Dan Myers, Sociologian
This morning, in a rushed conversation, I was trying to describe someone who teaches Theology at Harvard, and I accidentally spit out the word "Theologist," when, of course, I meant "Theologian." It didn't take long for me to correct myself and then to start wondering why people from Theology get to be -ologians while those of us in the rest of the -ologies have to be -ologists (psychology, anthropology, sociology, biology).
It's understandable if the word has a different root. Moving from History to Historian, for example, makes sense. But when we're all -ologies, you'd think there'd be some consistency.
Therefore, I've decided to promote myself out of the endless rabble of -ologists* into the rarefied air of -ologians** and will henceforth introduce myself as a sociologian.
______________
* aerologist
algologist
anesthesiologist
anthologist
anthropologist
apologist
archaeologist
archeologist
archmologist
astrobiologist
audiologist
bacteriologist
biologist
campanologist
cardiologist
chronologist
climatologist
conchologist
cosmetologist
cosmologist
criminologist
cytologist
demonologist
dendrologist
dermatologist
ecologist
electrologist
embryologist
endocrinologist
entomologist
enzymologist
epidemiologist
ethnologist
ethologist
etymologist
exobiologist
futurologist
gastroenterologist
gastrologist
gemmologist
gemologist
geologist
gerontologist
glaciologist
graphologist
gynecologist
hematologist
herpetologist
histologist
horologist
hydrologist
ichthyologist
ideologist
immunologist
kremlinologist
meteorologist
microbiologist
monologist
morphologist
musicologist
mycologist
mythologist
neologist
neurologist
numerologist
oceanologist
oncologist
ophthalmologist
ornithologist
osteologist
otolaryngologist
otologist
paleontologist
parapsychologist
parasitologist
pathologist
penologist
petrologist
pharmacologist
philologist
phonologist
phrenologist
physiologist
phytopathologist
planetologist
pomologist
proctologist
psychologist
radiologist
reflexologist
rheologist
roentgenologist
seismologist
sexologist
sociologist
speleologist
technologist
teratologist
terminologist
toxicologist
urbanologist
urologist
virologist
volcanologist
zoologist
** theologian
Categories:
Language
5 comments:
** magician
mathematician
logician
-- seem like "-ian" is reserved for the more venerated professions that go back to ancient times.
it's kind of like "marxist" and "marxian", I think. Are you a advocating a religion or do you just analyze things? So I'd say, Sociologist would be people like Auguste Comte, while the rest of us are Sociologians
What do you call a person in an academic discipline associated with peace studies? There is no shortcut for that yet. When you are quoted in the New York Times, do we identify you as a peaceologist? peaceologian?
Hi Dan. Great minds think alike. Mine was thinking along this wavelength in 2004. I like the sound of "sociologian" because it bridges the "-ist" hard scientist with the "-ogian" of the artist/thinker.
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