Why so much controversy about feminitivah?

What are feminitivy?

Feminitivy - a feminine nouns, most often paired or similar male. They indicate the nationality, citizenship or residence (Japanese Muscovite), profession (journalist, teacher) and so on.

Feminitivy - not innovation and the generation fempablikov. They have always existed Feminativy in Russian language: historical aspectAnd many of them were formed without any connection with the "male" job title. For example, the word "spinner" no corresponding pair is formed directly from the verb "spin."

Now feminitivy, including those that are not already in the dictionary, began to actively use feminists. Around unfamiliar words often many kilometers inflame debate in social networks. Although to say that all this is happening just now, would be a mistake - at the turn of XIX-XX centuries "girl students", "lektrisy", "nurse" and "aviatorshi" also met with resistance. Interestingly, the same "girl students" girl students and "nurse" nurseWhich were once considered "newfangled" quite taken root in the Russian literary language, they can be found in dictionaries.

Supporters implementation feminitivov reason something like this. The debate about what is primary - language or thought - were still with Plato's time. In 1941, Benjamin Lee Whorf published an article Language, consciousness and reality "Language, thought and reality", in which he formulated the theory of linguistic relativity and said that the outlook of various nations depends on the language they speak. The hypothesis is not confirmed nor denied, but many scientists agree that language is not only a reflection of our relationship to the world, but also forms Does the language I speak influence the way I think? his. This idea is also reflected in the literature: remember even "1984" by George Orwell, where with the help of substitution of concepts ( "War - a world of freedom - it is slavery, ignorance - the power of") the power to control consciousness people.

That, as we say, which use words, not only describes the existing reality, but in some ways predicts the future. Russian language - androcentric, that is male-oriented, especially in regard to the designation of professions. "Lotchitsa" appeared in a couple of "pilot to", "revolutionary" - to the "revolutionary" and so on. That would be logical, if we lived in the XVIII century - when the women professors is simply not there, and the women-authors no one treated seriously. No phenomena - no words. But now women can master - and seize - any occupation, except, perhaps, those who are on the list Resolution "On approval of the list of heavy work and work in harmful or dangerous conditions under which prohibits the employment of women" of 456 banned.

Calling the tractor driver tractor, novelist writer, teacher, teacher, we would like to erase these women deny their contribution. According to well-established literary norms D. E. Rosenthal. Rhode names of females in the profession, positionWords masculine designation of professions can be applied to both men and women, particularly in official documents, in textbooks, in the media. "Director Ivanov" - you can, "the headmistress Ivanov" - absolutely not Russian grammar edited by N. YU. Shvedova"Headmistress Ivanov" - is debatable. We are getting used to since childhood, that the director, deputy president - it's like always male. A washerwoman, nannies and cleaners - are women. As a result, it continues to live is irrelevant setting: women are not capable of science, arts, management of the country, piloting airplanes. Installation, harmful not only for girls, which is then very difficult to overcome uncertainty and decide express themselves in these "nezhenskih" cases, but for the whole society, which is thus deprived of the good spetsialistok.

Recent incident with the first channel and CEO BlaBlaCar Irina Raider perfectly illustrates and misconceptions about women and how the rejection of feminitivov can lead to misunderstandings. In short - the First Channel Editor-Director General invited as an expert. And when it turned out that the director - a woman, the invitation was withdrawn because "the viewer has the stereotypes."

From this point of view not everyone agrees. The conversation on this subject will inevitably lead to the Equality dispute that emphasize sexual identity professional is not necessary, and that the cut feminitivy hearing and contrary to the rules of the Russian language.

Feminitivy - this according to the rules?

Complete clarity in this matter. Feminitivy conditionally can be divided into those that have already taken root in the language (student, teacher, artist) and relatively new (eg, academic, psihologinya and all "favorite" avtorka, prezidentka, redaktorka, Deputatka). Established feminitivy can be found in dictionariesThey are used for a long time, though not always - for example, in a school where only women work, it is to be celebrated "Teacher's Day".

"Avtorku" and "filologinyu" in the dictionary, such as Spelling RAS, can not found. It may seem that you can not use them. But dictionaries do not have time and can not keep up with completions in language. The word "bullying", "longrid" and "Account Manager" in the spelling dictionary too, no, but there was still no one case to the people because of these neologisms lit multi-page discussion with mutual insults. Because of the word "student", which is now difficult to surprise someone at the end of the XIX century, while the women have not yet won the right to acquire knowledge in institutions of higher education, it has been much debate Higher education for women in Russia of the XIX century.
At the same time "Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary"We can find unusual" Deputatka "and" delegate, ". And in "Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language"- even" prezidentku ".

Lack of feminitivov in dictionaries is not the only problem. "Avtorka", "redaktorka" and "blogerka" many ears cut, because contrary to the established patterns of word formation. The suffix "Spoken" fits well with the foundation, in which the last syllable of a shock: a student - a student, a Bolshevik - Bolshevik journalist - journalist. The word "blogger" and "Editor" accent falls on the last syllable, so feminitivy formed through the "Spoken" may sound unfamiliar.

In this case, the ban on the use of these tokens are not. Academic "Russian grammar" says Russian grammar edited by N. YU. ShvedovaThat can not be used feminitivy in relation to the male face, and towards women can use the names of male and female gender. That is no grammatical rules prohibiting feminitivy as a phenomenon, no. But in the "Handbook of spelling and style of" D. E. Rosenthal mentions D. E. Rosenthal. Rhode names of females in the profession, position the so-called word without paired entities that retain their shape even when applied to women. These include the "lawyer", "associate professor", "author", and so on. In general, all very confusing.

