Kerbals vs Kerblings

[eightiesboi]

As I was posting elsewhere, it occurred to me: why do we call Kerbals "Kerbals"? After all, they aren't from Kerbal, which is slightly warmer than comfortable and difficult to walk on, but Kerbin. We could call them "Kerbins", but that might become confusing during the inevitable "Crisis on Infinite Kerbins", for obvious reasons. We could call them Kerbinians. 

Consider, we are not Sols, or Solians, or Solars. Earthlings works, as does Terrans (but not Earthians--I'll fight you). This allows our solar system to have Martians and Venusians and Jovians. 

So, why Kerbals?

(Must get coffee now)

[purpleivan]

A Kerbling is a young Kerbal... everyone knows that

[eightiesboi]

 

47 minutes ago, purpleivan said:

A Kerbling is a young Kerbal... everyone knows that

I am not convinced. I think we're mistranslating from Kerblish....

[kerbiloid]

https://www.google.com/search?q=kerb&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwj34Lm0yffnAhXIdJoKHVUZAGgQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=kerb&gs_l=img.3..0i10i1i67j0l9.2050.2050..2203...0.0..0.107.107.0j1......0....1..gws-wiz-img.9OamJBvzsis&ei=7MVaXve6CMjp6QTVsoDABg&bih=1087&biw=2133

Maybe they are from the kerb of the universe?
So, "kerb-al" is an adjective.

Also this explains why do they gather their parts on the side of the road, i.e. from the kerb.

Maybe "kerb-al", not "kerb-ling", show their optimism. They relate to the kerb of the world, but are not a kerb dwellers by nature.

***

We can also find a sense for the "kerblet", i.e. some small and Kerbish, but I have no idea what.

Also "kerbino" and "kerbon" for the elementary particles.

[eightiesboi]

Do many of them go to UC Kerbaley? 

Also: https://www.writerscentre.com.au/blog/qa-curb-vs-kerb/

Now I definitely need more kaffeine. And possibly a kertini.

But back to the question that has me staying up all night: does Kthulhu exist?

No, not that one... why Kerbals? Why not Kerbs or Kerblings (looking right at you @purpleivan) or Kerbinians, or Kerbians or Kernals or Captain Kerks? Why name themselves after their Sun? 

[Dirkidirk]

4 hours ago, eightiesboi said:

As I was posting elsewhere, it occurred to me: why do we call Kerbals "Kerbals"? After all, they aren't from Kerbal, which is slightly warmer than comfortable and difficult to walk on, but Kerbin. We could call them "Kerbins", but that might become confusing during the inevitable "Crisis on Infinite Kerbins", for obvious reasons. We could call them Kerbinians. 

Consider, we are not Sols, or Solians, or Solars. Earthlings works, as does Terrans (but not Earthians--I'll fight you). This allows our solar system to have Martians and Venusians and Jovians. 

So, why Kerbals?

(Must get coffee now)

As I was posting elsewhere, it occurred to me: why do we call humans "humans"? After all, they aren't from human, which is slightly warmer than comfortable and difficult to walk on, but earth. We could call them "earths", but that might become confusing during the inevitable "Crisis on Infinite earths", for obvious reasons. We could call them earthinians. 

Consider, we are not Sols, or Solians, or Solars. kerblings works, as does kerbans (but not kerbinians--I'll fight you). This allows our solar system to have dunains and evesians and Joovians. 

So, why humans?

(Must get coffee now)

[steuben]

The  sun's name is Kerbol.

The Doylist answer is that they were called Kerbals back when it was two guys shooting rockets off in the school parking lot. Everything extends from that.

The Watsonian answer is in the older forms of the language it was Kerbinal, of the planet Kerbin. However, over the course of time it has been truncated to Kerbal.

But careful, such things a very deep rabbit hole to go down.

