Page 109 - Šolsko polje, XXXI, 2020, 5-6: Teaching Feminism, ed. Valerija Vendramin
P. 109
. šorli ■ feminism and gender-neutral language: between systems and effects
(Grammatical) Gender as a Category of the Language System
The (Non-)Neutrality of the Masculine Grammatical Form
The notion of gender categories in the language system seems very appro-
priate for illustrating the power that shows itself as universality (Bourdieu,
1991, p. 240). It is the existing linguistic norm – i.e. the power that is “rec-
ognized by all and thus universal” (ibid.) and seems self-evident, and for
this very reason is questioned by the GNL – that justifies the neutrality
of the masculine grammatical form. In reality, gender is a complex gram-
matical category defined on at least four levels: grammatical, lexical or lex-
ical-semantic, referential, and social (gender) (cf. Hellinger & Bussmann,
2001, pp. 7–11). Here “referential gender” refers to a dynamic referential
relation linking linguistic terms to social reality and by no means to a bi-
ological characteristic of the referent. Therefore, a (political) choice that
critically observes the existing asymmetries in language is quite legit-
imate. We all actively participate in inclusion or exclusion through our
language choices. Which practices are conventional, and how they be-
come conventional, depends on complex social processes, not just in re-
lation to language. As male and female speakers, we differ in the percep-
tion of the male grammatical gender as neutral referring to all genders.
Slovenian Grammar (Toporišič, 2000), the Slovenian Normative Guide
2001 and Slovenian linguistics traditionally state that it is the masculine
gender that is neutral in both standard and colloquial language, as well as
in dialects. Every language has its own system, which is based on the im-
plicit social agreement. However, “language” is more than just a system.
Within the (structural) linguistic-systemic perspective, there is a belief
that the problem of gender inequality does not originate in the grammati-
cal gender category and thus cannot be solved by language. Others believe
that the problem of GNL must be solved exclusively by the existing lin-
guistic means, i.e. with the linguistic-systemic possibilities of Slovenian.
However, the awareness that the neutrality of the masculine grammatical
gender not only solves but creates new problems of linguistic hierarchisa-
tion has been present for a long time.
“Feminisation” in Language and Society
“Feminisation” in language, i.e. the use of gendered, or gender-non-neu-
tral, forms (for job titles) in Slovenia dates back to the 1990s. In this sense,
“feminisation” refers to “the introduction of linguistic feminine forms”
with the aim of limiting the androcentricity of language, and, as evident
from the source, without conveying any evaluative meaning. This is typi-
cal of all field terms (see sense “linguistics” below, SSKJ2):
107
(Grammatical) Gender as a Category of the Language System
The (Non-)Neutrality of the Masculine Grammatical Form
The notion of gender categories in the language system seems very appro-
priate for illustrating the power that shows itself as universality (Bourdieu,
1991, p. 240). It is the existing linguistic norm – i.e. the power that is “rec-
ognized by all and thus universal” (ibid.) and seems self-evident, and for
this very reason is questioned by the GNL – that justifies the neutrality
of the masculine grammatical form. In reality, gender is a complex gram-
matical category defined on at least four levels: grammatical, lexical or lex-
ical-semantic, referential, and social (gender) (cf. Hellinger & Bussmann,
2001, pp. 7–11). Here “referential gender” refers to a dynamic referential
relation linking linguistic terms to social reality and by no means to a bi-
ological characteristic of the referent. Therefore, a (political) choice that
critically observes the existing asymmetries in language is quite legit-
imate. We all actively participate in inclusion or exclusion through our
language choices. Which practices are conventional, and how they be-
come conventional, depends on complex social processes, not just in re-
lation to language. As male and female speakers, we differ in the percep-
tion of the male grammatical gender as neutral referring to all genders.
Slovenian Grammar (Toporišič, 2000), the Slovenian Normative Guide
2001 and Slovenian linguistics traditionally state that it is the masculine
gender that is neutral in both standard and colloquial language, as well as
in dialects. Every language has its own system, which is based on the im-
plicit social agreement. However, “language” is more than just a system.
Within the (structural) linguistic-systemic perspective, there is a belief
that the problem of gender inequality does not originate in the grammati-
cal gender category and thus cannot be solved by language. Others believe
that the problem of GNL must be solved exclusively by the existing lin-
guistic means, i.e. with the linguistic-systemic possibilities of Slovenian.
However, the awareness that the neutrality of the masculine grammatical
gender not only solves but creates new problems of linguistic hierarchisa-
tion has been present for a long time.
“Feminisation” in Language and Society
“Feminisation” in language, i.e. the use of gendered, or gender-non-neu-
tral, forms (for job titles) in Slovenia dates back to the 1990s. In this sense,
“feminisation” refers to “the introduction of linguistic feminine forms”
with the aim of limiting the androcentricity of language, and, as evident
from the source, without conveying any evaluative meaning. This is typi-
cal of all field terms (see sense “linguistics” below, SSKJ2):
107
