random linguisticky question:

[fox]

why are practicioners of (or students in) some fields ending in -ology described as whatever-ologists, while others are described as whatever-ologians?  (in fact, besides 'theologian', are there other -logians?  i can't think of any off the top of my head ...)

Comments

[datlowen.livejournal.com]

Could be that it's merely a distinction without a difference--that the -ologian at the end of theo- has been there so long that they simply left it (after all, of all the -ologies that are still considered serious, theology is by far the oldest). But if I had to quess I would think it had something to do with the idea that you don't really study God so much as contemplate him, and that the difference in the word used is an attempt to make that distinction.