[eightiesboi]

Just now, Dirkidirk said:

As I was posting elsewhere, it occurred to me: why do we call humans "humans"? After all, they aren't from human, which is slightly warmer than comfortable and difficult to walk on, but earth. We could call them "earths", but that might become confusing during the inevitable "Crisis on Infinite earths", for obvious reasons. We could call them earthinians. 

Consider, we are not Sols, or Solians, or Solars. kerblings works, as does kerbans (but not kerbinians--I'll fight you). This allows our solar system to have dunains and evesians and Joovians. 

So, why humans?

(Must get coffee now)

Well, we do call beings from Earth "Earthlings" or "Terrans".... do Kerblings have kats?

[Dirkidirk]

Just now, steuben said:

The  sun's name is Kerbol.

according to the game itself, kerbals call their star "the sun".

[eightiesboi]

3 minutes ago, steuben said:

The  sun's name is Kerbol.

The Doylist answer is that they were called Kerbals back when it was two guys shooting rockets off in the school parking lot. Everything extends from that.

The Watsonian answer is in the older forms of the language it was Kerbinal, of the planet Kerbin. However, over the course of time it has been truncated to Kerbal.

But careful, such things a very deep rabbit hole to go down.

True, the sun's name is Kerbol and not Kerbal, but I'll put the reference in my OP down to the linguistic drift of Kerblish and not a mistake on my part...

 

Edited February 29, 2020 by eightiesboi

[Dirkidirk]

6 hours ago, eightiesboi said:

 do Kerblings have kats?

then kerbals would be kumans, and cats would be hats. they most likely have a different completely name if kerbals even domesticates an animal analogous to cats

Edited March 1, 2020 by Dirkidirk

[cantab]

The people were originally called Kermen. "Kerbal" was and still is an adjective to describe something that's over-the-top, crazy, and quite likely to explode. At some point that adjective came to describe the little green men (and later women) themselves.

[Grande1900]

6 hours ago, cantab said:

The people were originally called Kermen. "Kerbal" was and still is an adjective to describe something that's over-the-top, crazy, and quite likely to explode. At some point that adjective came to describe the little green men (and later women) themselves.

Hence the common last name Kerman.

[kerbiloid]

13 hours ago, Dirkidirk said:

we are not Sols, or Solians, or Solars

Solals. Like Kerbals.

13 hours ago, Dirkidirk said:

why do we call humans "humans"?

To humiliate the Solals.

13 hours ago, steuben said:

The  sun's name is Kerbol.

In the KSP folk speech tradition. Officially it's "Sun".

13 hours ago, eightiesboi said:

Well, we do call beings from Earth "Earthlings" or "Terrans".

"we" = "galactic authorities"

Now we know how they call us.

13 hours ago, eightiesboi said:

do Kerblings have kats?

Have a look at the github mascot.

[Rocket Witch]

15 hours ago, Dirkidirk said:

As I was posting elsewhere, it occurred to me: why do we call humans "humans"? After all, they aren't from human, which is slightly warmer than comfortable and difficult to walk on, but earth. We could call them "earths", but that might become confusing during the inevitable "Crisis on Infinite earths", for obvious reasons. We could call them earthinians. 

Consider, we are not Sols, or Solians, or Solars. kerblings works, as does kerbans (but not kerbinians--I'll fight you). This allows our solar system to have dunains and evesians and Joovians. 

So, why humans?

(Must get coffee now)

This one's a job to explain...

Humans already have a very good idea of the physical nature of their fellows, so among ourselves it is more pertinent for us to communicate our subtle differences in culture, rather than our evident similarities in physiology. The 'planet-lings' naming of species' is a sci-fi trope presumably rooted in how humans identify each other by the lands they are from, as in the Eng-lish being the people of Eng-land. This kind of thing is unlikely to persist far after societally integrating with aliens though, to a degree depending on our differences, as the physiological distinctions then arise to the forefront. To them we will be 'human' and to us they will not be named after their homeworld's present-day name.

However, just to complicate matters, humans are in fact from human! Historically, 'beings of planet Earth' has not at all been a description of the human experience. However, we are beings of the earth (not capitalised), with the etymology of the word 'human' tracing back to 'humus' or soil, dirt, mud... earth.

