Philological sciences /Rhetoric and stylistics
Vilkhovchenko N.P.
Ivan Franko
National University of Lviv, Ukraine
Quasi-special
vocabulary in science fiction and its components
The aim of the paper is to analyze the peculiarities
of the quasi-special vocabulary in science fiction stories of modern
English-speaking authors. The paper considers quasi-special vocabulary as a
part of science fiction lexicon. The units of quasi-special vocabulary are
found out to appear as a part of science-fiction special lexicon. They do not
exist in science and form author’s fantastic world, naming objects and
phenomena that do not exist. So, according to our investigation, the special lexicon
of science fiction includes new lexical formations (quasi-special vocabulary) which
name the phenomena and objects invented by the author.
Among
the researchers, whose papers are devoted to the analysis of the science
fiction lexicon, there are divergences in definition of the lexical layer of
the coined special vocabulary. So, some researchers define this lexical layer
as false terms (N. Bochegova [23]), others define them as nonce words (Yu. Kovalyk
[27], T. Teslenko [33]), or neologisms (N. Novikova [31], L. Kuznetsova [28], A.
Lysenko [30]).
We
consider the term neologism to have another tint of meaning: it names objects
that exist; “false term”, in our opinion, contains some negative connotation; a
nonce word is a synonym of the neutral word. In our opinion, it would be more
reasonable to designate this lexical layer as “quasi-special vocabulary” (semi-suffix
“quasi” is related to the adjectives of unreal,
imaginary).
As our
observations show, the notion of the quasi-special vocabulary in science
fiction is quite broad and includes the layer of the quasi-terminology
(terminology created by author to denote imaginary objects), the layer of the
quasi-nomenclature (brands of the imaginary devices, machines) and the
quasi-special non-verbal units (imaginary charts, formulas, maps, tables).
According
to our calculations, the total amount of special science fiction lexicon in the
analysed texts (22 novels and short stories, 2000 pages) is 1970 units, among
which we single out 1073 units of the special vocabulary proper and 897 units
of the quasi-special vocabulary. In addition, among the quasi-special
vocabulary we single out 696 quasi-terms, 140 quasi-nomenclature units, and 61
quasi-special non-verbal units.
According
to our research, the quasi-special vocabulary comprises 45.5% of the special
lexicon in science fiction. Moreover, most quasi-special units belong to the
quasi-terminology (35.5%), the quasi-nomenclature comprises 7%, and the
quasi-special non-verbal units comprise only 3% of all the units of the
quasi-special vocabulary of science fiction. As the largest group of the
quasi-special vocabulary is made of the quasi-terminology, research of it is of
major importance. So, the special vocabulary (54. 5%) comprises the basic part
of special science fiction lexicon.
The
quasi-special vocabulary is widely used together with the special vocabulary proper.
It should be noted that the emergence of the quasi-special vocabulary is
predefined by the human ability to imagine the objects and phenomena which do
not have their analogue in reality, and by ability of human imagination to
create the fantastic worlds. According to our observations, the units of the
quasi-special vocabulary imitate the properties of the units of the special
vocabulary proper. They also possess such features as monosemanticity,
exactness, and even the presence of definition. However, unlike the special
vocabulary, most units of the quasi-special vocabulary depend on the context,
as they are a product of the author’s individual imagination.
In
order to single out quasi-special from neutral vocabulary, from the units of special
vocabulary and neologisms, we apply extralinguistic criterion (absence of the
realia denoted by this word) and linguistic one (absence of this word and/or
its meaning in the most complete modern dictionaries).
So, the
quasi-special vocabulary is a layer of the new lexical units that name the
objects and phenomena which exist exclusively in the author’s imaginary world; the
quasi-special vocabulary includes the layer of the quasi-terminology, the
quasi-nomenclature and the quasi-special non-verbal units.
The
research material shows that the quasi-terminology is the largest layer of the
quasi-special vocabulary (35.5%) in science fiction. This layer includes coined
by the author terminology which denotes the fantastic phenomena and objects.
