Escape Artists
PodCastle => Fantasy Discussion => Topic started by: Unblinking on February 22, 2010, 03:08:22 PM
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I did wonder, however: In an eastern dominated technological sphere, would they still be called Zepellins, rather than Nguyens or Thakkars or Wathanyalaks? Just wondering.
Good question! Many things might have different names. But, as in many stories about very different worlds, some choices have to be made to keep the story comprehensible to readers--so the word zeppelin was probably used by the author simply because we all pretty much know what it means already, so we don't waste precious time trying to figure it out. ;D
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I did wonder, however: In an eastern dominated technological sphere, would they still be called Zepellins, rather than Nguyens or Thakkars or Wathanyalaks? Just wondering.
Good question! Many things might have different names. But, as in many stories about very different worlds, some choices have to be made to keep the story comprehensible to readers--so the word zeppelin was probably used by the author simply because we all pretty much know what it means already, so we don't waste precious time trying to figure it out. ;D
"Dirigible" still works, doesn't it?
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Yes, and it was used more often than Zepellins.
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Yes, and it was used more often than Zepellins.
potato potahto. I know what both words mean, so neither would've been jarring.
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Yes, and it was used more often than Zepellins.
potato potahto. I know what both words mean, so neither would've been jarring.
Dirigible is a generic term; "Zeppelin" is somebody's name and is somewhat incongruous for the reason gelee gave above.
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See, I didn't know Zeppelin was somebody's name. I'd more likely use "zeppelin" than "dirigible". And I'm far more likely to use "blimp" than either.
But now I'm just fanning the flames ;)
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See, I didn't know Zeppelin was somebody's name. I'd more likely use "zeppelin" than "dirigible". And I'm far more likely to use "blimp" than either.
But now I'm just fanning the flames ;)
Ah, but a blimp, you see, has no rigid structure.
But I'm picking nits. It was still an excellent story.
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See, I didn't know Zeppelin was somebody's name. I'd more likely use "zeppelin" than "dirigible". And I'm far more likely to use "blimp" than either.
It's the blimp! It's the blimp, Frank! It's the blimp!
When I see you floatin' down the gutter
I'll give you uh bottle uh wine
Put me on the white hook
Back in the fat rack
Shad rack ee shack
The sumptin' hoop the sumptin' hoop
The blimp the blimp
The drazy hoops the drazy hoops
They're camp they're camp
Tits tits the blimp the blimp
The mother ship the mother ship
The brothers hid under their hood
From the blimp the blimp
Children stop yer nursin' unless yer renderin' fun
The mother ship the mother ship
The mother ship's the one
The blimp the blimp
The tapes uh trip it's uh trailin' tail
It's traipse'n along behind the blimp the blimp
The nose has uh crimp
The nose is limp
The blimp the blimp
It blows the air the snoot isn't fair
Look up in the sky there's uh dirigible there
The drazy hoops whir
You can see them just as they were
All the people stir
'n the girls knees trembles
'n run 'n wave their hands
'n run their hands over the blimp the blimp
Daughter don't yuh dare
Oh momma who cares
It's the blimp it's the blimp.
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See, I didn't know Zeppelin was somebody's name. I'd more likely use "zeppelin" than "dirigible". And I'm far more likely to use "blimp" than either.
But now I'm just fanning the flames ;)
I didn't know it was a name either, so I just thought of them as synonyms.
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Everyone is ignoring the fact that "zeppelin" has like five times the inherent awesomeness factor of "dirigible." Don't even start with that "blimp" stuff. The "z" alone is worth almost double points.
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@cat -- I'll have to concede that point!
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Everyone is ignoring the fact that "zeppelin" has like five times the inherent awesomeness factor of "dirigible." Don't even start with that "blimp" stuff. The "z" alone is worth almost double points.
Google:
"Awesome Zeppelin" = 1,910
"Awesome Dirigible" = 55
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Everyone is ignoring the fact that "zeppelin" has like five times the inherent awesomeness factor of "dirigible." Don't even start with that "blimp" stuff. The "z" alone is worth almost double points.
Google:
"Awesome Zeppelin" = 1,910
"Awesome Dirigible" = 55
DO THE MATH.
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Ah, but how cool if it were a Pingsuthiwong? I'm not making these names up, folks. I work in international transport, and these are the surnames of a few of my counterparts overseas.
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I didn't notice at first that this was a thread split. From the title, I thought we were talking about Rush Limbaugh. ;D
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Ah, but how cool if it were a Pingsuthiwong? I'm not making these names up, folks. I work in international transport, and these are the surnames of a few of my counterparts overseas.
Hmm. Nah. "Ping" comes out high-pitched and squeaky in English, "suthi" sounds like a lisp, and "wong" is too close to "wang" and invites puerile jokes. It's just not as awesome as the Zeppelin, which flows trippingly from the English-speaking tongue, has a "Z" (the most inherently awesome letter, even better than "X"), and has the lovely popping "P" in the middle to give it distinction and a clear, crisp sound.
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These synonyms are just plain wrong.
http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/zeppelin
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"Bladder Pirates."
Nope, just not the same ring to it.
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"Ping" comes out high-pitched and squeaky in English, "suthi" sounds like a lisp, and "wong" is too close to "wang" and invites puerile jokes. It's just not as awesome as the Zeppelin, which flows trippingly from the English-speaking tongue, has a "Z" (the most inherently awesome letter, even better than "X"), and has the lovely popping "P" in the middle to give it distinction and a clear, crisp sound.
I would submit the X has the higher awesomeness rating when used with the "Z" sound, if for no other reason than the sheer misdirection of it.
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Everyone is ignoring the fact that "zeppelin" has like five times the inherent awesomeness factor of "dirigible." Don't even start with that "blimp" stuff. The "z" alone is worth almost double points.
Wait, what, are we playing Scrabble?
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Everyone is ignoring the fact that "zeppelin" has like five times the inherent awesomeness factor of "dirigible." Don't even start with that "blimp" stuff. The "z" alone is worth almost double points.
Wait, what, are we playing Scrabble?
Is there ever a time NOT to play Scrabble?
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"Zeppelin" implies a rigid airframe and multiple gas-bags. Dirigible is a term for any lighter-than-air craft capable of steering itself. I might have suggested the term "airship" as that is a synonym for dirigible.