Call for Papers
Names and World-building in Fantasy & Science Fictional Universes
an organized session at the 2025 annual meeting of the
Linguistic Society of America
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
9-12 January 2025
The American Name Society is now inviting proposals for an organized session at the 2025 annual meeting of the Linguistic Society of America. The theme of this session is “Names and World-building in Fantasy & Science Fictional Universes.” The organizing committee is especially interested in papers that address how names impact the creation of worlds in works of literature, music, film, and games (table-top role-playing games, board games, video games, and others). Sample topics might include, but are not limited to:
- Names and their function in world-building
- Naming conventions of fantasy and science fiction authors
- Personal names in literary worlds: how the names of protagonists and antagonists contribute to the overall story told
- Place names in created universes
- Names and naming in games and gaming: whether video games, table top role-playing games, board games, or others
Abstracts in any area of onomastic research related to the fantasy or science fiction genres are welcome.
Proposals require these elements:
- Name and affiliation of presenter(s)
- Title of proposed paper
- Up to 250-word abstract
Proposals should be submitted to the American Name Society via email at: abstracts@americannamesociety.org. For organizational purposes, place “LSA2025” in the subject of your email.
The DEADLINE for receipt of abstracts is August 15, 2024.
All proposals will be subjected to blind review. Notification of proposal acceptances will be sent by September 1, 2024. Following acceptance, authors must be current members of the ANS and register for the Linguistic Society of America annual meeting. Please contact us at the above email address if you have any questions or concerns.
Scheduling of the symposium by the LSA will be announced in October. Pre-registration for the meeting will open in late September.
We look forward to receiving your submission!
