The functioning of feminativum in the Polish linguistic reality. A case study

Abstract

The subject of this paper is the so-called Feminativum issue, which is presented in descriptive terms. The term covers, for instance, female professional names and this paper examines various Feminativa, their perception by society, and the way they are perceived in spoken and written language. The paper includes a historical overview and is intended as an introduction to further research. The purpose of the paper is to highlight a problem concerning linguistics and to point out the problematic usage and acceptance of feminativum in speech and daily use – even in forms of social media. Stereotypes, not only of the linguistic kind, can function in specific well-established manners that can often turn complex social phenomena into simple and shallow categories, creating a very specific reality. The main aim is to show two areas that feminativum can cause areas of contention, one with functioning feminativum and one without. Based on a partial analysis, this paper concludes with a number of diagnoses regarding feminization (or lack of it) and a draft of the state of female forms in contemporary general Polish. This leads to the open question of whether we are able to free ourselves from discrimination based on sex. In reality, I believe that there is still no answer to that question.