Gender neutral language in French - Revision history

InternetArchiveBot: Rescuing 1 sources and tagging 0 as dead.) #IABot (v2.0.9.5

2026-04-06T05:55:23Z

Rescuing 1 sources and tagging 0 as dead.) #IABot (v2.0.9.5

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:55, 6 April 2026
Line 33:		Line 33:

	===Doublets===		===Doublets===
	For example, « Nous prions les <u>étudiantes</u> et (les) <u>étudiants</u> de remettre leur copie à la personne responsable ». Some people don't enjoy the repetition,<ref name=":10">OMPI (2022): ''Guide de l’OMPI pour un langage inclusif en français''. Online at: https://www.wipo.int/export/sites/www/women-and-ip/fr/docs/guidelines-inclusive-language.pdf (retrieved 12.12.2023).</ref> others consider that the doublets don't encompass all genders,<ref name=":4">Ménard, J.-S. (2021): ''Pour un français neutre et une inclusion des personnes non binaires : une entrevue avec Florence Ashley''. Longueuil: Cégep Édouard-Montpetit. Online at:https://www.cegepmontpetit.ca/static/uploaded/Files/Cegep/Centre%20de%20reference/Le%20francais%20saffiche/Une-entrevue-avec-Florence-Ashley.pdf (retrieved 12.12.2023).</ref> others again are unsure which form to mention first, since the order conveys information about the value the speaker gives to each item.<ref>Pascal, G./Boschard, Μ./Cornet, G./Croci, M./Stegmann, N. (2021): ''Les outils - la (re)féminisation. Langage inclusif''. Online at: https://web.archive.org/web/20231225213750/https://tube.switch.ch/videos/0xwYktNzRp, 00:50 (retrieved 12.12.2023).</ref>		For example, « Nous prions les <u>étudiantes</u> et (les) <u>étudiants</u> de remettre leur copie à la personne responsable ». Some people don't enjoy the repetition,<ref name=":10">OMPI (2022): ''Guide de l’OMPI pour un langage inclusif en français''. Online at: https://www.wipo.int/export/sites/www/women-and-ip/fr/docs/guidelines-inclusive-language.pdf (retrieved 12.12.2023).</ref> others consider that the doublets don't encompass all genders,<ref name=":4">Ménard, J.-S. (2021): ''Pour un français neutre et une inclusion des personnes non binaires : une entrevue avec Florence Ashley''. Longueuil: Cégep Édouard-Montpetit. Online at:https://web.archive.org/web/20231201073105/https://www.cegepmontpetit.ca/static/uploaded/Files/Cegep/Centre%20de%20reference/Le%20francais%20saffiche/Une-entrevue-avec-Florence-Ashley.pdf (retrieved 12.12.2023).</ref> others again are unsure which form to mention first, since the order conveys information about the value the speaker gives to each item.<ref>Pascal, G./Boschard, Μ./Cornet, G./Croci, M./Stegmann, N. (2021): ''Les outils - la (re)féminisation. Langage inclusif''. Online at: https://web.archive.org/web/20231225213750/https://tube.switch.ch/videos/0xwYktNzRp, 00:50 (retrieved 12.12.2023).</ref>

	===Shortened doublets===		===Shortened doublets===

Kmaass: /* Fixed-gender epicenes and collective nouns */

2026-03-20T12:04:28Z

Fixed-gender epicenes and collective nouns

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:04, 20 March 2026
Line 107:		Line 107:
	## Collective nouns		## Collective nouns

	This distinction ~~yields a~~ tripartite ~~framework~~, comprising Sexus-dependent, Sexus-independent, and Sexus-inapplicable nouns, which underpins the morphological oppositions presented in the two following tables.		This distinction is tripartite, comprising Sexus-dependent, Sexus-independent, and Sexus-inapplicable nouns, which underpins the morphological oppositions presented in the two following tables.
	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"
	\|+Individual ''versus'' collective nouns<ref name=":11" />		\|+Individual ''versus'' collective nouns<ref name=":11" />

