Feminine Form Research Articles

Problems of spelling prefixes and suffixes in the “Ukrainian orthography” of 2019

The article analyzes some rules for writing prefixes and suffixes, presented in the new edition of “Ukrainian Orthography” in 2019, which appear to be debatable. In particu­lar, comments and suggestions concern spelling innovations that distinguish this edition from the previous ones: variant writing of allomorph prefixes apxi– / архи-; elimination of agentive suffixes –чик (-щик); spelling of derivatives with the suffix –ив-(-о); recom­mendations on the use of suffixes to create feminine counterparts to male names; ten­dencies to eliminate foreign language components in adjectival suffixes –ичи-(-ий), –ічн-(-ий) [(-їчн-(-ий)], etc. It is proposed to expand the list of prefixes, the transmis­sion of which will be regulated by spelling, and with respect to individual formants it is expressed a caveat to refrain from codification measures until their full usualization. In particular, it was noted that the prefix архи-, borrowed into the Ukrainian lan­guage long ago from Greek through Church Slavonic as part of the Christian religious vocabulary, has a long tradition of pronunciation with [и], and therefore the fixation of the variant архі– in the spelling, which appeared in newly formed derivatives and in an­cient words under the influence of the Russian pronunciation of Church Slavonic texts is impractical. The suffixes –чик (-щик), removed from the spelling, obviously in the agentive sense, although the rule regulates the writing in them and, it is advisable to return them to the spelling, because the suffix –чик is a productive diminutive suffix, and in the agentive sense it helps to avoid homonymy (підрядчик — підрядник) and functions in words that are not used with another suffix (bratchyk, nebizhchyk). In the rule governing the use of the suffix –ив-(-о) –yv-(-o) it is necessary to return the lexeme мариво (previously — with the allomorph –ев-(-о) марево) removed from it as one that demonstrates a tendency to unification with the formations of the corre­sponding word-formation model. Recommendations on the elimination of foreign language components in adjectival suffixes, –ичи-(-ий), –ічи-(-ий) [(-їчи-(-ий)] as an example of renormalization and the rule on suffixes for creating feminine correlates to male names as such, that potentially codifies this latest derivational process itself, we consider premature in view of the in­completeness of the usualization of the corresponding linguistic phenomena. It is also proposed to expand the list of prefixes whose transmission will be regu­lated by spelling (in particular, foreign language де-, дез-, дис-, ди– (ді-), as well as parts of foreign words that are not prefixes: їре-, їри, їрі-, etc.). Keywords: Ukrainian orthography, spelling of prefixes and suffixes, feminine forms, adjecti­val suffixes.

LITTLE EXPLORERS TO THE CLOUDLESS FUTURE: REPORTING THE WONDERS OF STEM PROFESSIONS FOR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

The article outlines methods for acquainting preschool children with STEM professions, portraying them as catalysts for fostering innovative thinking, cultivating resilience and adaptability, and sparking curiosity within a scientific realm — a core outcome of STEM education. The necessity to design exemplary game tasks of heightened quality is substantiated, as these tasks bridge the chasm between abstract concepts and a tangible grasp of the world’s intricacies. The article furnishes a slew of recommendations, functioning as guiding beacons for contemporary educators in game development. These guidelines ensure the eradication of bias, the removal of antiquated cognitive mechanisms, and the preservation of professionalism. Employing the correct game, enriched with novel information technologies, catalyzes the exploration of a child’s potential, their inherent capacities, and the cultivation of steadfast interests in future professional pursuits. Addressing gender equality is integral, shielding the child from an internal clash between antiquated “norms” and their personal aspirations when choosing a desired profession. In a bid to acquaint children with contemporary linguistic trends, emphasis is placed on language norms, mandating the incorporation of feminine forms as equivalent units alongside traditionally entrenched masculine forms. The article hones in on the engagement of STEM projects, particularly those dedicated to ongoing events, as a means to foster research and investigative skills. It prepares children for resolving complex scenarios, solidifying their comprehension of the conscious choices made by each specialist in their relentless pursuit of self-improvement and national enhancement. The relevance of studying STEM professions amid the backdrop of martial law as a restorative mechanism for the nation’s economy and the normalization of daily existence is substantiated. A step-by-step guide for the conceptual genesis of projects is meticulously crafted, along with fragments of scenarios addressing contentious aspects in war coverage. This coverage refrains from unnecessary veiling and silencing of reality, instead offering a transparent portrayal.

