If not an "author" and not a "blogger", then who? How feminitives are formed in Russian

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

We figure out what options the grammar offers and why we perceive some of them neutrally, while others - we cannot stand.

"The author", "blogger" and other new feminitives do not cease to be the subject of controversy on the Internet. Some insist that this is how women should be called; someone spits and claims that this is a gross violation of the rules of the Russian language.

However, there have always been feminitives. The distinction between men and women is historically characteristic of the Russian language since ancient times. The number of suffixes, with the help of which the female names of professions and occupations were formed, gradually increased. Perhaps this is not the limit and new ones will appear, but for now we will analyze the existing norms. For this we turn to one of the most authoritative reference books - to "Russian grammar" edited by N. Yu. Shvedova. The first edition came out in 1980, therefore it is also called "Grammar-80".

Teacher and queen

Suffixes: -its (a), -nits (a), -schits (a), -chits (a).

These suffixes were used in antiquity: housekeeper, mayor, nurse, landowner, bathhouse attendant. They are still productive now.

With their help, feminitives are formed from words without suffixes and with suffixes -ets, -ik, -nik, -shchik, -chik, -tel. Everyone is familiar with the following pairs: “master → craftswoman”, “pilot → pilot”, “crane operator → crane operator”, “king → tsarina”, “teacher → teacher”, “writer → writer”, “boss → boss”, “artist → artist.

These are neutral suffixes. We take many words with them calmly, we do not see a reduced stylistic coloring in them. Therefore, we also perceive some new feminitives with them neutrally: PR, SMS, driver.

However, some language novelties still jar us. This happens when -its (a) are attached to words without a suffix or with a -ik suffix: doctor, physicist. Although the same model works in the words "craftswoman" and "queen". Perhaps this is a matter of habit.

Heroine and Goddess

Suffix: -in (i) / -yn (i).

With its help, feminitives are formed from words without suffixes: heroine, nun, goddess, slave. It is also used to derive feminine names from words ending in -log. But in "Grammar-80" it is noted that such forms are colloquial, mostly humorous: geology, philology.

Now it is to the words in -log that they are trying to attach this suffix: gynecologist, biology, sexologist. However, little has changed since the 1980s, and such words are perceived as humorous. Some try to use them as neutral, but society is not yet used to this. Although hypothetically, over time, the attitude towards this suffix may change, because we do not perceive the words "slave" or "heroine" as comic.

Poetess and Princess

Suffix: -ess (a).

It is used to form feminitives from words without suffixes: poetess, princess, stewardess. In modern dictionaries, for example, in the spelling dictionary Academic Spelling Resource "ACADEMOS" edited by V. V. Lopatin, there are also such options: advocate, clown, guide, critic, autoress.

Formally, the suffix -ess (a) is neutral, and Grammar-80 even speaks of its productivity. This means that it can be actively used and is well suited for creating new words. There are also examples of "comic" and "agent" that are marked as humorous.

Now supporters of feminitives use this suffix, but there are also inconveniences. The words are rather long, and some of them are perceived as rather pretentious. Which is probably also a matter of habit.

Actress and headmistress

Suffix: -is (a).

Like -ess (a), this suffix came to us as part of borrowed words, but began to be used as a separate derivational unit. With its help, feminitives are formed from words without suffixes and verbal nouns in -or / -er: actress, headmistress. The dictionaries also record the words “inspector” and “lectrix”. And in Gatchina there is Aviatrix Zvereva Street on the map / 2GIS Aviatrix Zvereva Street: the word “aviatrix” was used at the beginning of the 20th century to refer to female aviators.

In "Grammar-80" there is also a curious word "editor", which is marked as playful. Not a bad alternative to the modern feminitive editor. And "author" instead of "author" immediately comes to mind.

It also notes that the suffix -is (a) is less productive than -ess (a). Perhaps today it could well be productive: a fairly large number of -or words, from which they want to form feminitives.

Dressmaker and swimmer

Suffix: -iha.

With its help, feminitives are formed from words without suffixes and with suffixes -nik, -ets: swimmer, dressmaker, weaver, doctor, cook.

It is considered V. V. Berkutova. Feminatives in Russian: the linguistic aspect / Philological aspect, that it is stylistically colored and feminitives with it acquire a dismissive connotation. At the same time, there is a neutral "swimmer" and "dressmaker".

Cashier and secretary

Suffix: -sh (a).

Today it is one of the two most productive suffixes (the second is -k (a), about it - just below).

With the help of -sh (a), feminitives are formed from the stems that end in "p", "l", "n", "nt", "y": cashier, secretary, hairdresser. In modern dictionaries there is the Spelling academic resource "ACADEMOS" such words as "editor", "courier", "designer", "trainer", "author", "director", "engineer", "manicurist".

