fanspeak

English

Etymology

fan +‎ -speak, modeled after Newspeak.

Pronunciation

• enPR: fănspēk, IPA^(key): /fæn.spiːk/

Noun

fanspeak (uncountable)

1. (informal) The jargon used by science fiction fans.
   • 1952, Arthur Rapp, Lee Hoffman, Redd Boggs, Fanspeak, page 5:

     fanspeak: The language, typography, and cliches of fandom. Term is derived from "newspeak," the language of the future, in George Orwell's 1984.

   • 2000, Elyce Rae Helford, Fantasy girls, page 64:

     The "lack" in the narrative's central relationship produces UST (fanspeak for "unresolved sexual tension") and more, a space for sublimated discourse about body and gender politics...

2. (by extension, informal) The jargon used by fans of any genre of fiction or popular culture in general.

Related terms

• geekspeak
• nerdspeak

See also

• Appendix:Fanspeak

References

• Jeff Prucher, editor (2007), “fanspeak”, in Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction, Oxford, Oxfordshire, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, pages 58–59.