Fashioning female feet at the turn of the twentieth century: US Cinderellas, Chinese alterity or global beauty?

AbstractScholars have only paid limited attention to petite feet as a US fashion and as a cross‐cultural beauty ideal. Framed as a visual metaphor of Chinese alterity, traditionalism and patriarchal oppression, footbinding served as a crucial terrain in which the USA asserted its supremacy through a racialised discourse of difference at the turn of the twentieth century. Through a comparative lens, this article spotlights powerful details about shared ideologies of women's bodies in the USA and China. By tracing how women's feet were discussed in newspaper and magazine coverage of US small foot fashion and foot contests, and locating these narratives in a global context, it uncovers the ways in which the discourse of modernity, ideology of white superiority and imperialism naturalised Western women's foot beauty norm as an aesthetic ideal, which obscured the convergences of feminine beauty standards in different parts of the world. Ironically, this racialised global hierarchy of beauty under the guise of modernity tapped into a traditional form of femininity and upset efforts to reflect on the limits of white women's agency both in a traditional patriarchal culture and in a modernising US society, which ultimately constrained possibilities of local and global transformations.

Demonstratives in Musandam Arabic: Distinctive Archaisms and Innovations

Abstract This study introduces and analyzes proximal and distal singular demonstratives in fourteen varieties of Musandam Arabic, a little-documented dialect group located on Musandam Peninsula in northern Oman and neighbouring areas of the United Arab Emirates. Following an overview of the dialect group in its regional context, the study provides a description of singular demonstratives from the point of view of phono-logy, morphology, and geographical distribution. The study then focuses on two salient features found in several of the varieties under investigation: gender distinction based on consonantal alternation (d-based masculine forms vs t-based feminine forms); and gemination of the feminine t-element. While the former is attested, albeit rarely, in other Arabic dialects, the latter is unheard of. In the last section of the article, some hypotheses are put forward as to how these forms could have developed from a historical point of view, in light of data from different Arabic and Semitic varieties. While the gemination of the t-element is best regarded as a Musandam-internal innovation, the d : t consonantal alternation reinforces the putative historical link between south-western Arabia and Oman.

The effects of grammatical gender on the processing of occupational role names in Slovene: An event-related potential study.

The event-related potential method has proven to be a useful tool for studying the effects of gender information in language. Studies have shown that mismatch between the antecedent and the following referent triggers two ERP components, N400 and P600. In the present study, we investigated how grammatical gender affects the mental representation of the grammatical subject. A match-mismatch paradigm was used to investigate how masculine grammatical gender and gender-balanced forms (the explicit mention of masculine and feminine forms as word pairs) as role nouns affect the processing of the referent in Slovenian. The morphological complexity of Slovenian language required the use of anaphoric verbs instead of nouns/pronouns, on which previous research was based. The results showed that following both the gender-balanced and the masculine generic forms, P600 (but not N400) was observed in response to the feminine verb but not to the masculine verb. The P600 amplitude was smaller in the case of the gender-balanced form than in the case of the masculine generic form only. We have concluded that gender-balanced forms are more open to feminine continuations than masculine generic forms. This is the first ERP study in Slovenian to address the effects of processing grammatical gender, thus contributing to existing research on languages with grammatical gender. The great strength of the study is that it is one of the first ERP studies to test the mental inclusivity of gender-balanced forms.

Rostek, Joanna. Women’s Economic Thought in the Romantic Age: Towards a Transdisciplinary Herstory of Economic Thought

Rostek, Joanna. <i>Women’s Economic Thought in the Romantic Age: Towards a Transdisciplinary Herstory of Economic Thought</i>

TOWARDS A FEMINIZATION OF JOB NAMES: SOCIAL RESISTANCE OR/AND LINGUISTIC EVOLUTION?