Kmaass: /* Fixed-gender epicenes and collective nouns */ continuing explanation

2026-03-20T11:57:28Z

Fixed-gender epicenes and collective nouns: continuing explanation

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:57, 20 March 2026
Line 95:		Line 95:

	=== Fixed-gender [[wikipedia:Epicenity\|epicenes]] and [[wikipedia:Collective_noun\|collective nouns]] ===		=== Fixed-gender [[wikipedia:Epicenity\|epicenes]] and [[wikipedia:Collective_noun\|collective nouns]] ===
	While human collective nouns — such as ''l'auditoire'' ('the audience') or ''le public'' ('the public')— inherently carry the semantic feature [+human], their relationship to natural gender/''Sexus'' diverges from that of individual personal nouns. Unlike fixed-gender epicenes (e.g., ''la sentinelle'', 'the sentry'), where a specific individual referent does indeed posses a gender/''Sexus'' that the noun's morphology simply ignores (rendering the form ''Sexus''-independent), collective nouns denote a macro-entity. In formal semantics, a multitude functioning as a single constituent does not inherently possess a natural gender. Thus, in collective nouns, the semantic feature of ''Sexus'' is not merely omitted, but is rather structurally completely absent (∅). In this respect, human collective nouns operate similarly to inanimate objects (e.g., ''la chaise'', 'the chair'): they are assigned a [[wikipedia:Grammatical_gender\|grammatical gender]]/''Genus'', but the semantic category of natural gender/Sexus is inherently inapplicable to them.		While human collective nouns — such as ''l'auditoire'' ('the audience') or ''le public'' ('the public')— inherently carry the semantic feature [+human], their relationship to natural gender/''Sexus'' diverges from that of individual personal nouns. Unlike fixed-gender epicenes (e.g., ''la sentinelle'', 'the sentry'), where a specific individual referent does indeed posses a gender/''Sexus'' that the noun's morphology simply ignores (rendering the form ''Sexus''-independent), collective nouns denote a macro-entity. In formal semantics, a multitude functioning as a single constituent does not inherently possess a natural gender. Thus, in collective nouns, the semantic feature of ''Sexus'' is not merely omitted, but is rather structurally completely absent (∅). In this respect, human collective nouns operate similarly to [[wikipedia:Animacy\|inanimate]] objects (e.g., ''la chaise'', 'the chair'): they are assigned a [[wikipedia:Grammatical_gender\|grammatical gender]]/''Genus'', but the semantic category of natural gender/Sexus is inherently inapplicable to them.

	To ~~accurately~~ classify the grammatical strategies for making French more gender-inclusive or gender-neutral, ~~it is therefore necessary~~ to distinguish between		To classify the grammatical strategies for making French more gender-inclusive or gender-neutral, we need to distinguish between:

	# ''Sexus''-applicable nouns		# '''''Sexus''-applicable nouns referring to animates'''
	## Gender-specific nouns		## '''Gender-specific nouns'''
	### morphologically gendered nouns, where the noun gets its Sexus-specification through derivation from gender-marked agentive ~~suffixes~~ (compare ''acteur'' vs. ''actrice'')		### '''morphologically gendered nouns''', where the noun gets its ''Sexus''-specification through derivation from gender-marked agentive affixes (compare ''acteur'' vs. ''actrice'').
	### lexically gendered nouns (sœur, ~~mari~~, ~~fille~~)		### '''lexically gendered nouns''', where the ''Sexus''-specification is inherent to the [[wikipedia:Lexeme\|lexeme]] (compare ''sœur'', 'sister', or: ''mec'', 'dude')
			## '''Fixed-gender epicene nouns''', where the natural gender/''Sexus'' of the agent noun gets "overwritten" by grammatical gender/''Genus'' (''cf''.
			# '''''Sexus''-inapplicable nouns referring to animates'''
			## Collective nouns

	This distinction yields a tripartite framework, comprising Sexus-dependent, Sexus-independent, and Sexus-inapplicable nouns, which underpins the morphological oppositions presented in the two following tables.		This distinction yields a tripartite framework, comprising Sexus-dependent, Sexus-independent, and Sexus-inapplicable nouns, which underpins the morphological oppositions presented in the two following tables.

