Feminization and Gender-Fair Language Trends in English and Polish

Abstract

This article examines the trends and processes of feminization and gender-neutralization in English and Polish, discussing how the social and cultural aspects of life infl uence language development. The study highlights the emergence of gender-fair language and the neutralization trend in Western non-Slavic cultures and languages, exploring the use of feminitives or corresponding masculine forms in specifi c textual contexts. It is shown that Slavic languages have focused more on the gender-fair, gender-distinctive track for vocabulary. The paper analyzes the usage of feminine and masculine nouns and adjectives in English and Polish, and compares the grammatical gender dimensions between the two languages to specify the ways language structures contribute to gendered representations.