Feminatives – military ranks. This problem has been solved in Germany
Where can you meet? Military ranks do not have to be completely free of them. Although there are still quite large disputes in our country regarding their use, some countries have decided to take quite radical steps in the field of “feminization” of names. Especially the German Bundeswehr.
More than two years ago, information appeared that female equivalents of military ranks would be gradually introduced in the German army. Although it was the idea of the politicians of the ruling coalition in Germany at the time, according to research, a large part of the army employed rejected this possibility. We are talking about 22 thousand. German female soldiers. However, the momentum with which the changes were introduced became characteristic. They covered almost all ranks, leaving only two of them in the previous form – ”madam captain” and ”madam colonel”.
Feminatives and military ranks. How do you address women in the army?
in military ranks? How to address servicemen in the army in different positions? Will the Polish army face similar changes? It is worth cooling down the emotions a bit, because the Polish language is governed by slightly different laws than the German one. First of all, it is worth using the opinions of experts. In order not to drown in pointless disputes, it is worth referring to the position of the Council of the Polish Language towards feminatives.
It shows, above all, that the discussion of feminatives is not new, and most of the arguments against their creation should be rejected. At the same time, the Council points out that there are forms that are unnatural for the Polish language, which are better replaced by adding the word ‘pani’ to the masculine name. So it’s better to talk about ”captain” than (that) ”captain”. It is also worth recalling a significant wording from the text published by the Council:
The right to use female names should be left to the speakers, bearing in mind that in addition to the recent calls for the creation of feminatives in the media, there is resistance to their use. Not everyone will talk about a female guest or professor, even if she herself articulates such an expectation.
Feminatives and military ranks. Dictionary and history
But is it really right to combine feminatives with military ranks? The dictionary can confirm such a choice – especially if it is an older item. It turns out that in older publications of this type, female forms were often included. Let’s take the admiralka from Samuel Bogumił Linde’s Dictionary of the Polish Language from 1807 as an example. ”.
However, there are also opinions that the problem was artificially created. It is impossible to agree with them: according to the data provided by the Ministry of National Defense (as of December 31, 2021), 9,373 women served in the Polish army, i.e. 8.3% of the personnel. In addition, it is worth adding that some ladies achieve very high military ranks. The first woman to be appointed Brigadier General was Maria Stanisława Wittek (1899-1997), who received this honor in 1991.
Feminatives – military ranks. List
How to make a list in military ranks? It won’t be easy. Also note that both ”madam sergeant” and ”sergeant” are both correct. In addition, you can say:
- serial;
- senior private;
- corporal;
- senior corporal;
- platoon;
- sergeant;
- senior sergeant
- junior warrant officer;
- ensign;
- senior warrant officer;
- senior staff ensign
- second lieutenant;
- lieutenant;
- captain;
- majorca;
- lieutenant colonel;
- colonel;
- brigadier general;
- major general;
- lieutenant general;
- general;
- marshal.
See also:
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
