Standardization and EC Culture

[Draco Tanos]

You and your delusions, Lorgan :P

I know, Indirik, but that's just as bad/OOC feeling as East Continent.  The two old War Islands, Far East, and East Continents/Islands are the only ones without In Character names.  Just seems strange.

[Indirik]

Why can't "East Island" be an IC name?

[Draco Tanos]

Because it sounds manufactured?  Doesn't sound natural.  Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, North/South America, Antartica, Beluaterra, Atmara, Dwilight...  They mostly fit together.  East "Island"?  Not so much.  Especially for a sprawling continent.

[vonGenf]

Because it sounds manufactured?  Doesn't sound natural.  Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, North/South America, Antartica, Beluaterra, Atmara, Dwilight...  They mostly fit together.  East "Island"?  Not so much.  Especially for a sprawling continent.

What do you think Australia means? Or Antarctica?

[De-Legro]

the name Australia is derived from the Latin australis, meaning "southern"

Legends of Terra Australis Incognita—an "unknown land of the South"—date back to Roman times and were commonplace in medieval geography, although not based on any documented knowledge of the continent. Following European discovery, names for the Australian landmass were often references to the famed Terra Australis.

[Draco Tanos]

What do you think Australia means? Or Antarctica?

Which I am fine with.  Calling it "South/Southern Island" would be ridiculous, however.

Antartica is a romanized form of "opposite to the Arctic/Opposite of the North".  Again, the name makes all the difference in comparison to the meaning.  If they called it Anti-North, would that truly sound right?  Or would you think our ancestors were on crack?

[De-Legro]

Which I am fine with.  Calling it "South/Southern Island" would be ridiculous, however.

Antartica is a romanized form of "opposite to the Arctic/Opposite of the North".  Again, the name makes all the difference in comparison to the meaning.  If they called it Anti-North, would that truly sound right?  Or would you think our ancestors were on crack?

Right you want something better, look at Australian States

We have Western Australian, why cause it is the western most state
South Australia, yup you guessed it. Oddly enough not the southern most state, but certainly a state in the south of Australia.
Northern Territory, no prizes for why.

[Draco Tanos]

Terms for states and terms for continents don't equate.  States are usually pretty horribly named.  Continents not so much.

[De-Legro]

Terms for states and terms for continents don't equate.  States are usually pretty horribly named.  Continents not so much.

And yet the reality remains. Humans will use uninventive labels as names. Just because in real life the current names for continents, using the English defaults, doesn't do so, does not mean it is unreasonable for fantasy worlds to do so. Things like Australia sound interesting NOW, but back when Latin was of far greater importance and had far greater usage, it was pretty close to an unimaginative label.

[Draco Tanos]

When Australia was discovered by Europeans, Latin wasn't really of "far greater importance"

"The earliest recorded use of the word Australia in English was in 1625 in "A note of Australia del Espíritu Santo, written by Master Hakluyt", published by Samuel Purchas in Hakluytus Posthumus, a corruption of the original Spanish name Austrialia del Espíritu Santo for an island in Vanuatu."

1625?  Latin was mostly a dead language even then except in cases of the Catholic clergy and the more scholarly folk.  It wasn't even used to refer to the continent we now know as Australia specifically until the late 1700s. 

Either way, find me a place in Europe that has such a silly sounding name that wasn't named within the last 200 years.  Remember, the EC is essentially the birthplace of the game, yet it has one of the lamest names.  It's the East Continent/Island?  East of -what-?

[Indirik]

Because it sounds manufactured?

It only sounds manufactured to you because it's your native tongue. If we translated it into some language you didn't know, it would suddenly sound much better to you.

And, honestly, East Island (or East Continent, if you prefer) has been going for so long that the name is stuck. I really don't anyone is going to stop calling it the East Island.

[Indirik]

East of -what-?

East of the Colonies.

http://wiki.battlemaster.org/wiki/File:Bm_map_old.jpg

You had the East Island, the South Island, and the Colonies.

[De-Legro]

When Australia was discovered by Europeans, Latin wasn't really of "far greater importance"

"The earliest recorded use of the word Australia in English was in 1625 in "A note of Australia del Espíritu Santo, written by Master Hakluyt", published by Samuel Purchas in Hakluytus Posthumus, a corruption of the original Spanish name Austrialia del Espíritu Santo for an island in Vanuatu."

1625?  Latin was mostly a dead language even then except in cases of the Catholic clergy and the more scholarly folk.  It wasn't even used to refer to the continent we now know as Australia specifically until the late 1700s. 

Either way, find me a place in Europe that has such a silly sounding name that wasn't named within the last 200 years.  Remember, the EC is essentially the birthplace of the game, yet it has one of the lamest names.  It's the East Continent/Island?  East of -what-?

Countries like France just mean "Land of the Franks" or Russia "Land of the Rus" Not that different to my mind. For example the Persians and Muslims named most of western Europe Frangistan (again means "Land of the Franks") since during the crusades they apparently adopted the habit of referring to all Christains from the area as Franks, regards less of their actual ethnic origin.

When Australia was discovered by Europeans, Latin wasn't really of "far greater importance"


1625?  Latin was mostly a dead language even then except in cases of the Catholic clergy and the more scholarly folk.  It wasn't even used to refer to the continent we now know as Australia specifically until the late 1700s. 

And who the hell do you think generally ended up naming places? For a name to stick is had to be in common usage within texts, you know the texts that Clergy and Scholars wrote. Why do you think Latin names where used, because they were familiar to the people making the names, the explorers the chroniclers.

But largely you are missing the point. Culture should be IG and player driven. Just as people have had great success in game with naming geographical area's on Dwilight, it should be possible to encourage IG usage of a new title for the EC. Get enough people doing it and perhaps Tom would consider renaming it in the game elements that refer to it.

[Draco Tanos]

De-Legro, please re-read my initial post on the matter.

Sorry for the double post, but on the subject of culture...

The name of the continent.  "East Continent" doesn't sound all that in character, especially for the oldest continent in the game. I know at one time I mentioned calling it Easterra, though it seems too much like Easter.

What about the rest of you?  Ever try putting a name to the land we call home?

I was asking if there were other In Character attempts to name it.  Instead I got "It was East Island". 

[De-Legro]

De-Legro, please re-read my initial post on the matter.
I was asking if there were other In Character attempts to name it.  Instead I got "It was East Island".

Mostly no, because the level of confusion with naming a continent something different from what the game already names it.