LOTS of examples where capitalization IS important when written, but doesn't apply to speech.

I just think you're making a big fuss about nothing, that's all. Original British classic car = Mini, all newer BMW-engineered models = MINI.

BIG DEAL!

 

You all are free to like it, I still think it's a stupid construction.

Can we set up a pole on it?

Matt

 

BMW as much as MINI, is an enthusiasts brand. It just requires more money to be a part of it. I think by this very definition, owners don't consider something they are passionate about to be dumb. My father won't buy a BMW anymore because of the problems he had with his 750 many years ago, it's all Lexus for him these days. You won't find him caring about BMW model distinctions because he's not an enthusiast. I think we've all known for a long time that our MINIs aren't the most reliable cars on the road--they have had a number of issues--all things that the non enthusiast won't tolerate, yet we're still here today, looking at the next generation of MINIs. See, it wasn't that hard to use MINI, it certainly won't be the next generation of Minis.

Like it's been said before, there are only two distinctions Mini and MINI and its' been that way since the first MINI was introduced way back in 2002.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Matt - you think the model codes are silly too? How are people supposed to talk about specific features of a car? Model year? That doesn't always work, and can lead to MORE confusion... witness the convertible that continues to be a 1st Generation MINI for both 2007 and 2008. It is DRASTICALLY different than the 2007 and 2008 coupes (R56), so saying "2007 MINI" isn't enough.

True enough, as Richard suggested, only enthusiasts will care... but only enthusiasts are likely to talk much about the detailed differences between generations of a car model anyway, so it becomes a moot issue.

As an enthusiast yourself Matt... surely you can see the necessity of the model codes to reducing confusion. Up until this year, it was less of a big deal - we just said "Cooper, Cooper S, Convertible", etc... and they were all the same basic general design. Not the case any more!

 

In reality we drive Maxi's not Mini's. Just park them side by side & you will see what I mean. I know there was a Austin Maxi...aka Land Crab.

I have a Mini owning friend that always says that ain't no Mini. To him I say "Capitol M-I-N-I". That works for us.

 

Just like you read. When all caps, it is proper to YELL the word. So when you say, "This is a Mini, and this is a MINI", the second MINI would be spoken at a higher volume.

Yes, but it would make more sense to do a poll.

 

CAPS LOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL

BMW mini is just trying to be cool too.

 

[Pedant mode]

The Maxi and the Land Crab where very different animals

This is an Austin 1800 - AKA Landcrab



While this is an Austin Maxi



[/pedant mode]


In reality the Maxi replaced the Astin 1800/2200, despite being cheaper and aimed at a lower end of the market - it did however share the doors of the 1800 for production cost reasons !

Just to keep this on a 'Mini' subject, my uncle worked at Abingdon in the 60's on many of the rally cars of the era, he would tell a story of how a Mini Cooper ate its drive-shafts during an ascent right at the end of a rally, not having time to fix it, the support crew pushed the Mini up the hill with a landcrab, then catching and nudging it a few hundred yards from the finish, the driver all the time making it sound like he was driving - it may have been Paddy Hopkirk or Timo (??) he crossed the line and handbrake turned it into the paddock and (vitally) pulled a fuse to prevent it from starting - the mechanics then had to be seen to push it to Park the winners circle.

Obviously the story changed over the years, so I have no idea how accurate at all it might be - but the landcrabs where tremendous rally support vehicles.......

 

I joined the BMWCCA, and have been getting Roundel (Good mag, really). Last issue there was an article about the BMW people and the Mini people cross polinating more, and why it wasn't happening. When I read that I though "It's because I'm not a freaking BMW expert and you guys don't even speak something I can recognize as English!" Sure there are cases where precisions is needed, like two individuals negotiating the details of a contract. But when the communication is mostly shorthand, and also creates a large "barrier to entry" to the uninitiated, I think the consiquences may be more a negative than the posatives postulated.

I had another thought as well..... When I go by Ford dealers, I see signes that say "FORD". But we all call them Fords. Same with Chevrolet (at least a lot used all caps).

I just don't get it. And that's OK... As I get older, this seems to happen more and more often!

Matt

PS, on the way to daycare today, I was talking to my wife about this. To paraphrase her response, it was an eyerollie -Whatever! and some comments about people having too much time on thier hands and general silliness (not exactly, but close).

 

A little while back I had a conversation with "someone with MINI USA". He actually said that MINI was "us" and Mini was "them". I quickly 'splained to him that I was "we" and sent him a bi-minual sticker.

By the way, if there is to be a pole I would recommend it be at least a 10 ft 1 inch. There are a lot of things people won't touch with a 10ft pole.

 

For people that have both a Mini and a MINI the caps is a big deal. It took my friends a little while, but they now know which car I am talking about by how I type the name.

 

how do you talk about it?

Matt

 

Ha! If you think Mini and MINI are / should be the same, try showing up (by invitation no less) at a British car show. The few guys and gals there with Mini's will all but key your car. Ok, slight exaggeration, slight...

The general crowd loves seeing MINIs. I've gone over to look at Mini's and had nice chats with their owners. But I'm careful not to mention what I have. You should see their faces when they walk by later and see me by my car. If looks could kill...

I still go and it doesn't bother me, but its pretty amazing how wound up people get.

 

When talking about my cars in the spoken word I generally refer to them as the little car and big car. It drives a lot of people nuts when I talk about the MINI as a big car.