The Feminization of Professional Names

Abstract

The French generally think that their language, formalized by Vaugelas as early as 1647, then constantly rectified by successive grammarians and brought into line by that guardian of the French language, the Académie française, is a treasure to be protected. However, as sociolinguistics has demonstrated, language is not only a tool or a means of communication. Vocabulary is not neutral. It holds up a mirror to society and reflects its prejudices, taboos, and fantasies, perpetuating its structures and hierarchies. Language is power.

Editors’ note: Groult’s article for this volume was written in the midst of heated debates about the “feminization” of language. While feminists, Groult foremost among them, fought hard for “linguistic parity,” traditional groups such as the Académie française objected vehemently to any proposed changes, citing the universal nature of the French language. This most recent of the many querelles de la langue (language debates) led Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, citing the importance for the government to take the lead in combating the ideological resistances reflected by language, to name an official commission. Its charge was to suggest grammatically correct changes in women’s professional titles. In March 1998 an official document was published: Femme, j’écris ton nom … Guide d’aide à la féminisation des noms de métier, titres, grades et fonctions. This guide included a 120-page list of suggestions for the appropriate way to feminize the titles of government functions, most of which were quickly integrated in the fabric of French life and discourse.