The feminization of job names is a linguistic development that aims to designate job names in feminized forms. This conveys a lot of resistance, largely socio-cultural and linguistic. It involves a crosscutting approach using language policy, without forgetting the socio-cultural point of view. For some job names, it is difficult to find an equivalent in the feminine. The problem lies fundamentally in the nouns with a unique masculine gender used to designate jobs traditionally for men, to which women now have access. How to name a woman "firefighter"? The field of investigation hereby explored relates to the semantic and morphosyntactic networks which refer to the names of jobs used in the feminine form in the French linguistic system. Despite current attempts at feminization, there exist opponents to the feminization of job names. Keywords: Applied Linguistics, Feminization, Job Names, Resistance, Linguistic Evolution, Hesitations

An “evasive neuter”? A study on neuter singular indefinite pronouns with human reference in seventeenth–nineteenth century literary German

In the area of agreement with noun phrases displaying reference problems, “evasive forms” may be used to avoid problematic choices. When referring to people of more than one or unknown social gender, masculine or feminine forms might be inappropriate. An “evasive construction” solves this problem by turning to a form that is neither masculine nor feminine. A well-known example is “singular they” in English (e.g. anyone can do it if they try hard enough). In literary New High German, neuter singular forms of indefinite pronouns could be used in similar contexts. This construction is largely obsolete in present-day Standard German but well attested until the nineteenth century and still current in some modern regional dialects. In this paper, the grammatical properties of this construction are discussed. It is shown that neuter gender is used for a specific semantic value, namely, to indicate more than one social gender simultaneously or to leave social gender explicitly open.

Artificial word formation in the epic tradition: θοῦρος (‘fierce’) and the formula θούριδος ἀλκῆς

AbstractThe Homeric adjectives θοῦρος and θοῦρις (gen. -ιδος) are normally glossed as ‘rushing, impetuous, furious’. While θοῦρις exclusively qualifies feminine nouns, no feminine form of θοῦρος is attested. What was the exact relationship between θοῦρος and θοῦρις? In this paper it is argued that θοῦρις is not the paradigmatic feminine of θοῦρος, but an artificial formation of epic Greek. It arose in the formula θούριδος ἀλκῆς due to the metrical constraints of epic hexameter, and subsequently ousted the original feminine of θοῦρος. In elaborating this scenario, I show that the basic meaning of θοῦρος and θοῦρις is ‘fierce’. Other instances of artificial change of inflection in the Homeric Kunstsprache are discussed, and it is argued that the mechanism underlying their creation is linguistic contamination.

Accounting for different rates of gender reanalysis among Icelandic masculine forms in plural -ur

AbstractThis paper presents a usage-based cognitive approach to the different rates at which Icelandic masculine forms in nominative/accusative plural -ur are reanalysed as feminine. Of the 14.92% of nouns in plural -ur, 91.89% are feminine, others masculine. Syncretism in nominative/accusative plural is exceptionless among feminines, but relatively rare among masculines. Interestingly, plurals such as masculine eigendur ‘owners’, fætur ‘feet’, vetur ‘winters’ occasionally yield the feminine outputs definite eigendur-nar, fætur-nar, vetur-nar, and are sometimes modified by feminine forms of adjectives and determiners. As the full set of forms in plural -ur is highly schematic, we might expect reanalysis – viewed as a property of a schema’s productivity – to correlate proportionately with the frequency of corresponding masculine forms. However, corpus data for Icelandic betray a mismatch. Through a network model approach that emphasises prototype structure, minimal schematicity is shown to impact the rate of reanalysis by means of a gang effect.

Beyond Needle and Thread

Beyond Needle and Thread

Gourmand and Gourmet — A Glimpse of Women Status from the Gender of the Two Words

To get an idea of the social status of women in 19th century France, we can go through a linguistic study of the gender of two words gourmand and gourmet, both indicating an eater on the table. If the word gourmand has a feminine form gourmande, while the word gourmet only designates men eaters, it deserves a deeper look at their meaning for French writers, especially the master of realism, Honoré de Balzac, representing more or less the ideology about women at the time.

