The spelling of the word "shippers" is fairly straightforward. It is spelled with two "p"s and two "s"s, and is pronounced /ˈʃɪpərz/. The first sound is the "sh" sound, made by pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth and expelling air through the lips. The second sound is the short "i" sound, followed by the "p" sound, which is made by expelling air forcefully through the lips after closing them. Lastly, the word ends with the "s" sound, made by pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth while expelling air through the lips.
Shippers, in the context of pop culture and fan communities, refers to individuals who support or promote a romantic or sexual relationship between two characters, usually fictional, or "ship" them. The term was derived from the word "relationship," indicating the desire for a romantic coupling between two characters that may or may not have been explicitly depicted or suggested within the original source material. Shippers often engage in enthusiastic discussions, create fan art or fan fiction, or participate in online communities to share their thoughts and ideas about the potential relationship.
Shippers can be found across various fandoms, including television shows, movies, books, anime, and video games. They can be dedicated to either canonical pairings - relationships that are officially established within the original material - or non-canonical pairings, which are relationships imagined by fans but not supported by the official creators.
The activity of shipping allows fans to explore and express their fantasies, desire for representation, and passion for specific character interactions. Shippers invest emotionally in their favorite pairings, sometimes engaging in shipping wars - debates or arguments that arise when fans support different pairings within the same fandom. However, shipping is also a form of entertainment and creativity, providing fans with an opportunity to interact with their favorite stories beyond the confines of the original narrative. The impact of shippers within fan communities has led to the rise of "fanon" - concepts or ideas that may be widely accepted by the fans but not officially confirmed or endorsed by the creators.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The term "shippers" has its origins in the word "ship", which comes from the Old English word "scip". The etymology of "ship" can be traced back to Proto-Germanic, where the word "skipam" referred to a boat or a ship. This Proto-Germanic root is also related to Old Norse "skip" and Old High German "skif".
The term "shippers" itself emerged in the late 20th century, originating from the online fan fiction community. It refers to individuals who support or desire the romantic relationship between two characters, most commonly in TV shows, movies, or books. The term "ship" is an abbreviation for "relationship", indicating that fans are "shipping" the characters together. Over time, the word "shippers" has evolved into a widely recognized term within fandom culture.