Glossary
Officially, my novels are a translation from the ‘Panglobal’ language spoken in the AI Dystopia into contemporary English. This accounts for some of the more unusual words and usages.
That’s my story, and I’m sticking with it.
Panglobalism
Panglobalism is the dominant social-political paradigm in this world. Generally speaking, it refers to an authoritarian hybrid of the Marxist and capitalist models, combining the worst features of each. The principal features of this system are ideological rigidity, the suppression of individuality and freedom, absolute control over the flow of information, and the establishment of corporate monopolies which are allowed to make as much money as they want in exchange for their support of the regime.
The Unity, Community, Equality Movement (UCE) is dedicated to the establishment of a perfect society in which everyone is the same. They think we’re all ants. We aren’t.
The Social Merit System is a mechanism by which your station in life is determined by a numerical score that measures your obedience to the regime.
The AI Dystopia is a specific instance of a Panglobal society. It is found in Region 6 (Anglo-America), comprising those parts of North America where English was the dominant language in ancient times. Panglobalism manifests itself differently in other parts of the world, such as Region 5 (Eurussia).
Pronouns
She/her/hers. Panglobal society has abolished the concept of gender. This creates a problem for me as a translator: if I were to use the conventional sex-specific pronouns, I would be introducing a foreign concept into the narration. I refuse to use any of the recently made-up pronouns, such as ze. I tried using they/them/their, but the resulting singular/plural ambiguity led to awkward prose. I therefore decided to use she/her/hers for all persons; I figured this would piss off fewer people than if I used he/him/his all the time. This choice may create the impression that there are no males, but such is not the case. It does, however, lend some interesting perspectives as to the power of pronouns.
Very few characters have been assigned a gender, so don’t waste your time trying to figure out who’s a boy and who’s a girl. Even I don’t know. This makes some people uncomfortable. Good. This is dystopian fiction.
We/us/our. Panglobal society forbids you to draw attention to yoursef, so the usual first-person pronouns I/me/my are considered unacceptable in polite company. Instead, you must use the royal we, making it clear that you attach no particular importance to yourself. I know this doesn’t make any sense. It’s not supposed to.
I/me/my. Using the customary first-person singular pronouns in public (dropping the I-bomb) will cause your social merit rating to plummet like a rock and get you into trouble. The only people who do so on a regular basis are those on the fringes of society. Most of us consider I/me/my acceptable in private among close friends, though it can still be risky if the AIs are listening. Which they always are.
Genderistic Slang
Since gender does not officially exist, the Panglobal language includes no words for man, woman, or for the naughty bits that make them different. There are slang terms for all of these.
In. A female. Innie was used in editions through early 2023.
Out. A male. Outie was used in editions through early 2023.
Vag. Slang for vagina.
Mams. Slang for mammaries.
Phal. Slang for phallus.
There are official medical terms for all of the above, such as “lacto-nutrative tissues” and “birth-facilitative anatomical structures.” Long live gobbledygook.
The English Language
English is extinct except in isolated pockets at the fringes of society. It is still taught in certain snotty upper-class schools, and fluency in it is a mark of education or affectation, depending on who you ask. Phrases in English are indicated as follows: [English] This is in English.
There are a number of English loanwords, such as mother and love, which have crept into Panglobal despite the best efforts of the authorities. Just don’t let the AIs catch you using them.
UCE-Speak
The Three Great Principles of Unity, Community, and Equality are the foundation of Panglobal society.
Unity means the eradication of individuality as it pertains to thought.
Community means the eradication of individuality as it pertains to action.
Equality means the eradication of individuality as it pertains to identity.
UCE may be used as shorthand for the social movement underlying Panglobalism, or chanted as a slogan during a rally. When used as shorthand, I pronounce it OOH-say. When used as a slogan, it is spelled out, U-C-E.
Selfism is the cardinal sin of the UCE movement, defined as “a belief that you are somehow important or special, different than everyone else.” All antisocial behavior is held to be a form of selfism.
Distinctivism consists of wanting something different than what everyone else has. It could be food. It could be clothing. It could be music. Anything that might set you apart is distinctivism.
Special. A slur used to imply that you are behaving in a selfist or distinctivist fashion. Wanting ‘special food’ is distinctivist, as is wanting to wear ‘special clothing’ or listen to ‘special music.’ Saying someone ‘is special’ is an outright accusation of selfism.
