PSA: Kerbals Not Kerbins

[tg626]

Um, it's not called the "Kerbonaut Complex" it is called the "Astronaut Complex"

[technicalfool]

Is Mun truly pronounced 'Moon'? Because my GF, who doesn't even play the stupid game, all but hits me when I pronounce it 'the Moon.'

ITS THE MUN SHE SAYS.

Now perhaps I owe her some payback.

To be even more pedantic, it's not even "The Mün." It's simply "Mün", which happens to be one of two moons orbiting Kerbin.

Earth's moon isn't called "the Luna" (or perhaps "The Selene" depending on your mythology), it's simply "Luna". Hence the adjective "Lunar".

^{This is where Felipe drops in and tells us we're all wrong...}

[razark]

I also can't stand people who call Kerbal Space Program 'Kerbal' if you want to abbreviate it, it's KSP.

Meh. "Kerbal" rolls off the tongue easier than "KSP" when talking. People know the meaning being conveyed.

Now, if there we multiple "Kerbal X Program"s for assorted values of X you might have a point.

Edited June 8, 2015 by razark

[SAI Peregrinus]

Um, it's not called the "Kerbonaut Complex" it is called the "Astronaut Complex"

The ones traveling in space are Astronauts (Or Cosmonauts). The ones traveling on Kerbin's surface are Kerbonauts (or should it be Keonauts?).

[annallia]

If a singular Kerbal is a Kerman, than a female kerbal should be a Kermaid. Mün is Mun. I also can't stand people who call Kerbal Space Program 'Kerbal' (I'm talking about you Mr. Musk) if you want to abbreviate it, it's KSP. /rant

That makes really no sense. I mean I agree with you on the KSP thing, but the Kermaid?

Yeah, they're kernauts if they go to space, kerbals if they live in a cage and eat birdseed.

BTW why is the thread posted?

- - - Updated - - -

Kearth, Mon, Evenus, Mercuroho, Marduna, Peelooto, Joolupiter

Don't that make you feel nostalgic?

They would be astronauts or Kosmonauts, not kermauts. Astro and Cosmo/Kosmo if you must refer to well... The cosmos not the origin of the naut (which refers to sailor) And no it does not make me feel nostalgic, thankfully I missed that time.

Nowhere in the game is the star called Kerbol - it's just the sun. And Mun isn't German and, therefore, doesn't have an umlaut.

True, though Sun System just sounds silly so someone morphed Sol into Kerbol and everyone sort of ran with it.

[Tankman101]

I thought they were called Gremlins...

[DMSP]

I dislike it when people say "Leythe" or "Laeyth".

It's Laythe!!!

[RAINCRAFTER]

I can't believe I called my favorite celestial body, Minmus, in the majority of my time here,

"Minimus".

I landed on it once, tried many times, and looked at it on the map screen lot; but I still called it that.

Edited June 8, 2015 by RAINCRAFTER

[adsii1970]

True, though Sun System just sounds silly so someone morphed Sol into Kerbol and everyone sort of ran with it.

I have an old astronomy textbook that actually refers to Earth as Sol III, and the Moon as Sol IIIa; I bet this is why in the Star Trek world, we hear of places like Seti Alpha V...

Edited June 8, 2015 by adsii1970

[Commissioner Tadpole]

Spell check is what causes the Kernel issue.

Aaaaah. That explains it.

[Hotaru]

I have an old astronomy textbook that actually refers to Earth a Sol III, and the Moon as Sol IIIa; I bet this is why in the Star Trek world, we hear of places like Seti Alpha V...

The way I remember it is things orbiting stars get (lower-case, annoyingly) letters and things orbiting planets get Roman numerals. So Earth would be "Sol d" and the Moon, "Earth II." In fact Wikipedia specifically refers to Titan as "Saturn VI." That's what I use when I'm writing sci-fi, anyway. It fits with the naming scheme of extra-solar planets, which are always called something like "HD123456b" (which would be a planet of a star called HD123456) since nobody's bothered giving them proper names yet.

Me, I think I pretty much always get "Kerbal" right except for occasionally slipping up and calling them "Kermans" (which I know is technically right, but "Kerbal" is so widely used now it's hard to argue it's not the standard term). On the other hand I occasionally confuse "Kerbol," "Kerbal," and "Kerbin" when referring to the planet Kerbin. I'm usually pretty careful to get them right in forum posts but I slip up all the time in actual conversation.

On the other hand I have to say it doesn't bother me when people get it wrong, so long as they're close enough that I at least know what they're on about. I do find the "adding K to every word" thing slightly annoying depending on context, but not enough to complain about it. I am glad it stopped being called "Kearth" though.

[PB666]

The umlaut appears on the title screen capsule "Mün or bust"

It is pronounced M-oo-n not M-uh-n, and I will cover my ears and say lalalalalalala if any one says different!

