Suffixes in titles

Question

Is 1) 'A Critical Sociological Study' better/more accurate than 2) 'A Critical Sociology Study'? Critical sociology is a theory, and I have just conducted a study using the theory. That is, a critical sociology study of something. My supervisors believe that 'a critical sociological study' is correct. I think they might be in error. Because the derivational suffix '-al' in 'critical' creates an adjective which qualifies the noun 'sociology', not the noun 'study'. I also think that the derivational suffix '-al' in 'sociological' creates an adverb not an adjective.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Is 1) 'A Critical Sociological Study' better/more accurate than 2) 'A Critical Sociology Study'? Critical sociology is a theory, and I have just conducted a study using the theory. That is, a critical sociology study of something. My supervisors believe that 'a critical sociological study' is correct. I think they might be in error.

Because the derivational suffix '-al' in 'critical' creates an adjective which qualifies the noun 'sociology', not the noun 'study'. Yes

I also think that the derivational suffix '-al' in 'sociological' creates an adverb not an adjective .No, it's an adjective.

If 'critical sociology' is the name of a thing (ie a theory), I'd say 'A Critical Sociology Study'.

A simpler illustration is that one would normally say 'a philosophy class' and not 'a philosophical class'.

But don't you want to say what the subject of the study is?

eg 'A study of the Chinese middle class using critical sociology'?

Clive

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