Representations of “leftover” women and men in the Chinese English-language news media: a keyword analysis of similarities and difference

Abstract Although the phenomenon of “leftover” women and men in China has been hotly debated over the past decade, there are few comparative studies investigating similarities and differences underlying media representations of the two groups. To fill this gap, this study employs a corpus-assisted discourse analysis to investigate the discourses of similarities and differences underlying the representations of leftover women and men in the Chinese English-language news media between 2007 and 2017 by building two corpora. The findings indicate a similar discourse surrounding both leftover women and men, which is heterosexual marriage pressure. The findings also reveal two discourses highlighting differences between leftover women and men: while leftover women are represented as A-grade women facing fertility issues, leftover men are represented as D-grade men confronted with the demographic crisis. These discourses have ideological implications for heteronormativity and patriarchy. The study sheds light on non-hegemonic forms of femininity and masculinity constructed by the media in contemporary Chinese society, as well as the usefulness of employing corpus techniques to examine both similarities and differences in gender representations.

Life Histories of Theban Tombs: Transdisciplinary Investigations of a Cluster of Rock-Cut Tombs at Sheikh ‘Abd al-Qurna Edited by Andrea Loprieno-Gnirs (AUC Press Archaeological Reports). Cairo: American University in Cairo Press 2021. Pp. 200. $79.95. ISBN 9781617979910 (paper).

<i>Life Histories of Theban Tombs: Transdisciplinary Investigations of a Cluster of Rock-Cut Tombs at Sheikh ‘Abd al-Qurna</i> Edited by Andrea Loprieno-Gnirs (AUC Press Archaeological Reports). Cairo: American University in Cairo Press 2021. Pp. 200. $79.95. ISBN 9781617979910 (paper).

Refiguring Sex Work in the Life of Theodoros of Sykeon

The Life of Theodoros of Sykeon is a remarkable hagiographic text that is well known to contemporary scholarship as a source for information about rural life in Asia Minor in the sixth and seventh centuries. This text represents the saint’s mother, Maria, and the rest of his female family as a group of independent women who ran an inn on the imperial road through Galatia. These women set up a business that the text alternatively calls the “business of a hetaira” and the “business of pornike.” Hetaira, the feminine form of a word meaning “companion,” was in antiquity a word that meant a high-class woman who either worked as a courtesan or was sexually free. Pornike is a slur word that generally is translated as “fornication.” Through its highly gendered and sexually charged depiction, the author makes Maria into a negative foil for Theodoros’ future saintly career. This article examines this depiction of Maria in both the post-641 CE text and a slightly less hostile depiction of her in a shorter version of The Life of Theodoros of Sykeon. It uses these texts to ask the question, “What happens if the representation of sex worker characters in these two texts is read as a mode of making practical/moral and theological points in service of monastic communities?” Building on ideas from Roland Betancourt’s recent Byzantine Intersectionality, the project is an initial foray into acknowledging the ways that representations of sex work are highly gendered and that the subjects are entirely silenced.

Гендерное разнообразие в индийском обществе: различие в идентичности между хиджрой и трансгендером

Ethnomethodological explanation of the social construction of gender highlighted the natural attitude of society towards binary gender categories (men-women); gender groups other than men and women are socially and culturally rejected. Gender in everyday life is a kind of displaying appearances and behaviour in the forms of masculinity and femininity. Gender is also described as the performanceof individuals in their everyday life. The binary gender system (men-women) is perceived as normal or socially acceptable because of the “natural attitude” (preconceived notion regarding gender) regarding certain fixed social roles and behaviour of men and women. The paper has examined how the social construction of gender contradicts gender diversity. There are four gender categories in Indian society: Men, women, transgender and third gender (Hijra). It has shown the distinction between transgender and third gender identity in Indian society. Hijra is a native third gender category in India, thatstructurally contradicted the compulsory binary gender system but transgender or transsexuals arein favour of fluidity of sexual orientation or sexual preferences.

