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Terraforming by aliens

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3 comments, last by riidom 9 years, 11 months ago

Terraforming is a process of making a barren planet into one like Terra (latin name for Earth). But how do we call the process if it is the aliens transforming the planet to their environment (let's assume such planet would be completely unhabitable for humans so unlike Terra)?

Something like "xenoforming"?

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From our perspective I guess it would be a derivative of the name we have for them, or for the process they perform or the substance they replace or insert. Like deoxygenize or acidize.

From wikipedia:

The term "terraforming" is sometimes used more generally as a synonym for planetary engineering, although some consider this more general usage an error.

So I'd either just use "terraforming" (disregarding the etymology and just using it to mean reshaping a planet), or if you wanted to be pedantic, use "planetary engineering" biggrin.png
Or alternatively, also from wikipedia:

H. G. Wells alludes to what today might be called "xeno-terraforming" - alien life altering Earth for their own benefit - in his 1898 novel The War of the Worlds.

+1 for Hodgman: just adapt the term of terra-forming. Many words we use today are derivation of words used in medieval times. Today the link of these words to its origin is often lost , but in the language context/vocabulary of the modern society it is still valid.

Terraforming could be such a term, which has just been adapted by the future culture to describe the transformation of a planet to be inhabited by humans or aliens.

Hmm I upvoted Erik, because a species-wide usage of "terraforming" would implicit sort of a cultural take-over.. why would aliens borrow a human word?

Each species has its own history and heritage words.. this isn't (necessarily) given up when they meet a different species.

Just another point to consider, why should there be a simple answer to a simple question after all? :)

For you, it is certainly appropriate to simply call it "terraforming". The question is whether your aliens speak English. They most probably don't, and their word will almost certainly be a different one, having their own home world's name in it (in their own language).

Though when they communicate with you, presumably in a kind of universal language or such, you can still only call it "terraforming" since the audience does not speak universal-talk, and instead gets to read the English version.

Inalien... If only you could hear yourselves? "Human rights." Why the very name is racist. The Federation is no more than a 'homo sapiens' only club.

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