Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to A real question.

re: A real question.

I'm not really a space person, just a language person who happens to be a space fan. Does that count?

First, I notice that, among the languages from which I know the appropriate words, they all use the same word for the planet we live on and what it's made of: earth/terre/tierra/erde. A translator from elsewhere could easily conclude that our planet's name is Dirt -- and, in a way, it is.

Second, I've noticed similar hesitation and confusion about carrying the names of certain scientific disciplines to other celestial bodies. For example, is someone who studies the rocks and dirt of Mars a geologist, or an areologist? (I hope our own practitioners of the science will chime in about that...) If they study Earth's Moon, are they lunologists, selenologists, or...?

I suspect that the words we take with us to other planets will retain their meanings for a long time after permanent settlement. Language is driven by common usage, and only constrained in a minor way by 'official' semanticists. People will still 'unearth' things, especially in the figurative sense (as, to 'unearth' clues in a mystery). Pottery made from the clay of Mars will probably still be called 'earthenware', referring to the raw material, not the place of origin.

I think the most significant change will come in those people's references to themselves. It's been touched upon in a ton of SF stories about colonization, and it always seems to mark a 'tipping point' in attitude (and therefore, plot development). Rephrasing the question about worms: Will the first generation of humans to be born on Mars call themselves Martians?

We really can't guess ahead of time. It will depend solely on them... if there ever are any.

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