Publishing SIG When is government governmental? (Adjectival forms of attributive nouns)

The original question (posted by Jennifer Alexander of Kansas State University):

The style manuals and dictionaries are making my head spin, so I'm turning to you. Do you always tack on the "al" when writing about governmental policies, departmental reports, etc.? The dictionary lists the -al forms as adjectives, but a quick glance at several style manuals and existing documents reveals inconsistencies. Even the Government Printing Office style manual doesn't use "al" (are they printing governments?).

Do you have an institutional style guide or definitive reference that could shed light on this? Or, do you simply aim for consistency within a single publication?

The Responses:

My take on issues like this has always been, yes, consistency first and, second, relying on my ear (and the ears of my colleagues!) for a sense of what sounds correct.
--Brian Clark, Washington State University

Good question! I suspect the answer to the inconsistencies lies with Merriam-Webster's usage note (at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/government) that "government" is "often attributive," which supports the plan to "simply aim for consistency within a single publication."
--Dora Rollins, Washington State University

I’d suggest looking at Garner’s Modern American Usage by Bryan A. Garner (Oxford University Press, 2003) for specific guidance on using government vs. governmental--and by extension, department and departmental. On page 388, Garner says:

Governmental; government, adj. When we have an adjective (governmental) to do the job, we need not resort to a noun (government) to do the work of the adjective. Though the trend today is to write government agency, the stylist writes governmental agency. These are the niceties of writing that make the reader’s task a little easier, and that distinguish between polished and ordinary prose.

So, please use the -al construction with a clear conscience when an adjective is called for; otherwise, use the noun form. And yes, do strive for consistency within a publication.
--John Crosiar, University of Oregon

That's a poser. The best I can come up with is Webster's Third New International Dictionary, which defines governmental as "of or pertaining to" government -- so maybe "governmental" reports would be of the type that only governments would create? "Governmental" is clearly the adjectival form, while "government" is a noun sometimes used as a adjective.

I read somewhere (maybe in Strunk & White?) that every time someone takes a word with one meaning and uses it in place of another word that actually has the meaning he or she was looking for, that person helps to reduce the variety and subtlety of meaning in the language. Sort of like in Peter Pan, when Peter says that every time a child says "I don't believe in fairies," somewhere there's a fairy who drops dead. So my guideline (not really a rule) would be to use the less common but more specific word (in this case, "governmental") wherever it's appropriate and doesn't sound just awful. For the sake of the language, and of future generations.
--Jim Coats, University of California

As a noun (Government Printing Office), "Government," means that the government owns the printing office. No "al." Most times, consistency is a virtue.
--Douglas Perret Starr, Texas A&M University

We don't have a writers' style manual but I always tack on the "al."
--Marlene Fritz, University of Idaho

The adjectival ending is used for generic descriptions: governmental policies (having to do with the practice of governing in general), departmental meetings (involving a whole department). The attributive noun is used when you're referring to a specific body: a government report is produced by a specific government; a department meeting is of a specific department. You'll often see the attributive noun capitalized.

But many, many attributive nouns do not have adjectival forms, and so the noun serves as both specific and generic: a board meeting (there is no "boardal" meeting to use to denote meetings of this type in general); city planning (not cityal planning, even though the concept is generic).

The policy I would recommend is to go ahead and use the -al adjectives when the generic sense is meant, and not worry about the nouns that do not have equivalent adjectives. The word "level" is a good one to use in a test: at the departmental level, at the governmental level, at the congressional level, etc.
--Wendalyn Nichols, Copyediting newsletter, McMurray, Inc.

My understanding is that the "al" is left off when it is understood that the word is basically being used in apposition or almost as a modifying proper noun. In other words, Government Printing Office Style Manual is really meant as the Printing Office of the Government or "Printing Office, Government." "Government policy" is meant as policy of the (specific) government ("it is government policy that there will be no reimbursement without receipts"), whereas "governmental policy" would be taken as a much more general descriptive (governmental abuses, departmental forms, non-governmental organizations).
--Sandy Clarke, Iowa State University

And, from a North Carolina State University grammar Q&A: http://www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/grammar/Adject3.html (scroll down to "Question (From a non-native speaker)")

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Address comments to Kyle McCaskill.
Last updated 04/16/2008.