According
to N. Bochegova, the terms coined by the author create the atmosphere of the
futurity [23, P.17]. Comparing their function to the function of the terms
proper, the researcher asserts that the quasi-terms also create scientific and
technical world, however not in objective reality, but in fantastic one.
There
are some examples of the quasi-terminology: Simstim [8] and Space
Detector [18] are devices, Defence Laser [18] is a type of a
weapon, Tin Man [9] is a robot. So, the usage of the quasi-terminology
is one of the specific features of the science fiction lexicon.
As it
has been mentioned above, besides the lexical layer of the quasi-terminology the
quasi-special vocabulary includes the quasi-nomenclature which comprises 7% of
the total amount of the quasi-special vocabulary in science fiction. The
scientific nomenclature units include the names of different types of
equipment, machines, types of constructions, brands of wares, and others.
Professor V. Leychik determines the nomenclature as an intermediate layer
between the terms and proper names. As the scientist asserts, the nomenclature
plays the role of a “label” of objects [29, P.14].
Using
the original signs, the nomenclature does not have any direct concordance with
the norms of language [26, P.15]. It is worth saying that understanding the
nomenclature (for example, the names of models or brands of devices) is
impossible without its correlation with the term itself (which, for example,
names this device).
S.
Vilchinsky differentiates two types of the nomenclature. He singles out the nomenclature of scientific cognition of
natural objects and the nomenclature of “the second nature” [25, P.7-8].
According to his research, nomenclature of “the second nature” individualizes
scientific and technical objects. The proper names which denote such objects as
the place-names, the names of stars, planets (e.g., Chad, Zimbabwe, [10], Centauri
[8]) refer to the nomenclature of natural objects.
It is
certain, most nomenclature units are the “product of “artificial language” composed
of sign figures, for example, sets of morphemes, numbers and sign indexes” [24,
P.117]. So, they are created with the help of signs, but not words.
The quasi-nomenclature
is one of the layers of the quasi-special vocabulary of science fiction. It
names single objects or single groups of objects that are coined by the author.
However, like other layers of the science fiction special lexicon, the
quasi-nomenclature reveals the basic features of science fiction genre such as
the fantastic and scientific character.
For
example, the brands of spaceships or robots represent such characteristic
features as scientific character (as they create the effect of authenticity)
and fantastic character (because being invented by the author, they describe
the objects of the imaginary worlds which do not exist in reality).
The
examples of the quasi-nomenclature are Unit Pte-900, Unit R-0012-zgy [21], Interstellar
Freighter Aragonne Isabell, Bolo Mark XXX [18], which are brands of
spaceships and robots, Epsilon Sindri, Delas [18] are the
names of the imaginary stars and planets.
According
to our observations, the quasi-special non-verbal units comprise 3% of the
total amount of the quasi-special units in science fiction, although they also
play a considerable role in creation of the imaginary fantastic world. The quasi-special
non-verbal units include imaginary tables, charts, pictures, maps, formulas
etc. For instance, A+p=!, A+?O = ! [10]
are imaginary formulas. The problem of functioning of the non-verbal the in text
of fiction has been studied by N. Stepanyuk [32, P.10]. The researcher notes
that relations between the non-verbal units and the verbal text have hypo-hyperonymic
character. The non-verbal units specify and summarize the information of verbal
text. As the author asserts, they bear a unique stylistic potential of the work
of fiction. The quasi-special non-verbal units play an important role in
creation of the image of fantastic time and space (for example, maps of star
worlds), and they create the effect of authenticity in science fiction (for
example, the imaginary formulas create the effect of authenticity of science
fiction theories).
To sum
up, the layer of the special vocabulary is an integral part of the science
fiction lexicon. The quasi-special vocabulary is a layer of the new lexical
vocabulary that functions in science fiction and names scientific and technical
objects and phenomena which exist exclusively in the author’s imaginary world.
The
quasi-special vocabulary of science fiction includes the lexical layer of the
quasi-terminology, the quasi-nomenclature and the quasi-special non-verbal units.
In fact, the quasi-terminology comprises 35.5% of the total amount of the
special science fiction lexicon, what makes up the basic part of the quasi-special
vocabulary.
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