Obca: Ballady oraz inne wiersze [The other: Ballads and other poems

<i>Obca: Ballady oraz inne wiersze</i> [The other: Ballads and other poems

A Feminist Stylistic Analysis of Anti-feminist Poetry in English and Arabic

Language plays a major role in all aspects of life. Communication is regarded as the most important of these aspects, as language is used on a daily basis by humanity either in written or spoken forms. Language is also regarded as the main factor of exchanging peoples’ cultures and traditions and in handing down these attributes from generation to generation. Thus, language is a fundamental element in identifying peoples’ ideologies and traditions in the past and the present. Despite these facts, the feminist linguists have objections to some of the language structures, demonstrating that language is gender biased to men. That is, language promotes patriarchal values. This pushed towards developing extensive studies to substantiate sexism in language. The main question is: is language really sexist? This study employs a feminist stylistic analysis to investigate these theories, and takes the anti-feminist poetry as a springboard for that, for it addresses multiple issues objected to by feminism. The model adopted in this study is Sara Mills’s (1995) Feminist Stylistics which analyzes different structures of language that oppose feminism; English and Arab modern anti-feminist poetry is the genre that is investigated in this study. Besides, this study aims at revealing the societies’ inherent views about women along with investigating the feminist essential claim; that language is sexist. This is done by conducting both qualitative and quantitative analyses on the data. The current study has concluded that language in its pure form is not sexist; rather sexism is a personal and well as a societal attitude. Furthermore, there are certain items, especially in English, that can be regarded since English does not have a feminine form on its own; still, such items can always be avoided and other neutral items can be used instead. Finally, this study recommends that a feminist practical approach is required to track and omit gender bias in language from school books as it has a major effect on the ideology of society. It also recommends to developing a feminist method to raise the awareness against the indirect forms of sexism that plague literature.

Television representations and professional femininities: The case of the UK police

This article explores female occupational identity construction by looking at the issue of media representations of women’s police work in the United Kingdom. The example, television representation, discussed here, is the character of Sergeant Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley, a UK police drama written by a UK-based playwright, Sally Wainwright. As the lead character in Happy Valley, Sergeant Catherine Cawood’s on-screen portrayal will be the focus of the discussion in this article. Building on findings from previous research undertaken by the author, which explored how gendered identities of women police professionals are represented in the media, this article argues that television representations of UK female police work portray a particular form of professional femininity, one which I argue is still highly ‘gendered’, mainly because such representation of women’s police work relies on narratives centred on the effective and competent use of ‘emotional labour’.

The frequency of word gender as a variable for lexical access in Spanish

Abstract The endings of Spanish nouns reflect gender with varying degrees of frequency and regularity. The most common and regular endings are -o for masculine nouns and -a for feminine nouns, -o being more frequent and less closely associated with a specific gender category (masculine) than -a. Pairs of words occurring with both gender categories differ in the frequencies with which they are used as masculine or feminine forms: médic-o/médic-a ‘doctor’ (m.)/‘doctor’ (f.) is a clear example of a masculine-dominant pair, whereas enfermer-o/enfermer-a ‘nurse’ (m.)/ ‘nurse’ (f.) is a feminine-dominant pair. Adult readers of Spanish are faster in recognizing feminine forms of feminine-dominant pairs, and masculine forms of masculine-dominant pairs (Dominguez, Alberto, Fernando Cuetos &amp; Juan Segui. 1999. The processing of grammatical gender and number in Spanish. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research 28(5). 485–498). This study aims to test the dominant frequency effect in third and sixth grade children, as well as in adults. Children were faster in recognizing masculine forms in masculine-dominant pairs, but not feminine forms in feminine-dominant pairs. Adults, by contrast, tended to respond faster to higher frequency words, irrespective of gender, indicating that they have independent representations for both genders. The dominance of masculine forms in children could be a consequence of the statistical distribution of gender dominance and regularity in Spanish. The experience of skilled adult readers seems to make them less dependent on this statistical pattern.