SF vs. Sci-Fi: A Poll

[J-Sun]

This is wild. I just thought about starting a thread on the use of the terms "SF" vs. "sci-fi" yesterday or so but forgot and here's a reminder today.

I disagree with a couple of aspects of the article - specifically (though it was possibly just loose speech on the part of the author): "SF was proper science fiction, which 99 times out of 100 meant novels". Not one little bit. It meant print media, very much including short fiction.

Generally, I disagree with the whole emphasis: it's not so much used to characterize types of science fiction but itself characterized the user of the term. While it's true that science fiction fans might call some goofy TV show "sci-fi" pejoratively, they used "SF" generally. "Sci-fi" marked you as a "mundane" at worst and what'd now be called a "noob" at best - it implied you were coming to SF from having seen a movie or two or having read an incompetent mischaracterization of the field from Time or something and didn't really know anything about it.

But there are ironies and tangents. 4SJ/Forry/Forrest J. Ackerman was one of the ultra-fans and coined it via punning on "hi-fi". So a term coined by a fan became a tip-off of non-fandom. And "SF" was likely even more popular for a time because it can be adapted to various polemical points, such as "SF=speculative fiction" whereas no one can ever really make "sci-fi" respectable.

But, indeed, I notice on the internet (probably because it's one of the more general media and itself is filled with Hollywood-influenced people) that "sci-fi" seems to be used unconsciously and ubiquitously.

So I was wondering about people's thoughts on this momentous subject and in getting actual numbers on the usage via a poll.

[hopewrites]

I consider myself to be a 'noob,' if you will, when it comes to genre and the terminology for it. I find I annoy others who ask me what I like, and the only answer I can come back with is "well written" works.
This deficiency of definition of mine applies to more mediums than just the written; I have equal difficulty boxing myself into a genre of music, film, or even art. So while I voted "sci-fi, always, but it doesn't matter" I voted that way because "sci-fi" is how I learned to define the genre, so that is what I call it.

[mosaix]

To me, it's the contents that matters. The label doesn't.

Voted indifferent.

[Stephen Palmer]

SF only. But only because I'd be slated if I said otherwise...

[dask]

SF now and always. Skiffy is for those who say "Oh isn't that cute! I think I'll like that until something else comes along."

[jojajihisc]

SF since I realized it was a few characters shorter and all caps.

[Chaoticheart]

Absolutely indifferent.

Hadn't realized it was that important.

[Teresa Edgerton]

Even though Forrest J. Ackerman invented the term Sci-Fi, it never caught on with other fans of the genre, and I can remember a time when it was exclusively used by those who not only didn't read science fiction but regarded it with a certain amount of contempt.

For that reason, it does and always will grate on my nerves -- no matter how many people I like use it.

[Alex, The G and T]

Generally, I'm against hyper genre-lization. Sub-sub-sub genres irritate me as idiotic. The important question is, "Was it good for you as it was for me?"

That said, "Sci-Fi" suggests to me campy, lightweight schlock, like Star Trek, and Adam West Batman. (not that there's anything wrong with that.)

"SF" suggests to me a written work that engages my imagination more seriously. And I'll admit to a bit snobbishness and genre-bending, interpreting that as "Speculative Fiction."

Also, when the "Sci-Fi" satelleite tv channel changed it's name to "SyFy"... it ceased to show anything that I want to watch.

So I voted "SF always but it doesn't matter"

[Connavar]

I voted SF always and it matters because Sci-fi is used negatively in hollywood about films,tv shows.

SF sounds like im saying Science Fiction. I dont only use it about books either but any film,tv i care about.

[James Coote]

"Sci-fi" marked you as a "mundane" at worst and what'd now be called a "noob" at best - it implied you were coming to SF from having seen a movie or two or having read an incompetent mischaracterization of the field from Time or something and didn't really know anything about it.

Wow. If SF fans are that pretentious and elitist, then I'll happily call myself a sci-fi fan. I never even realised there was a difference. I voted for sci-fi because I can't imagine voicing "eSeF" and not sounding silly

[TheCrusher]

Voted SF because that's what I've been using for about 20 years (since I've had contact with this genre) and because in my language is easier to pronounce SF rather then sci-fi (maybe I'm just being subjective here).
To tell you the truth I don't think I've ever heard anybody using Sci-Fi instead of the more general SF term and I always thought they are kind of the same thing (sci-fi being a more geeky way of saying SF - Tomato - Tomatoe?)
Whenever I say SF i refer to Science Fiction.

[Metryq]

Pretentiousness from a pre-computer age. Try typing "SF" and "sci-fi" into a search engine and see what sort of results you get. With only two letters—or almost any acronym—one is likely to get an incredibly scattered result. "SPD" may mean only one thing to people who work in hospitals or other medical professions, but it's unlikely to show up on the first page of search results.

Then there are those who like to bandy around terms like "speculative fiction" because someone outside the genre referred to some author "predicting" the future.

The only time the classification matters to me is when I walk into a bookstore or video rental place to find science fiction and horror lumped together...but those brick-and-mortar bookstores and video places are starting to vanish.

[luci2also]

Funny thing;
I've only been reading SF for 55 years now. And never really ran into this prejudice until recently. It's a rather ironic prejudice.

Back in the early 50 most Science Fiction as it was called would today apparently be considered Sci-Fi by some of the definitions I have heard.

Somewhere in the 60's and 70's there were attempts to make it Speculative Fiction that would most likely be the true SF definition.

Now there seems to be some push to differentiate between SF and Sci-Fi which in most cases devolves to Science Fiction vs Sci-Fi which is just silly because SF is Speculative Fiction and not Science Fiction at all.

But truth be told they are all the bastard children of what was happening in the 50 which was then Science Fiction and now seems to come to mind as Sci-Fi so that might make them all the children of Sci-Fi who have all forgotten their roots.
But hey, I've only been watching this for 50 some years so what do I know?

[nightdreamer]

Wow! I kind of get the idea that I'm from a different culture than the rest of you. My response to the poll isn't listed as an option. It would be, "It depends entirely on which one I'm talking about." Sci-Fi is a subset of speculative fiction, which encompasses everything from First Lensman to Twilight. I don't see that there's much to discuss in regards to which term to use.

@Alex: Ditto on the "SyFy" thing. I lost interest about that time, too. Like when The History Channel stopped showing history.