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That is certainly true. After all, if most academia researchers have misused the term for such a long time it is certainly possible that Latro could have too. But I think that Wolfe was simply using the meaning that has been erroneously used for a long time in academia. He can't certainly be blamed on that. <BR>
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Pedro<BR><BR>> Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 18:30:44 -0400<BR>> From: fqgouvea@colby.edu<BR>> To: urth@lists.urth.net<BR>> Subject: Re: (urth) New Wolfe Listing on Amazon<BR>> <BR>> Remember that Wolfe has Latro call Sparta "Rope". That's a false <BR>> etymology as well, but the idea is that it is one that Latro might have <BR>> come up with.<BR>> <BR>> Fernando<BR>> <BR>> Pedro Pereira wrote:<BR>> <BR>> > Another thing is the translation of the word "hoplite". It doesn't mean <BR>> > "shield man" and in fact the word does not derive from "shield". This is <BR>> > a misuse of the term that has plagued the academia for a long time and <BR>> > is now beying droped from use. "Hoplon", "hopla", etc could mean any one <BR>> > part of the equipment (armor) of the hoplite or his equipment (armor) as <BR>> > a whole. A better translation of "hoplite" would simply be "heavily <BR>> > armored infantryman" instead of the term used in Wolfe (shieldman) which <BR>> > is a wrong interpretation of the ancient greek meaning of the word. But <BR>> > Wolfe ofcourse could not know that since the article that brought the <BR>> > academia's attention to this issue was published after the first books <BR>> > were published.<BR>> <BR>> -- <BR>> =============================================================<BR>> Fernando Q. Gouvea<BR>> Carter Professor of Mathematics<BR>> Colby College Editor, MAA FOCUS<BR>> 5836 Mayflower Hill Editor, MAA Reviews<BR>> Waterville, ME 04901 http://mathdl.maa.org/mathDL/19/<BR>> http://www.colby.edu/~fqgouvea<BR>> <BR>> We think that we invent symbols. The truth is that they invent us; we <BR>> are their creatures, shaped by their hard, defining edges.<BR>> -- Gene Wolfe, in The Shadow of the Torturer<BR>> <BR>> _______________________________________________<BR>> Urth Mailing List<BR>> To post, write urth@urth.net<BR>> Subscription/information: http://www.urth.net<BR><BR><br /><hr />Explore the seven wonders of the world <a href='http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=7+wonders+world&mkt=en-US&form=QBRE' target='_new'>Learn more!</a></body>
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