Alan Scott (Manchester) p.63-80
2006 Issue 2
Abstract
The suffix -In (MitarbeiterIn, StudentInnen, etc.) is usually discussed alongside other means of avoiding sex bias in language (e.g. Studentinnen und Studenten, Student(innen), etc.) with the aim of establishing which is the most successful. As such, -In tends to be viewed subjectively, most often as a variant of the female marker -in (that is, not as a suffix in its own right), while its linguistic role is ignored. I describe the place of -In within the German linguistic system: its development and use are discussed in terms of its history, semantics, orthography, pronunciation, morphology and its relation with syntax. I conclude that -In is a suffix in its own right, performing a function not generally assumed in the literature: collective sex marking (in contrast to the female sex marking of -in). The sense of the -In nouns depends on whether they are singular or plural: singular -In nouns denote a hypothetical person of unknown sex, and whose sex is not specified, while plural -In nouns denote groups (either real or hypothetical) that are presumed to contain men and women. I examine the use of -In and conclude that, although its use is declining overall, it has found a niche in written texts with uncomplicated syntax, such job advertisements and other notices.