From: Brad Sparks <RB47x.nul>
Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:32:12 EDT
Archived: Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:30:00 -0400
Subject: Re: Surprise! Water On Mars


>From: Don Ledger <dledger.nul>
>To: ufoupdates.nul
>Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:49:25 -0300
>Subject: Re: Surprise! Water On Mars

>Not to be a smart ass but the original canal was shortened from
>the Italian word canali first coined by Giovanni Schiaparelli. It
>means means channels but was shortened to the English canals.

Hi Don,

Not to pick on you but you bring up a point that has bothered me
since childhood. Hasn't research been done to find out what
astronomer Schiaparelli actually meant? I thought I read some
history of the Martian canals that Schiaparelli did mean
artificial canals but wasn't sure so he used an ambiguious term.

Wikipedia article on Martian Canals states:

"It is often stated that Schiaparelli intended the meaning
"channels" and that "canals" was a misunderstanding or
mistranslation into English. Nevertheless, the English term
"canals" was used from the very earliest accounts in English, and
as far as is known, Schiaparelli made no effort to correct the
supposed misunderstanding if he was aware of it. As the word
"canal" can also mean "channel" or "watercourse" =E2=80=93 not
necessarily artificial in English, the charge of "mistranslation"
is unwarranted."

Maybe some historians of astronomy can weigh in here.


Brad



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