Articles | Open Access | https://doi.org/10.37547/ijll/Volume05Issue07-13

The Role of Neologisms in Representing Technological Transformation in William Gibson’s Sprawl Trilogy

Nishonov Ilxom Dilmurodovich , Independent researcher, Uzbekistan State World Languages University, Uzbekistan

Abstract

This article investigates the role of neologisms in W.Gibson’s “Sprawl trilogy” (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) as a core linguistic and narrative device for representing technological transformation. Using methods of discourse analysis, semantic interpretation, and semiotic textual analysis, the study examines how neologisms construct alternative realities and mediate posthumanist themes. The research draws on close reading of key neological units in order to evaluate their narrative function, philosophical implications, and cultural symbolism. The findings suggest that Gibson’s neologisms go beyond mere lexical innovation. They generate immersive techno-cultural environments that frame human-machine interactions, identity fragmentation, and the virtualization of reality. These terms do not simply describe futuristic concepts, but actively shape them by establishing new cognitive and semiotic frameworks. The study shows that neologisms in W.Gibson’s fiction serve as instruments of world-building, tools of social critique, and markers of linguistic futurism. Ultimately, the research concludes that neologisms in the Sprawl Trilogy function as a powerful semiotic interface between language, technology, and culture, enabling the articulation of speculative epistemologies and ontologies. Gibson’s use of language exemplifies how science fiction can anticipate and conceptually model the socio-technological dynamics of a posthuman future.

Keywords

Neologism, cyberpunk, Gibson

References

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Nishonov Ilxom Dilmurodovich. (2025). The Role of Neologisms in Representing Technological Transformation in William Gibson’s Sprawl Trilogy. International Journal Of Literature And Languages, 5(07), 41–45. https://doi.org/10.37547/ijll/Volume05Issue07-13