The Words That Could Happen: Science Fiction Neologisms and the Creation of Future Worlds

Westfahl, Gary. "The Words That Could Happen: Science Fiction Neologisms and the Creation of Future Worlds." Extrapolation 34.3 (1993): 290-304.

Examines the function of neologisms in SF using eight texts as a data source, including novels or stories by I. Asimov, J. Brunner, J. Campbell, P. J. Farmer, H. Gernsback, W. Gibson, R. A. Heinlein, and B. Sterling. Offers a predictive equation to cover SF neologisms: y = 40/x + 1/4, where x is the number of text pages and y is the average number of neologisms. Concludes that the study of neologisms in SF may be a way to reorient critical discussion, necessarily including discussion of "hard" S.F. works of interest to users of this List. (TW, 13/01/95)