Feminization of the names of trades

The feminization of the names of trades is a whole of linguistic processes consisting in clarifying the presence of the Femme S in the public life.

One distinguishes on the one hand feminization from the Terminologie, or creation of terms indicating with female trades, titles, ranks and functions and on the other hand the feminization of the texts, or techniques of explicit introduction of the marks of female during the drafting of texts (memorandums, articles of newspaper, etc). This article is devoted to the feminization of the terminology, the feminization of the texts being treated with the article Féminisation.

The grammatical kind does not have in theory anything to see with the sex but is a pure formal property of certain words. Moreover, from many languages do without kind and those which have some, of number besides variable, distribute it on the words in a very differentiated way. It does not remain about it less than in the languages which have a kind, this last recuts the opposition of direction male-female when it is a question of indicating being animated sexués (of which the being human). From there the representation of the opposition masculine-female like returning to the distribution of the sexes.

This representation is obviously heavy consequences on the social plan. Thus, the exclusive use of the masculine, under the pretext which it would be " not marqué" occult the part played by the women on the public stage, product of psychological resistances to the candidature for certain stations, etc the question like the words indicating the human beings in their statute or their community activities is thus not simply a formal question of grammar, but is a question of Sociolinguistique, closely related to the images that a company has relations between sexes.

History

With the length of the history of French, one systematically used the female one to designate the women, without holding it for the functions subordinates (queen, empress, etc) It is with the advent of the middle-class only that the use prevails to use the masculine (famous " kind; not marqué") to designate women as well as men (from where phrases like " Madam the secretary général" , etc). It should be noted that this invention of the " masculine of fonction" or of the " not marqué" applied only to the case of the functions of prestige (the functions subordinates continuing to express itself with the female one: " cuisinière" , " ouvrière"); a corrolaire of this middle-class use is, in the case of these functions of prestige, to hold the female forms to designate the wives of the holders of these functions (" pharmacienne" , wife of the pharmacist).

It is this situation which is denounced as from the years 1960 by the feminist movements, in America initially, then in Europe, at one moment when social morphology was largely reorganized, women being from now on more numerous to occupy of the stations with responsibility. However the male labels occult these new realities. They consequently make weigh a mortgage on the promotion of the women, by consolidating the idea that the qualification and prestige are related to the masculinity. Within the framework of their industrial relations policies, the democratic States wished consequently to impose on their administrations the use of an equitable terminology and preached the techniques not sexists of drafting of the texts. This movement, which affects all the languages, is also observed in the great international agencies, like UNO, UNESCO and the Council of Europe.

In Francophonie, it is the Quebec which, stimulated by the proximity of the United States, was the first to intervene: since 1979, the official Gazette sends to the administrations recommendations aiming at feminizing the names of trades. In France, it is necessary to wait until 1986 to observe a first initiative going in the same direction: a circular of the Prime Minister Laurent Fabius. But a change of political majority will condemn this initiative. The movement will begin again under the government Jospin, which sees a certain number women to occupy of the ministerial positions, and will be devoted by a new circular of 1998. In Swiss, the Confederation formally did not legislate - with the difference of the canton of Geneva, where a law of 1988 feminizes the names of profession -, but it gave instructions for the adoption of nondiscriminating denominations. In the French Community of Belgium, a decree of 1993, studied by the Superior council of the French language imposes feminization on the administrations of the Community and the institutions which it subsidizes.

Corresponding largely to the wishes of the social body, feminization was established quickly and deeply in the Québécois and Canadian general public, concerning at the same time the terminology (in particular thanks to the invention of female in - the Eure), but also the drafting of the text. In Switzerland, and to a lesser extent in Belgium, terminological feminization was largely spread, though less spectacularly. C `is undoubtedly in France which it is essential with less strength: the controversies were there more sharp and stronger resistances. But these last appeared elsewhere still, in particular in Belgium and Switzerland, where the idea was sometimes expressed that the right to take initiatives as regards language was a French monopoly. These differences in the feminizing practices are not only national: one can also correlate them with the political sensibility of the users, as much as with properly linguistic phenomena; and certain reserves could be the fact of feminists militant, eager to affirm the identity of their work with that of the men. In spite of these differences in rate/rhythm, the movement of feminization is, in all the francophonie, deep and fast, have regard to the usual slowness of the linguistic innovations.

Belgium

The decree taken in 1993 by the French Communauté of Belgium was studied by the Superior council of the French language, then under the presidency of the professor Jean-Marie Klinkenberg. The French Community of Belgium published for many people a Guide of feminization , which knew one second edition updated in 2005.

External bonds

On the site of the Service of the French language of the the French Community of Belgium:

Stopped Government of the French Community of December 13rd, 1993 laying down the rules of feminization of the names of trade, function, rank or title * List names

France

The Fabius circular of 1986 brought back forever, but was not followed tangible effects before end of the year 90. In 1999 the French government published a list of trades, titles, ranks and functions which indicates which name to use when the person concerned is a woman. This list was published under the title Femme, I write your name , under the responsibility of the professor Bernard Cerquiglini, linguist then vice-president of the Superior council of the French language.

External bonds

On the site of the General Commission of Terminology (Ministry for the Culture) one finds a whole of documents which surround the unit of the governmental step. * The list itself is on the site of French Documentation '' Femme, I write your name ''
the French Academy positioned on this governmental initiative * The SIEFAR, International Company for the Study of the Women of the Old Mode, proposes a list of female used under the Old Mode, while going up until our '' days: Words to say it ''

Quebec

August 1st

Switzerland

August 1st

External bonds

On the site of the Swiss Conference of delegated to the equality: French Guide of assistance to the administrative drafting and legislative epicene
On the site of the Canton of Geneva: Payment relative for the use of the female form of the names of trade, function, rank or title in the instruments

See too

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