Language  Agenda: “Lawful School” and “Law School”

Introduction

Is it “law school” or “lawful school?” The answer is both. Why? It is because both structures are grammatically acceptable but contextually different. The difference is dictated by the principle of adjective-noun and that of noun adjunct.

Explanation

For better comprehension, we may consider the following explanation:

Adjective-noun Structure

As the name suggests, this structure contains an adjective qualifying a noun. Therefore, “lawful school” is a reflection of this structure. Indeed, “lawful” is an adjective qualifying the noun “school” in this context. To maximize our understanding, we may consider the following illustrative sentences:

● Batang Yili College of Liberal Arts is a LAWFUL SCHOOL offering Creative Writing.

● Dr. Naporoo graduated from Maachandi Medical College, which is a LAWFUL SCHOOL in Nantong.

It is significant to state that “lawful”, as an adjective, describes the noun “school” in both of the above structures.

Noun Adjunct Structure

This structure contains two nouns. But one of them, usually the first one, acts as an adjective qualifying the other one. For instance, in “law school” both “law” and “school” are nouns. However, “law” describes the “school” in question. In fact, it tells us that the school under review offers LAW as an academic program. Below are illustrative sentences:

● After years of journalistic practice, Njelwuni has decided to enter Dagbon State LAW SCHOOL.

● These days, there are many LAW SCHOOLS in Ghana.

Similar structures are:

● “Ghana flag” instead of Ghanaian flag

● “Journalism practice” instead of journalistic practice

● “Election results” instead of electoral results.

Usage

It is important to note that, sometimes, the noun adjunct structure is preferred to avoid ambiguity. For instance, “law school” obviously means a school where LAW is offered as a program of study. Contrarily, “lawful school” could be a journalism school or any other school whose existence is lawful. This way, the use of “lawful school” may create ambiguity if the intended meaning is a SCHOOL OF LAW.

Conclusion

Dear reader, as you enjoy this discourse, join LANGUAGE AGENDA to celebrate the young men and women who have just been called to the Bar. May Allah grant them the wisdom to practice law with a sense of patriotism. May they contribute to the enhancement of the administration of justice in Ghana.

Dedication

This discourse is dedicated to Lawyers Akbar Yussif Rohullah Khomeini, Nzo Kofi Sapachini, Fatimatu Abubakar, and all the new members of the Ghana Bar Association. LANGUAGE AGENDA proudly congratulates them.

Allah is the Best Linguist.