And there would be no problems with the formation of many new feminitives if it were not for the stylistic coloring of this suffix. It is not considered neutral, it is used only in colloquial speech and vernacular. As a rule, variants with it are used in relation to a third person ("she is a doctor", not "I am a doctor" or "you are a doctor"). This is probably due to the history of the suffix.

It appeared in the first third of the 18th century. He was very productive and served to denote a woman by her husband: the doctor's wife is the doctor's wife, and the professor's is the professor's wife. However, already in the second half of the 19th century, the suffix -ш (a) was actively used to denote not only by husband, but also by occupation: a musician is not only a musician's wife, but also a woman-musician; a doctor is not only a doctor's wife, but also a woman doctor. By the way, this suffix was perceived as absolutely neutral.

In the twentieth century, the meaning of the suffix has changed a lot. A woman has ceased to be considered an attachment to a man, the relevance of naming her by her husband has disappeared. One could forget about the old meaning of the suffix and live on. But now the myth is actively spreading that it is wrong to use -sh (a) to form feminitives precisely because this is how wives are denoted. Nobody says that anymore! When you hear the word doctor, do you represent the doctor's wife or the woman doctor? Is a manicurist the wife of a manicure? This is all in the past.

The suffix has changed its meaning. And in colloquial speech (natural, where all the laws of the language are manifested in their pure form), the formation of feminitives with -sh (a) is very popular. However, the subconscious mind forces many to avoid this suffix, because it is an echo of an obsolete patriarchal construct.

Student and sportswoman

Suffix: -k (a).

The most discussed and most interesting suffix today. With it, you can get feminitives in many cases:

• from words without suffixes;
• from words with suffixes -ist, -ets, -in, -an, -ik, -ak, -ach, -ich, -it, -ant / ent, -shift, -ish, -tyay, -ey, -er, -er, -oner / ir, -ar, -an;
• from abbreviations.

For example: student, journalist, athlete, activist, violinist, revolutionary, programmer. There is an academic spelling resource "ACADEMOS" in modern dictionaries and words such as "lawyer", "dentist", "linguist", "cosmonaut".

The suffix -k (a) is stylistically neutral. It was his neutrality and very high productivity that became the reasons for such active use of him in new feminitives.

Everything seems logical, so why is he so annoying to many?

Someone sees in him the meaning of an understatement, which should be offensive. After all, a picture is a small picture, and a pen is a small hand. However, this view is very one-sided. The suffix -k- has many other meanings, any native speaker can perfectly distinguish them. Is the student a little student? Is a Muscovite a little Muscovite? Of course not.

Someone doesn't like the fact that the new feminitives sound the same as the abbreviations of phrases: an affiliate program is an affiliate program, a director is a director's version of a film. Meanwhile, homonymy has long existed in the Russian language. Finca and Bulgarian are not only nationalities, but also instruments. We somehow live with it. And not only feminitives sin with this. We have an onion-vegetable, an onion-weapon and an onion-image. Key-master, key-source and treble clef. A braid is a haircut, a braid is a tool and a sand bar. In context, any sane native speaker is able to distinguish between homonyms.

But there are still linguistic difficulties with “K-feminitives”. There is the following pattern: if in borrowed words in -or, -ep, -ar the stress falls on the last syllable, then feminitives are possible both with -sh (a) and with -k (a); if the last syllable is unstressed in the borrowed words in -or and -er, then "the tongue asks" -sh (a).

A secretary is a secretary.

Banker is a banker.

A revolutionary is a revolutionary.

A dreamer is a dreamer.

But!

The author is the author, not the author.

A blogger is a blogger, not a blogger.

This is how linguists explain the public dislike for new feminitives, for example, I. Fufayeva. Pani the author, or About an accidental experiment with Russian suffixes / Trinity version Irina Fufayeva, Ph. D. in Philology, researcher at the Russian State Humanitarian University, author of the book “How are women called. Feminitives: history, structure, competition”.

However, there is an interesting point. In dictionaries we find the words "varvarka", "healer", "combiner", which violate this rule. "Varvarka", of course, is formed from the word not in -ar, but in -ar, but this is clearly something close, and the emphasis here is on the Reference and Information Portal GRAMOTA.ru on the first syllable. But the "healer" is formed from the noun in -ar, and, although the dictionaries indicate two variants of stress as acceptable, the stress on the first syllable is considered recommended (as, for example, M. V. Zarva. Russian verbal stress. Dictionary of common names, in the dictionary " Russian verbal accent "M. V. Zarva, focused on media workers). "Kombaynerka" is formed from the word -er, and Zarva's dictionary is recommended by M. V. Zarva. Russian verbal stress. Dictionary of common nouns to put stress on "a".

It is also curious that some of those who at first resented "authors" and "bloggers" eventually got used to them. Maybe this is again a matter of habit? From the "manager" and "messenger" they also once spat.