Abstract
A language may be an adhesive force binding a nation together: it may also seal and bind women’s lips. A language is a whole body of words and the method of communication used by a nation, people or race. It may include other methods of expressing thoughts, feelings or wants, such as sign language or body language, as Shakespeare aptly noted, ‘Thers a language in her eye, her cheeke, her lip’.1 In his Confessions Saint Augustine gave his view of language:
As I heard words repeatedly used in their proper places in various sentences, I gradually learnt to understand what objects they signified and after I had trained my mouth to form these signs I used them to express my own desires.2
Language here is seen as a neutral system of words, nouns or signs, transparent or true, which expresses and communicates thoughts and desires with each sign unambiguously referring to an already existing fact.
‘The Poles aren’t geese: they have they own language.’
Mikolay Rej
‘Women have no gift of speech.’
Kazimierz Kutz
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Notes
For an overview of different feminist linguistic theories see D. Cameron, FEMINISM AND LINGUISTIC THEORY (London: Macmillan, 1985).
For views on language as man-made see: D. Spender, MAN-MADE LANGUAGE (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1980);
Mary Daly, GYN/ECOLOGY. THE METAETHICS OF RADICAL FEMINISIM (London: Women’s Press, 1979).
For a feminist socio-linguistic analysis see: Mary Ritchie Key, MALE/FEMALE LANGUAGE (New York: Scarecrow Press 1975).
For a useful selection on the French feminist perspective: E. Marks, I. Courtivron (eds), NEW FRENCH FEMINISMS: AN ANTHOLOGY (Brighton: Harvester Press, 1981).
Other key French feminist texts include: L. Irigaray, SPECULUM DE L’AUTRE FEMME (Paris: Minuit, 1974);
H. Cixous, C. Clement, THE NEWLY BORN WOMAN (la Jeune Née). Translated by B. Wing, THEORY AND HISTORY OF LITERATURE, vol. 24, Manchester University Press. For a post-structuralist overview: C. Weedon, FEMINIST PRACTICE AND POST-STRUCTURALIST THEORY (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1987).
See Key, 1975, op. cit., p. 71; S. Miller and S. Swift, WORDS AND WOMEN. LANGUAGE AND THE SEXES (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1976) p. 125.
B. W. Mazur, COLLOQUIAL POLISH (London: Routledge, 1986) p. 17.
Information on the etymology of Polish words from W. Doroszewski, SLOWNIK POPRAWNIEJ POLSZCZYZNY (Warszawa: PWN, 1980) and ENCYKLOPEDIA POWSZECHNA, vol. 2 (Warszawa: PWN, 1974). In other Slavic languages zona/zena signifies both a woman and a wife. In Polish the woman and wife are separated into kobieta and zona. Malzeństowo, marriage is from zona, a wife taken ‘na mal’ by agreement. From this the plural malzeiństwo originated.
E. Czykwin, ‘The Socialization of Women’, FORUMPOLEK/POLISH WOMEN’S FORUM. TWORCZOSC POLSKICH KOBIET; ZBIOR UTWOROW W JEZYKU POISKIM I ANGIEISKIM/A WOMEN’S ANTHOLOGY IN POLISH AND ENGLISH (London: Grupa Publikacyjna Forum/Forum Publication group, 1988) p. 24.
Polish proverbs from, R. Szymanski (ed.), TA JEDYNA … AFORYZM POWIEDZONKA I PRZYSLOWIA O KOBIECIE (Warszawa: Instytut Wydawnicy Zwiazkow Zawodowch, 1984) p. 90. Translated from the Polish by Jolanta Litwinowicz and myself: baba z wazu konian lzej; gdzie diabel nie moze tam baba posle; kotki i kobiety w domu siedziec powinny; nie ma miesa bez kosci, a baby bez zlosci; baba w progi, cisza w nogi.
Copyright information
© 1992 Anna Reading
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Reading, A. (1992). Table’s Corner. In: Polish Women, Solidarity and Feminism. Women’s Studies at York/Macmillan Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-12339-1_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-12339-1_4
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-12341-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-12339-1
eBook Packages: Palgrave Religion & Philosophy CollectionPhilosophy and Religion (R0)