Does English allow "assemblable" to be created from "assemble"?
English is a productive language and I don't see the problem with using assemblable which is not very common but is already used in technical texts:
- That can be assembled.
-able:
- a suffix meaning “capable of, susceptible of, fit for, tending to, given to,” associated in meaning with the word able, occurring in loanwords from Latin ( laudable); used in English as a highly productive suffix to form adjectives by addition to stems of any origin ( teachable; photographable). (Dictionary.com)
Usage examples:
Ngram: assemblable
From: Advances in Concurrent Engineering,
- Value of the propose system for virtual manufacturing and assembly: allow designing of manufacturable and assemblable models using manufacturing and assembly knowledge.
From Building the Slope: California Hillside Houses:
- Promotion of the Sequoyah house — a metal structure assemblable in four hours and designed for steep slopes — by United States Steel was featured in Arts & Architecture in 1957:
Yes, but in my opinion, adding "-able" (two syllables) to "assemble" (3 syllables) gives a 5 syllable word. That is, no syllable is lost. The spelling "assemblable" suggest a pronunciation with only 4 syllables, which is not true to my own pronunciation, so (though admittedly it looks odd) I'd spell it "assembleable" or "assemble-able".
So, I think the problem with "assemblable" is a spelling problem. Perhaps one could compare similar forms, like tumble/tumble-able, shackle/shackle-able, staple/staple-able.
As an engineer with experience with companies such as Chrysler and General Electric, I've seen used and personally vouch for the use of the term "assemblable" and its specific variant "assemblability", to describe how easy it would be for a certain multi-component design to be assembled in the manufacturing environment. Whether an industrial or a consumer product, this manufacturing characteristic needs to be evaluated early on in the design process to avoid problems later in the development process. In order to convey and communicate this within the project team the Engineer or Project Manager needs to be able to use a term to identify it. I personally think it's time we add it to the dictionary and update all available spell checkers in the market.
Google's English-French dictionary recognises this word and translates it into itself. Not surprisingly, for a word with Latin and French roots.