Is Italian a Sexist Language? “Nomina Agentis” and the So-called Overextended Masculine

Abstract

Italian is often accused of being a sexist language because the masculine form always prevails; feminine names are always a minority (compared to the masculine ones); very often, one word, used in the masculine form, has a positive connotation, but the same word, in the feminine, has a negative one. There are many kinds of sexism (linguistic, behavioural, political, implicit, and criminal) as well as many ways it can be conveyed in the real world. This paper will focus on the linguistic form. The Italian language makes extensive use of the so-called “maschile sovraesteso” or “universale” (overextended or universal masculine). In sentences where the nouns are all masculine or all feminine, the adjective keeps the same gender in the plural form. However, if nouns have different genders, the adjective follows the masculine plural form. For example: “Ho fatto amicizia con un ragazzo ed una ragazza spagnoli” (I made friends with a guy and a girl, both Spanish). “Spagnoli” is the Italian adjective for Spanish used in the plural masculine form. The gender does not change even if there are five girls and only one guy. The choice for the masculine plural form does not depend on the numerical majority. To prefer the masculine plural form in case of the coexistence of masculine and feminine singular nouns is discriminatory. Using the so-called universal masculine is a sexist way to write Italian.