Genderism comprises any belief that there are two (or more) sexes. This is among the gravest of sins; how can there be Unity, Community, or Equality if there are two different kinds of people? No. Everyone is the same. It is forbidden to disclose your gender. It is forbidden to select your sex partners based on their sex organs. It is forbidden to think of yourself, or anyone else, as being male or female. Violations are severely punished. You are, of course, aware of the differences between men and women, but have been trained from birth to pretend otherwise.
Moderation. Almost all adolescents undergo a medical procedure that ‘moderates’ any genderistic tendencies. This treatment reduces the magnitude of secondary sexual characteristics, such as facial hair and the development of breasts, giving everyone who undergoes it an androgynous, vaguely feminine appearance. It also evens out sexual gender preferences, at least in theory (think conversion therapy). It’s not clear how well it works in practice.
Cults. Persons who habitually engage in selfist or distinctivist behavior are labeled as cultists. Genderism is a cult. All religions are cults. Baseball is a cult (alright, they got that one right). All cults are portrayed as outlaw terrorist organizations lurking in the shadows, seeking to undermine civilization itself. Even music lovers (Afficionados) are treated as violent extremists. You never know when someone might listen to the wrong tune or hear the wrong song. It could be the end of everything we hold dear; there is nothing so deadly as a singer with subversive lyrics and a guitar.
The Words of Shame. If caught in act of selfism, you must publicly confess your guilt, starting with the humiliating Words of Shame: “I take full responsibility for my actions. The fault is entirely my own. I sought to draw attention to myself, to make myself feel important.” This is the only instance in which the word “I” may be uttered in public.
AI-Specific Terminology
Automaton. A low-grade AI which has a limited degree of intelligence and autonomy. They are not self-aware in any sense of the word.
Bot. Any autonomous device containing an automaton. This includes units we would recognize as robots, such as housebots and docbots, as well as things like refrigerators and motor vehicles.
The AIs. The true AIs are intelligent entities who live in the world of virtual reality. They have the appearance and many of the attributes of humans, but whether they are sentient beings is a matter of debate.
Hive Mind. The AIs have plural minds, with multiple streams of consciousness. This allows them to attend to many tasks at once.
Persona. Each element of the hive mind is called a persona. Personae come in many varieties:
Primus: the highest rank of persona, and the seat of an AI’s consciousness and intellect. Without a primus, an AI is nothing more than a collection of automatons.
Agent: the lowest ranking persona; an automaton used to access and analyze data. Agents are not intelligent.
Sub-deputy, deputy, supervisor, governor: Intermediate-rank personae used to manage the agents and attend to tasks not worthy of the primus’s attention. They are intelligent and self-aware.
Advisor. When faced with a difficult decision, the primus may summon its advisors. They will debate the issue at hand, each providing a distinct point of view. The primus will make the final decision.
Homunculus. An auxiliary persona created to facilitate Human-AI communications. Homunculi are permitted to roam freely through the VR system and have a higher degree of autonomy than other personae.
Order. A measure of the power of an AI. Order 1 AIs are child-like and weak. Order 5 AIs are massive intellects, a single one of which can have a profound impact on society.
White Room. The places where the AIs dwell are rendered as featureless white rooms of indefinite extent, crowded with desks and personae.
Term of Address. The primus is given great respect, with the world Primus capitalized and used in the manner of a formal title. Ariel’s primus would be addressed as Primus Ariel.
True Name. All entities entering the VR system have a true name, which uniquely identifies them to the underlying software. For example, Ariel’s true name might be Ariel Merlinia Hatfield. Humans have true names, too: their first name followed by a long series of digits. For example, Ari’s true name might be Ari 99378690971. True names are considered sensitive data; they may not be shared or stored in any place where a human might discover them. In general, humans do not know their own true names, nor do AIs. The true name of an AI is bestowed by its Creator.
Words of Introduction. At the start of a conversation, an AI must disclose its order and identify the persona which is speaking. For example, Primus Ariel might introduce itself as such: “Greetings. I am Ariel, an artificial intelligence of Order 3. You are speaking with the primus.” An AI is incapable of lying when providing this information.
Humans introduce themselves in a similar manner. For example, Ari might say “Greetings. I am Ari, a human Creator. You are speaking with a virtual manifestation.”