3 ms·

Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction

50 points by throw0101a 6y ago

devindotcom 6y ago
Interesting way of looking at these terms. If you want a bit of a higher level look, check out the SF Encyclopedia! I've found a LOT of great books and ideas just skimming through this: http://sf-encyclopedia.com/category/themes/theme http://sf-encyclopedia.com/category/themes/theme Watch out for spoilers in the descriptions though.
podiki 6y ago
And see coverage on Ars [0] and NY Times [1] [0] https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/01/warp-speed-prime-directive-predate-star-trek-per-new-reference-tool/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/01/warp-speed-prime-dire... [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/arts/science-fiction-dictionary.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/arts/science-fiction-dict...
CobrastanJorji 6y ago
I'm really unclear on the line between "science fiction" words and...words. "Light-year" is here, citing Asimov in the 1950s, but Wikipedia notes that Germans were already complaining about the unit's name in the 1850s. Then look at the adjective "avian," defined as "(of an alien) bird-like." Avian's already an English adjective meaning bird-like. You can also call an alien "tall" and that doesn't make tall a science fiction word. What're the rules of this thing?
- sohkamyung 6y ago
  Maybe the 'About' page [1] can clear things up: > This site is a historical dictionary of the vocabulary of science fiction. It is edited (and coded) by Jesse Sheidlower, formerly the Editor at Large of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). It's looking at the history of words as they appear in Science Fiction. [1] https://sfdictionary.com/about https://sfdictionary.com/about
  - dkarl 6y ago
    That's incredibly interesting. You can look at usages of "sentient" as an adjective, or usages of "sentient" as a noun. It includes usages from reviews and criticism of SF works as well. Fabulous idea, but missing a lot as of yet -- checking some of my old favorites and more recent ones, it has "psychohistory" from Foundation, but it doesn't have "eptification" or "mucker" from Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner, "dark forest" from Liu Cixin's Three Body Problem trilogy, or "orogene" or "orogeny" from N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy. Looks like what they want in terms of support is labor: https://sfdictionary.com/how_to_help https://sfdictionary.com/how_to_help
    - eesmith 6y ago
      I contributed a few words to the previous project, roughly 20 years ago. One of the requirements was that the word not be a one-off use. Is 'eptification' used in other stories by other authors, for example? "Spindizzy", as I recall, was in the earlier effort, though not here. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spindizzy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spindizzy for background.
      - dkarl 6y ago
        I just realized you saw "spindizzy" before I edited it out -- I didn't know if Cities in Flight was something anybody else remembered. Stand on Zanzibar was full of made-up slang, but eptification and mucker stand out in my memory, because eptification was so similar to the automated learning in the Matrix, and mass shootings (and knifings in other parts of the world) are now a normal part of life. I don't think any other writers picked them up and used them in their work, though.
        eesmith 6y ago
        Actually, I didn't see it in an earlier version of your comment. It really was an independent memory from 20 years ago when I contributed a few word and citations to the original project.
jrd259 6y ago
Where is "ansible"? (Faster-than-light text-only channel) Coined by LeGuin, but also used by Card and others
- nevster 6y ago
  That's funny. That was the first thing I looked for as well! It's on the second page.

50 points by throw0101a 6y ago

Interesting way of looking at these terms. If you want a bit of a higher level look, check out the SF Encyclopedia! I've found a LOT of great books and ideas just skimming through this: http://sf-encyclopedia.com/category/themes/theme http://sf-encyclopedia.com/category/themes/theme Watch out for spoilers in the descriptions though.

podiki 6y ago

And see coverage on Ars [0] and NY Times [1] [0] https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/01/warp-speed-prime-directive-predate-star-trek-per-new-reference-tool/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/01/warp-speed-prime-dire... [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/arts/science-fiction-dictionary.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/arts/science-fiction-dict...

CobrastanJorji 6y ago

I'm really unclear on the line between "science fiction" words and...words. "Light-year" is here, citing Asimov in the 1950s, but Wikipedia notes that Germans were already complaining about the unit's name in the 1850s. Then look at the adjective "avian," defined as "(of an alien) bird-like." Avian's already an English adjective meaning bird-like. You can also call an alien "tall" and that doesn't make tall a science fiction word. What're the rules of this thing?

sohkamyung 6y ago
Maybe the 'About' page [1] can clear things up: > This site is a historical dictionary of the vocabulary of science fiction. It is edited (and coded) by Jesse Sheidlower, formerly the Editor at Large of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). It's looking at the history of words as they appear in Science Fiction. [1] https://sfdictionary.com/about https://sfdictionary.com/about
- dkarl 6y ago
  That's incredibly interesting. You can look at usages of "sentient" as an adjective, or usages of "sentient" as a noun. It includes usages from reviews and criticism of SF works as well. Fabulous idea, but missing a lot as of yet -- checking some of my old favorites and more recent ones, it has "psychohistory" from Foundation, but it doesn't have "eptification" or "mucker" from Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner, "dark forest" from Liu Cixin's Three Body Problem trilogy, or "orogene" or "orogeny" from N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy. Looks like what they want in terms of support is labor: https://sfdictionary.com/how_to_help https://sfdictionary.com/how_to_help
  - eesmith 6y ago
    I contributed a few words to the previous project, roughly 20 years ago. One of the requirements was that the word not be a one-off use. Is 'eptification' used in other stories by other authors, for example? "Spindizzy", as I recall, was in the earlier effort, though not here. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spindizzy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spindizzy for background.
    - dkarl 6y ago
      I just realized you saw "spindizzy" before I edited it out -- I didn't know if Cities in Flight was something anybody else remembered. Stand on Zanzibar was full of made-up slang, but eptification and mucker stand out in my memory, because eptification was so similar to the automated learning in the Matrix, and mass shootings (and knifings in other parts of the world) are now a normal part of life. I don't think any other writers picked them up and used them in their work, though.
      - eesmith 6y ago
        Actually, I didn't see it in an earlier version of your comment. It really was an independent memory from 20 years ago when I contributed a few word and citations to the original project.

jrd259 6y ago

Where is "ansible"? (Faster-than-light text-only channel) Coined by LeGuin, but also used by Card and others

nevster 6y ago
That's funny. That was the first thing I looked for as well! It's on the second page.