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Are feminatives in Polish necessary?

Are feminatives necessary? Let me start by saying that feminatives are not everything. Nowadays, there is more and more talk about the experience of gender beyond binarity and a search for forms in Polish that can express this experience.

However, this does not undermine the need for the existence and use of feminine forms, which I see as intended for those who wish to express their identification with femininity. A strand of linguistic research, called gender linguistics, emphasises the importance of feminine forms in the linguistic image of the world. It is assumed that this has so far been defined by androcentrism, i.e. the (linguistic) dominance of men. The introduction and use of feminine forms can not only increase the representation of women, but also facilitate identification with named phenomena. When a girl learns that she can become, for example, a female doctor, a female scientist or a female president, she has the chance to believe that obtaining certain professions or positions does not have to be in spite of her gender, but in relation to it, that femininity is not a feature to be hidden or denied.

At the same time, we must bear in mind various difficulties related to the creation and use of feminatives. One of them is the use of the Polish suffix ‘-ka’, still very popular in this context, which performs many functions in the Polish language. Apart from the female names, it creates, among other things, diminutives, so one can encounter voices saying that ‘pracowniczka’ means ‘little worker’ (which is why we hear the version ‘pracownica’ much more often in equality discourse nowadays); as a consequence, specific feminatives are sometimes considered indulgent. Pronunciation is also important: we will hear, for example, that the Polish female names, such as ‘architektka’ (‘architect’) or ‘adiunktka’ (‘assistant professor’), are difficult to pronounce.

Just as phonetic difficulties can be overcome with practice, the associations associated with supposedly ridiculous (in meaning, sound…) feminine forms can be changed by using them neutrally. An excellent example is the Polish name ‘dziekanka’ (‘dean’). As you know, the word is a shorthand colloquial name for dean’s leave, but it can also name a woman in a dean’s role. I myself am increasingly seeing the word being used in the latter sense as well, which would have been almost unthinkable a few years ago. Another example: the recruitment adverts in Wrocław’s MPK, in which feminiatives have been used consistently and boldly since recently. This does not mean that women were not previously, for example, motorists, but it increases their visibility in the language.

So do we need female forms? Yes. Why? To increase the inclusivity and linguistic visibility of people who identify as women. However, I do not believe that there should be a top-down mandate to use femniatives. It should be respected that some women will prefer to refer to themselves by masculine terms. Feminatives are meant to decentralise and broaden discourse, but they should not become the new oppressive norm.

It should also be borne in mind that masculine forms, according to the rules of Polish, can also function as generic names, encompassing all people regardless of their gender identification. Although attempts are rightly being made to create new gender-neutral or non-binary names that are not so strongly associated with only one (male) gender (these include singulars, e.g. ‘student persons’), it is also worth remembering this generalising role of masculine names. Perhaps in time they will return to us in a new, revised and more inclusive version. For now, however, let’s enjoy the feminatives.

Don’t believe the myths, trust the science!

dr Katarzyna Lisowska