One thing to remember also is that terms like 'Earthling' or 'earths' or 'eathinians' are clumsy, as they can refer to any or every species originating from Earth. This isn't completely wrong though, since wherever we venture, we will bring with us all the other lifeforms we depend on.

Edited March 1, 2020 by Rocket Witch

[eightiesboi]

3 hours ago, Rocket Witch said:

This one's a job to explain...

Humans already have a very good idea of the physical nature of their fellows, so among ourselves it is more pertinent for us to communicate our subtle differences in culture, rather than our evident similarities in physiology. The 'planet-lings' naming of species' is a sci-fi trope presumably rooted in how humans identify each other by the lands they are from, as in the Eng-lish being the people of Eng-land. This kind of thing is unlikely to persist far after societally integrating with aliens though, to a degree depending on our differences, as the physiological distinctions then arise to the forefront. To them we will be 'human' and to us they will not be named after their homeworld's present-day name.

However, just to complicate matters, humans are in fact from human! Historically, 'beings of planet Earth' has not at all been a description of the human experience. However, we are beings of the earth (not capitalised), with the etymology of the word 'human' tracing back to 'humus' or soil, dirt, mud... earth.

One thing to remember also is that terms like 'Earthling' or 'earths' or 'eathinians' are clumsy, as they can refer to any or every species originating from Earth. This isn't completely wrong though, since wherever we venture, we will bring with us all the other lifeforms we depend on.

You just made my day! When I wrote the OP, I really had been thinking about this, and I decided to post my stray thought in the hopes that it caused some amusement for others. I didn't expect a cogent, well-written response such as yours. 

I hereby consider my musing sufficiently pondered. Please go on to more important questions, like "why is there air?", "Does this rocket have sufficient dV to make orbit AND return the crew safely?", or "Why is Jeb attaching explosives to that fuel tank?"

(Although I never found out whether Kerbals have kats....)

[Kerbart]

23 hours ago, eightiesboi said:

So, why Kerbals?

(Must get coffee now)

Because language doesn't evolve logically and there's often unseen history involved.

People from Denmark are "Danes," not "Denmarkers," it's not as uncommon as you think that the adjective for the people is not simply a matter of "origin" + "er/ian"

[eightiesboi]

4 minutes ago, Kerbart said:

Because language doesn't evolve logically and there's often unseen history involved.

People from Denmark are "Danes," not "Denmarkers," it's not as uncommon as you think that the adjective for the people is not simply a matter of "origin" + "er/ian"

Well, not really. People from Denmark call themselves "danskere", or at least that's what Wikipedia tells me. And regardless, that's not the same as a species or planetary identity.

And I do know a rather cunning linguist who would argue whether language evolves logically. 

And lastly.... mmmmmmmm, danish!

[Curveball Anders]

Quote

People from Denmark are "Danes," not "Denmarkers," it's not as uncommon as you think that the adjective for the people is not simply a matter of "origin" + "er/ian"

As a neighboring Swede we have another name for them

 

 

 

Edit:
Note that the clip is from a Danish TV Series

Edited March 1, 2020 by Curveball Anders

[kerbiloid]

22 minutes ago, Kerbart said:

People from Denmark are "Danes," not "Denmarkers,"

"mark" = "frontier county", "recently delimited territory", so Danes here instead of "Den"''s, whose the county is.

(Yes, I know it;s a kingdom. But the name is "-mark".)

Edited March 1, 2020 by kerbiloid

[Rocket Witch]

6 hours ago, eightiesboi said:

(Although I never found out whether Kerbals have kats....)

Mystery Goo is a Kerbal stand-in for animal experiments, so I've heard.

So some kind of sentient playdough blob is their probable equivalent to cats and dogs.

[kerbiloid]

And a popular dog name on Kerbin is Kerberus.

Edited March 2, 2020 by kerbiloid