What's wrong with them?

It turns out feminitivy - a very interesting subject. It seems to be, and certainly not against the rules, and even linguists are Point of view. Feminitivy loyal to them. But this discussion feminitivov almost as explosive as the debate with atheists or believers Samsung owners with Apple adherents. At the end of 2018 a schoolgirl on a test exam in Russian language lifted point for the use of the word "stazhorka". The deputy of the Leningrad Region proposed fining media for "avtorok" and "doktorok". A writer Tatyana Tolstaya considersThat. "Feminitivy - it's disgusting" So why do they call this rejection?

Russian language resists innovation

• Get at least suffixes are used to form feminitivov. The suffix "Spoken", in addition, that it is better suited to the basics with a shock last syllable, is contemptuous coloring in some cases. Marinka, chemist, or, as in the recent advertising "Modulbanka" predprinimatelka.
• A similar story - with the suffix "ha". The doctor, for example, with good intentions no one called (Dictionary Ephraim attributes Explanatory Dictionary: The doctor word to the spoken). In addition, this suffix is ​​used to denote wives, specialty or rank of their husbands - Miller, Kuznechikha.
• It is the same with the suffix "-sha": the general's and mayorsha - a wife and Major General. Although linguists refute this thesis BUT. FROM. Prokhorov, "Name the female gender by occupation" - Irina Fufaeva from the Institute of Linguistics RSUH writes Pani avtorka or O inadvertent experiment with suffixes RussianThat the suffix "-sha" and earlier was not always "suffix wife," and in the modern world and for a long lost such meaning.
• Remain ancient Russian word-forming unit "-inya", "-itsa" (queen reaper, princess, goddess, maiden) and borrowed a Latin element "-ess" / "- IS". It is with their help, formed the majority of the established feminitivov - a teacher, an artist, a flight attendant, the headmistress. But even with these suffixes are not always possible to form a harmonious token, some of the words they do cumbersome and unwieldy: filologinya, psihologinya, avtoritsa, politikessa.

Besides suffixes, there are other difficulties. For example, plural. How to identify a group of people, which is composed of men and women? "Directors gathered at the meeting ..." - it may seem that only a male director gathered. "Directors and the headmistress called a meeting ..." - correctly in relation to the presence of women, but heavier text, few would agree to use this option.

On the other hand, no less horrible monsters look like "Our new writer Ivanov wrote in a recent article ..." or "arrange maternity leave student of Peter."

Intersectionality feminists (they say not only about gender discrimination, but also on the system of oppression and privilege as a whole, that is, raise problems racism, classism, homophobia and other forms of discrimination) in an attempt to make the language gender neutral, use the "gendergepy» (gender gap - the gender gap) - lower underline that turns words masculine and feminine in the "general", "zhurnalist_ka" includes both a journalist and a journalist, so that no one offended. Gendergepy, which are used mainly in German, but recently moved in Russian, of course, are subject to fierce criticism.

feminitivov time has not come yet?

There is an opinion Maxim Krongauz "Feminitivy take root, if you change our very lives"That supporters (or, let's be honest, supporters) feminitivov, especially new ones, such as the long-suffering "avtorki" run ahead of the engine. That is ahead of social change, which could lead to the fact that the widespread use of feminitivov would become a well-established linguistic norm. In 2016, the World Economic Forum presented "Gender Inequality Index". In this rating Russia occupies 71st place - this means that up to the legislative and de facto equality between men and women, we are still very far away. It turns out that we think about changing the language norms in a country where women are not protected, such as domestic violence. If we consider language only as a mirror of historical and socio-cultural reality and deny that it affects the outlook of people, the introduction of feminitivov may seem premature. When will be achieved de facto equality, these words naturally become the language norm.

Women are offended by "redaktorku" and "avtorku"

There will not do without a textbook example: Marina Tsvetaeva wanted Letters of Marina Tsvetaeva known as a poet, not a poet, thus emphasizing that can write poetry as men. Anna Akhmatova shared this position. "Alas! The lyric poet is obliged to be a man... "- she wrote. A century later, many women still believe that the "teacher" sounds less professional than "teacher", and the "avtorku" with "redaktorkoy" Avtorka and nannies: 15 words that have a complex relationship with the male and female gender and might be offended at all. Perhaps that is why the use of the left "Deputatka", "delegate" and other feminitivy that were used in the Soviet times. And according to Maxim Krongauz "Feminitivy take root, if you change our very lives" Doctor of Philology Maksim Krongauz, feminitivy XX century no longer use because gender inequality is now higher than it was then.

How to be? Should I use feminitivy?

France has recently allowed The French Academy has agreed to feminitivy feminitivy used in official documents. We have no law that they approved or banned. Use feminitivy not necessary. But if you want, and this requires common sense - and why not. Especially when talking about the established vocabulary feminitivah - they certainly do not contradict the rules and do not disturb the fighters for the immutability of the Russian language.

With those feminitivami that are not in the dictionary, is a little more complicated. We have to take into account where you want to use that word and in what context. The official style yet have D. E. Rosenthal Rhode names of females in the profession, position feminitivov do without. But they can be found in the literature - for example, in the novel Ivan Efremov "Yurt crow"Published back in 1959 ( "geology", "shoferinya", "agronominya"), and in some media ( "Bill», Wonderzine). In any case, the language - mobile, plastic substance, it will inevitably change, reflecting the historical and cultural changes. It does not change only the dead languages. Perhaps one day society get used to the idea that avtorki - no worse than the authors, and these words will no longer cause bewilderment or smile.