The "ü" on kerbin is pronounced ayeeuuuiii so its actually mayeeuuuiiin or bust, we learned this today since Mün is not German and thus it cannot be a german pronunciation.

[Captain Sierra]

I dislike it when people say "Leythe" or "Laeyth".

It's Laythe!!!

For the longest time I kept forgetting the Y, spelling it just Lathe. I know, terrible. Can finally spell it right now since I managed to not let Jool eat me before I got there last time I went.

[PB666]

I have an old astronomy textbook that actually refers to Earth as Sol III, and the Moon as Sol IIIa; I bet this is why in the Star Trek world, we hear of places like Seti Alpha V...

Wait..... wasn't Seti alpha V confused with Seti alpha VI. Doesn't seem like a very robust systematics if you get things confused lets check the wiki....

"Wrath of Khan" check

Ricardo Montalban wearing hideaous breast plate- check.

William shattners horrifically bad acting - double check.

Reliant officers . . . . . . which they believe to be Ceti Alpha VI; once there, they are captured by genetically engineered tyrant Khan Noonien Singh. The Enterprise discovered Khan's ship adrift in space 15 years previously; Kirk exiled Khan and his fellow supermen from 20th-century Earth to Ceti Alpha V . . . . .

Oops seems like the planets did not have a unique intrinsically defined identifyer.

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

"Kerman" I can stand if the person is using it as Kerman the lastname and not the species. You know, they are the Simpsons, the Smiths, the Kermans.

Funny how one takes issue over something one knows irrelevant, but with repetitions it makes your blood boil.

[Red Iron Crown]

If a singular Kerbal is a Kerman, than a female kerbal should be a Kermaid. Mün is Mun. I also can't stand people who call Kerbal Space Program 'Kerbal' (I'm talking about you Mr. Musk) if you want to abbreviate it, it's KSP. /rant

Kerman is a surname, and we don't change those for gender, generally speaking.

[Guest]

To be even more pedantic, it's not even "The Mün." It's simply "Mün", which happens to be one of two moons orbiting Kerbin.

In most, if not all, of the flavor text in the game, including the recently added contracts, it is referred to as "The Mun", indicating it has connection with the American English way of referring to our own moon as "The Moon". I'll take that over any real-life rationalization any day.

[J.Random]

PSA: this thread is kinda useless. Everyone will still call little green cosmonauts whatever they want to call them.

Also, PSA: what's with the "PSA" thing lately? It seems like everything requires to be announced now, otherwise people will notice it's not important.

[monstah]

My thoughts exactly.

I call the star "the sun", the Mun "the moon", Minus "the little moon", and Kerbals "these guys".

Come correct me whoever wishes to, it's honestly not that important.

[Commander Jebidiah]

"1.0.2" not "1.02". Version numbers are not decimal.

Sorry, I've been wanting to get that off my chest for weeks.

This and 0.90 being called 0.9

Version 0.9 was released in 2011

[Starwhip]

This and 0.90 being called 0.9

Version 0.9 was released in 2011

This.

Then there are the "claims" (not really, just a typo) of having 1.2.0.

Getting "Kerbal" and "Kerbin", or "Kerbal" and "Kerbal Space Program" mixed up. Jeez, the message gets warped beyond belief sometimes.

[SuperWeegee4000]

In most, if not all, of the flavor text in the game, including the recently added contracts, it is referred to as "The Mun", indicating it has connection with the American English way of referring to our own moon as "The Moon". I'll take that over any real-life rationalization any day.

I agree. It sounds kind of silly without "the," even if you pronounce it as "Muhn" like I do, instead of "Moon."

[Hotaru]

This and 0.90 being called 0.9

Version 0.9 was released in 2011

Now although I do notice this, it doesn't bother me so much as the annoying convention of using decimal notation for a system that isn't actually decimal, so to anybody used to math but not software development, "zero point ninety" looks like it should be equal to "zero point nine."

I know, I know, it's a well-established system and we're stuck with it, and I'm pretty much used to it myself anyway, but I can't help but wish we used a different character there instead of a period (or comma). 1-0-2 or 1|0|2 or 1~0~2 or 1x0x2 or 1+0+2 or something instead of 1.0.2 that looks like it should be the same as 1.02. (Not sure how you'd pronounce them though, hard to beat the convenience of "point.")

PS. Or just use a different system altogether, like alternating letters and numbers for aircraft models. 1.0.2 becomes KSP-1A-2. You don't even need the dashes, if you don't want them.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Hotaru

[Robotengineer]

Kerman is a surname, and we don't change those for gender, generally speaking.

It was a play on words of merman and mermaid.

[Red Iron Crown]

My sense of humor may need a reboot, Robotengineer.