Earthling

Earthlings (also known as Earthers or Gaians, or Terrans) are inhabitants of the planet Earth. The word's use in science fiction dates to 1949, in Red Planet by Robert A. Heinlein.

This article is about inhabitants of the planet Earth. For other uses, see Earthling (disambiguation).

History

Historically, the term earthling referred to a mortal inhabitant of the Earth as opposed to spiritual or divine entities. In Early Modern English, the word was used with the intention of contrasting "earth" with "heaven", and so presenting man as an inhabitant of the sublunary sphere, as opposed to heavenly creatures or deities.[1] The derivation from the noun earth by means of the suffix -ling is already seen in Old English yrþling, in the meaning "ploughman". The sense of "inhabitant of earth" is first attested in the 1590s.[2] Its use in science fiction dates to 1949, in Red Planet by Robert A. Heinlein.

The word human has the same imposed meaning, since it originates from a Proto-Indo-European word *ǵʰmṓ "earthling" < *dʰéǵʰōm "earth". Compare Latin homo "human" and humus "earth, soil".[3]

Modern use

Its modern use in science fiction literature contrasts Earth (the planet) with outer space or hypothetical other planets with sapient life. The term was often used in 1950s science fiction film and novels by aliens to express a disdainful or patronizing tone towards creatures from Earth. The meaning "creature from planet Earth" in the context of space travel may be extended to non-human species, as in "Russia fetes dog Laika, first earthling in space".[4]

The literary effect aimed for is a distancing effect, inviting the readers to contemplate their own species as it might be seen from an external point of view. There is also a belittling effect, in parallel with the use of the -ling suffix in such diminutives as duckling and gosling. Especially in 1950s science fiction, use of the term is a conscious reversal of common assumptions of anthropocentrism or human exceptionalism, and may be an example of an exonym.

In some science fiction media (such as the Star Trek franchise and the 2014 movie Guardians of the Galaxy) the term Terran is used as a term for humans, stemming from terra, the Latin word for Earth. In the original run of the BBC series Doctor Who, the phrase tellurian is used.

See also

• Cosmopolitanism
• Names for the human species
  • Terran
  • Gaian
• Zond 5, first earthlings to travel to and circle the Moon

References

1. Thomas Nashe, Christ's Tears (1593, 1613), p. 124: "Wee (of all earthlings) are Gods vtmost subiects.";
   Drummond of Hawthornden, Poems (1711), p. 31 (written ca. 1630): "Nature gaz'd on with such a curious eye, That earthlings oft her deem'd a deity."
   Cited after Oxford English Dictionary.
2. Harper, Douglas. "earthling". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
3. De Vaan, Michiel (2008). "humus". Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages. Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series. Leiden, Boston: Brill. p. 292.
4. Solovyov, Dmitry; Pearce, Tim (ed.) (11 April 2008). "Russia fetes dog Laika, first earthling in space". Reuters.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)