So. Why has the word modifiable been replaced with moddable?

[Dearmad]

Moddable is so damned ugly and, well, just wrong.

The mod community is short for modifying community, a mod is short for modification, to mod is short for to modify, modder is short for modifier (we're getting weak here though)... ok I can live with that, but modding is short for...? wait- modifying? Blech. And moddable is a new word? I mean we took the short mod and added dable? Why not just use the original word modifiable?

yeah OK I'm bored waiting for Civ V...

lol.

 

[Sonereal]

Pointless thread #595?

 

[Dearmad]

Yeah... but right now about every thread feels that way to me.

I'm working on a secret formula for Pointless Thread #666 though...

I just want to be installing the game. -sigh-

Civ IV just doesn't cut it for me anymore.

 

[Thyrwyn]

see my sig

 

[sensual benny]

Because it's shorter and most people say mod rather than "modify" these days.

 

[Thyrwyn]

Also because the product of modifying the game is a version called a "mod"; which is a lot easier than saying "have you played the user modified version of Civ IV called Fall from Heaven?"; you can just say "have you played the Civ IV mod, Fall from Heaven?". From that we get 'modding' as the act or process of creating a 'mod'.

 

[Guardian_PL]

To answer the OP it's probably that people who are modifying the game are called "modders" (to make a difference from "modifiers", which could be confusing if people modifying game would like to talk about say diplomatic modifiers ).

So you have this fast double d in the word already, and from then on it's really simply to move it to modding community (because it consists of modders - people modifying game).

It's simple and universally understandable, so my guess is that's why there are no modifying communities around

 

[alpaca]

Because languages are alive, not immutable, dead and hung up in a cabinet. They mutate - and creating new words from old ones is both more natural and a lot easier than creating them out of thin air.

 

[Souron]

Yeah, mod and modify aren't perfect synonyms. Modify is a general term, but mod refers specifically to player modifications of a game. And that's not a precise definition either as not all player modifications are necessarily called mods.

 

[Twahn]

Modder is short for modifier. Moddable is short for modifiable. Makes sense to me.

Why is moddable uglier or more wrong than modder?

Surely what would really be ugly and wrong would be to not have an adjective to fit this new noun you've created and instead use a non-specific word in its place (i.e. it is more elegant to have moddable apply to mods alone than it is to have modifiable apply to mods AND modifications).

 

[Jarlaxe Baenre]

Moddable replaced modifiable because it's easy to say and type.

 

[ZimbuTheMonkey]

Like previously mentioned:

Moddable refers not the general use of the word "modifiable" but the very precise reference to a video game or hardware to which you apply "mods".

So really, computer culture basically invented a new word to suit a purpose, and it's fine by me. It doesn't hurt the English language, or make it ugly, it makes it more precise which is what words are for.

 

[King Jason]

one less syllable goes a long way.

 

[civ_king]

Moddable is so damned ugly and, well, just wrong.

The mod community is short for modifying community, a mod is short for modification, to mod is short for to modify, modder is short for modifier (we're getting weak here though)... ok I can live with that, but modding is short for...? wait- modifying? Blech. And moddable is a new word? I mean we took the short mod and added dable? Why not just use the original word modifiable?

yeah OK I'm bored waiting for Civ V...

lol.

because few people want words more than three syllables

 

[Dearmad]

You mean more than three sylls? Yeah I can understand that.

 

[mrhell]

It's because our language is dying, and a 3 syllable word like "modify" is just too much for some, so the verb "modify" has become "mod," which is now also the noun referring the modified product.
Eventually the whole language will be down to a couple of letters; I'm assuming we'll grunt it more than speak it.

 

[Sonereal]

It's because our language is dying, and a 3 syllable word like "modify" is just too much for some, so the verb "modify" has become "mod," which is now also the noun referring the modified product.
Eventually the whole language will be down to a couple of letters; I'm assuming we'll grunt it more than speak it.

Yes. I'm sure you're qualified to make that statement.

English=/=Newspeak

 

[agoodfella]

its the same reason you never hear someone say, "check out my new web log" or "i'm web logging about it as we speak"

blog has simply replaced web log to the point where many people have no idea where the word even came from.

 

[Jarlaxe Baenre]

So that's where "Blog" comes from.

 

[PieceOfMind]

This,

Yeah, mod and modify aren't perfect synonyms. Modify is a general term, but mod refers specifically to player modifications of a game. And that's not a precise definition either as not all player modifications are necessarily called mods.

this

Modder is short for modifier. Moddable is short for modifiable. Makes sense to me.

Why is moddable uglier or more wrong than modder?

Surely what would really be ugly and wrong would be to not have an adjective to fit this new noun you've created and instead use a non-specific word in its place (i.e. it is more elegant to have moddable apply to mods alone than it is to have modifiable apply to mods AND modifications).

and this.

Like previously mentioned:

Moddable refers not the general use of the word "modifiable" but the very precise reference to a video game or hardware to which you apply "mods".

So really, computer culture basically invented a new word to suit a purpose, and it's fine by me. It doesn't hurt the English language, or make it ugly, it makes it more precise which is what words are for.

and only slightly this

Moddable replaced modifiable because it's easy to say and type.

Though I do agree it's both easier to say and type, I don't think it's much of the reason.

I think the word "moddable" is a nice reduction of the long winded "modifiable" and since it isn't similar to any other words there's no problem.

I recall hearing on the radio (I think it was a BBC show) that the two biggest areas where new words to the English language are coming from at the moment is information technology and also eco technology. For example, think about what it means when you call something "green" now. Also, how many words do you know that start with 'eco'?
There's no point trying to stop the creation of new words and terms. Better to just get used to them or try and create your own.

As has been pointed out, "mod" and "modification" are not perfect synonyms and one isn't an abbreviation of the other. Just like "text" and "textbook" are distinguishable.