About This Publication

Artificial intelligence has developed a vocabulary of its own. Words such as prompt, hallucination, assistant, companion and persona now appear in conversations about software, creative writing, education and digital relationships. Some have centuries of linguistic history behind them. Others have acquired specialised meanings in online communities. Many are still changing. This publication examines how these words work, where they come from and what people mean when they use them.

The intended audience includes writers and journalists looking for precise language, teachers and librarians explaining unfamiliar technology, community moderators navigating disagreements over terminology, and readers interested in linguistics and internet culture. It also serves people who create, use or discuss AI characters and want to distinguish between technical terminology, creative conventions and social language.

The editorial approach is explanatory and accessible. Articles draw on publicly available linguistic, technical and cultural information and are written by an editorial desk using AI writing tools. Definitions are presented with attention to context, competing interpretations and changes in usage. Community language is treated as evidence of how people communicate, not as incorrect versions of formal English. Where meanings vary between platforms or communities, those differences are made clear.

What you will find here

Vernacular Web publishes 6 entries, among them Hallucination: From a Medical Term to an Everyday AI Complaint, Prompt: How a Theatre Cue Became a Software Instruction, Fan-Fiction and AI: The Community Language of Character Writing.

How the entries are made

Entries are written by the Vernacular Web editors with the help of AI writing tools and are meant as general information. They are not professional, legal, medical or financial advice, and details can change, so check primary sources before you act on anything.

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