The feminisation of Russian and Polish a feminist Idea? Or a real tendency in Language

Abstract

This article tackles the question whether and to what extent one can speak of a rising tendency of feminisation of the Russian and Polish language today. It is highly visible today that both languages, Russian and Polish contain more and more elements and linguistic forms which make us speak of a tendency to feminise these languages. However, it is also possible to assume that the significant use of the very different feminine forms is only the result of a feminist idea, but it is not the result or the beginning of a change in and of language. This article does not intend to examine the ways in which Russian and Polish are feminised. This article is dedicated to the question of why a feminisation of language can be observed in general, why feminine forms penetrate languages at all and are regarded as relevant for a language, why feminine forms are used and which strategies of feminisation are noticed.