[0rph3u5]

Viewpoints matter....

I once, during an early campaign development some years back, thought it was a good idea to base a terminology from the Earth-viewpoint on "marooning" (the act of leaving some alone in the wilderness) but my wikipedia-serach turned up that "Maroon" is actually already a term for the people and their culture that were escaped african slaves in the Americas, so it is a "use with caution"-situation as I have no idea if this is a self-designation or a deregatory term (I never did that research as I simply scrapped that part of the story because it was no adding anything to the plot)

[NGTM-1R]

That doesn't really make sense.

"Yeah, us Terrans are currently fighting those Earthers."
"Uh... aren't they also Terrans?"
"Of course not; they're not in the GTVA."
""

That makes perfect sense. They're not Earthers; they're Earth's Terrans. Adjectival Terrans.

Spacenoids

Not while your soul is weighed down by gravity!

[Colonol Dekker]

Negative,  I am a meat popsicle.

[AdmiralRalwood]

That makes perfect sense.

I don't think our definitions of "sense" match up, then.

[Colonol Dekker]

Terra is old speak for Earth/ground.  Terra firma -  solid earth

[0rph3u5]

Terra is old speak for Earth/ground. Terra firma -  solid earth

It's Latin ... and it is "earth" (when you need no information on wheter it is soil or not) or simply "land"; in oposition to "mare" (= sea); "orbis terrarum" is the term for the World/Earth

[Colonol Dekker]

My point being expressed here is earthers = terrans.

[0rph3u5]

My point being expressed here is earthers = terrans.

And your point is based on a false ethymology (not to mention that the "old speak"-comment betrayed a hint of anti-intelectulaism that is unbecoming in the information age IMO)...by the latin root of the term, "Terran" would be a "land-dweller"

The designation Terran or Terra Firma for the planet is from the Renissance/Enlightnment period, when Europeans rediscovered Astronomy as a science and translated greek and arabic works into Latin; because there was no proof that any one could ever reach the other observed planets, the dichtonomy of land-sea remained fixed in the world view, even as it expanded. As such the only know life-supporting planet became analogue to "land" as the only place of possible settlement and living.

By extension of the analogue, Terran would for a sci-fi setting work as a term for all planet-dwelling humans, heck even for all planet-dwelling lifeforms - not just for "humans from Earth".

[Colonol Dekker]

Countless groups,  individuals,  works of fiction already use terran as an analogue collective to the human race, agreed. Don't assume my casual use of language in previous posts equates to a lack of intellectual capacity though. That's borderline tut tut tut.


I'm not engaging in any further discussion seeing as you appear to have a reciprocal view as myself ad others but are nitpicking.

[Lepanto]

Whatever name works for you, works for you. There is no one definitive name for the GTVA Terrans; I just wanted to know what different people thought.

[0rph3u5]

Don't assume my casual use of language in previous posts equates to a lack of intellectual capacity though.

Never said anything about you lacking intellectual capacity or ability, I said this:

(not to mention that the "old speak"-comment betrayed a hint of anti-intelectulaism that is unbecoming in the information age IMO)

I accused you of not finding out the that "terra" was a latin word, instead using to "old speak" which is imprecise. Considering that finding out the precise distinction (of which language it comes from) would have taken less than a few keystrokes (or picking up a dictonary), I can only assume that you did it on purpose.

Your response even confirms that, as you wrongly equated that me saying "using the term 'old speak' is anti-intellectual" with me supposidly saying "you are stupid". Anti-Intellecutalism is a mode of behaivior betraying distain for intellectuals, not the lack of capacity to be one.

(It may be noted, that I work in a field were the precision of language is paramount [e.g. I work for an Ethics Board], as much I am very sensitive to the proper use of terminology - doesn't improve my grammar and spelling though )

Countless groups,  individuals,  works of fiction already use terran as an analogue collective to the human race, agreed.

This is the best of a common definition I could find: Earthling (Wikipedia)*
But I have yet to find an explicitly stated reasoning for chosing "Terran" over any other term. Considering its use in Science Fiction dates back to the 1950s when it was a pulp genre in most literal sense of the word, little I can find on the creative processes that lead to its use.
For that reason I defaulted back to the latin root of the world and cultural context that gave way to its present use - but as I pointed out, nothing there limites the term "Terrans" to humans, aside from the fact that anthropocentrism is still a cultural default to most.

[Phantom Hoover]

You're being really condescending about this for some reason; please stop. I don't even know what you're saying, except being really pedantic about the use of 'terra' to refer to Earth.

[Lepanto]

Calm down, it's not worth an internet fight over.

[NGTM-1R]

I don't think our definitions of "sense" match up, then.

Well, yes, but I suspect it's because you're not reading at this point. I offered a demonstration in the next sentence; if you have objection, make it instead of being merely snide.

I mean, I'm all for snide, but I try to actually explain why I feel it necessary usually.

[AdmiralRalwood]

I offered a demonstration in the next sentence; if you have objection, make it instead of being merely snide.

My objection is that it doesn't actually make sense, hence why I said our definitions of what that means obviously don't match up.

[Luis Dias]

Never said anything about you lacking intellectual capacity or ability, I said this:

(not to mention that the "old speak"-comment betrayed a hint of anti-intelectulaism that is unbecoming in the information age IMO)

I accused you of not finding out the that "terra" was a latin word, instead using to "old speak" which is imprecise. Considering that finding out the precise distinction (of which language it comes from) would have taken less than a few keystrokes (or picking up a dictonary), I can only assume that you did it on purpose.

oldspeak - "imprecise".

"I can only assume that you did it on purpose".

What the hell am I reading here.

[Mongoose]

Spring's almost over guys.  Time to turn down the testosterone drips.

[SmashMonkey]

I once saw a Marine bar fight that ended in a stabbing.

What caused it? A math problem

[qwadtep]

I once saw a Marine bar fight that ended in a stabbing.

What caused it? A math problem

The equality of certain repeating decimals to the closest whole number is serious business 

[Colonol Dekker]

The only military math in bars is either,  my change is wrong,  or you plus my woman equals trouble.