I searched the Internet and found some universities use the former and some latter. Can't professors agree at one? Or when the former is used, only one foreign language is taught?
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3Generally only the head noun (Department here) of a noun compound may be pluralized. But this rule has many exceptions, and proper names are an exception to just about every rule. Quite often a university will want to emphasize the fact that there are several languages on offer, so they pluralize. Plus, Foreign Language(s) Department is just another way of saying Department of Foreign Language(s), which is in fact likely to be the official name of the department, making the noun compound form as a shorter colloquial version; a local idiom.– John LawlerCommented Oct 18, 2014 at 15:58
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1I'd say it's up to whoever donates the money to start it.– Hot LicksCommented Oct 23, 2014 at 2:14
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2 Answers
They can't agree. And if they did agree, the next generation of professors would agree that they were wrong. But to answer your specific question, even when "Foreign Language Department" is used, the department almost certainly teaches more than one foreign language.
To reiterate John Lawler's comment above, “Foreign Language Department,” “Foreign Languages Department,” “Department of Foreign Language," and “Department of Foreign Languages” are all variations on the same notion—just as, in the United States, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Health and Human Service, the Health and Human Services Department, and the Health and Human Service Department are used at federal and state levels in various singular and plural permutations.
answered Nov 4, 2014 at 22:13
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+1 just for the "if they did agree, the next generation of professors would agree that they were wrong" bit. I've been a part of several foreign language departments as student and/or faculty, and suffered through the arguments over changing the name I dunno how many different times. Foreign? No! That's too marginalizing. World? Maybe, what about modern? No! We have the classics too! Hold up, don't we teach literature too? Ooh ooh! And culture! But we don't want to be a "studies" department do we? But it'd bring in lots of students. sigh Commented Nov 4, 2014 at 22:55
It can be Foreign Language Department or Department of Foreign Languages. Putting the plural in the first formation or the singular in the second sounds jarring.
