TERMINOLOGY

   Newcomers to sf are occasionally dismayed by its jargon. Certain concepts have become so useful in sf (and also in talking about it) that they tend to be referred to - especially by GENRE-SF writers - in a kind of shorthand and without explanation. Many receive entries in this volume, sometimes brief (CREDITS), sometimes detailed (ANDROIDS, CLONES, ROBOTS). We regard the briefer entries, mainly devoted to definition, as"terminology" entries and the fuller entries as "theme" entries. This encyclopedia contains 64 terminology entries and 211 theme entries. In the listing below we have marked the latter with an asterisk (TIE).Many but not all sf jargon words and phrases are now recognized by dictionaries. The ones to which we have chosen to give entries are as follows. First isa cluster of terms used by sf readers and critics to describe different aspects of the genre, including CYBERPUNK*, DYSTOPIAS*, EDISONADE*, GAME-WORLDS*, GENRE SF, HARD SF, HEROIC FANTASY, LOST WORLDS*, MONSTERMOVIES*, NEW WAVE*, PLANETARY ROMANCE*, SCIENCE FANTASY*, SF, SCI FI, SCIENTIFIC ROMANCE, SCIENTIFICTION, SHARECROP, SHARED WORLDS*, SLIPSTREAM SF, SOFT SF, SPACE OPERA*, SPECULATIVE FICTION, STEAMPUNK*, SWORD AND SORCERY*, UTOPIA*. Second is a cluster of terms borrowed from outside sf, usually from science, but much used within sf, sometimes with modified meanings: ALIENS*, ANDROIDS*, ANTIMATTER*, AI, BIONICS, BLACK HOLES*, CLONES*, CRYOGENICS, CRYONICS*, CULTURAL ENGINEERING, CYBERNETICS*,DIMENSIONS, DYSON SPHERE, ENTROPY*, ESP*, EXTRATERRESTRIAL, GALACTIC LENS, HOLLOW EARTH*, ION DRIVE, LAGRANGE POINT, MUTANTS*, NANOTECHNOLOGY*, NEUTRON STAR*, PARSEC, PULSARS, SOLAR WIND, SPACE HABITATS*, SUPERMAN*, SUSPENDED ANIMATION*, TACHYONS, TELEKINESIS, TELEPORTATION, TERRA, UFOS*, VIRTUAL REALITY*, WHITE HOLES, WORMHOLES. The final cluster is of terms which either originate within sf or would be almost unknown were it not for sf: ALTERNATE WORLDS*, ANSIBLE, ANTIGRAVITY*, ASTROGATION, BIG DUMB OBJECTS, BEM, BLASTER, CORPSICLE, CREDITS, CYBERSPACE, CYBORGS*, DALEKS,DEATH RAYS, DIRAC COMMUNICATOR, DISINTEGRATOR, ESPER, FORCE FIELD*, FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER, FTL, GAS GIANT, GENERATION STARSHIPS*, HIVE-MINDS*, HYPERSPACE*, INNER SPACE, MATTER TRANSMISSION*, PANTROPY, PARALLEL WORLDS*, POSITRONIC ROBOTS, PRESSOR BEAM, PSIONICS, PSI POWERS*, PSYCHOHISTORY, RIMWORLD, ROBOTS*, SPACESHIPS*, SPACE WARP, SPINDIZZY, STARSHIP, TERRAFORMING*, TIME MACHINE, TIME PARADOXES*, TIME TRAVEL*, TRACTOR BEAM, WALDO.Sf fans have also developed a specialist terminology, but this is quite distinct, generally, from the terminology of sf itself. It is discussed under FAN LANGUAGE.Terminology entries not listed aboveare BRAID, DIANETICS, DOS, GENERAL SEMANTICS, IMAGINARY VOYAGES, MAGAZINES, MAGIC REALISM, ORIGINAL ANTHOLOGIES, OULIPO, ROBINSONADE,SCIENTOLOGY, SEMIPROZINE, SOFT SCIENCES, SPLATTER MOVIES, XENOBIOLOGY.

   PN