Kmaass: /* Fixed-gender epicenes and collective nouns */

2026-03-20T11:46:29Z

Fixed-gender epicenes and collective nouns

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:46, 20 March 2026
Line 95:		Line 95:

	=== Fixed-gender [[wikipedia:Epicenity\|epicenes]] and [[wikipedia:Collective_noun\|collective nouns]] ===		=== Fixed-gender [[wikipedia:Epicenity\|epicenes]] and [[wikipedia:Collective_noun\|collective nouns]] ===
	While human collective nouns — such as ''l'auditoire'' ('the audience') or ''le public'' ('the public')— inherently carry the semantic feature [+human], their relationship to natural gender/''Sexus'' diverges from that of individual personal nouns. Unlike fixed-gender epicenes (e.g., ''la sentinelle'', 'the sentry'), where a specific individual referent does indeed posses a gender/''Sexus'' that the noun's morphology simply ignores (rendering the form ''Sexus''-independent), collective nouns denote a macro-entity. In formal semantics, a multitude functioning as a single constituent does not inherently possess a natural gender. Thus, in collective nouns, the semantic feature of ''Sexus'' is not merely omitted, but is rather structurally completely absent (∅). In this respect, human collective nouns operate similarly to inanimate objects (e.g., ''la chaise'', 'the chair'): they are assigned a [[wikipedia:Grammatical_gender\|grammatical gender]]/''Genus'', but the semantic category of natural gender/Sexus is inapplicable to them.		While human collective nouns — such as ''l'auditoire'' ('the audience') or ''le public'' ('the public')— inherently carry the semantic feature [+human], their relationship to natural gender/''Sexus'' diverges from that of individual personal nouns. Unlike fixed-gender epicenes (e.g., ''la sentinelle'', 'the sentry'), where a specific individual referent does indeed posses a gender/''Sexus'' that the noun's morphology simply ignores (rendering the form ''Sexus''-independent), collective nouns denote a macro-entity. In formal semantics, a multitude functioning as a single constituent does not inherently possess a natural gender. Thus, in collective nouns, the semantic feature of ''Sexus'' is not merely omitted, but is rather structurally completely absent (∅). In this respect, human collective nouns operate similarly to inanimate objects (e.g., ''la chaise'', 'the chair'): they are assigned a [[wikipedia:Grammatical_gender\|grammatical gender]]/''Genus'', but the semantic category of natural gender/Sexus is inherently inapplicable to them.

	To accurately classify the grammatical strategies for making French more gender-inclusive or gender-neutral, it is therefore necessary to distinguish between		To accurately classify the grammatical strategies for making French more gender-inclusive or gender-neutral, it is therefore necessary to distinguish between

Kmaass: /* Fixed-gender epicenes and collective nouns */

2026-03-20T11:36:25Z

Fixed-gender epicenes and collective nouns

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:36, 20 March 2026
Line 104:		Line 104:
	### lexically gendered nouns (sœur, mari, fille)		### lexically gendered nouns (sœur, mari, fille)

	This distinction yields a ~~rigorous~~ tripartite framework, comprising Sexus-dependent, Sexus-independent, and Sexus-inapplicable nouns, which underpins the morphological oppositions presented in the following tables.		This distinction yields a tripartite framework, comprising Sexus-dependent, Sexus-independent, and Sexus-inapplicable nouns, which underpins the morphological oppositions presented in the two following tables.
	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"
	\|+Individual ''versus'' collective nouns<ref name=":11" />		\|+Individual ''versus'' collective nouns<ref name=":11" />

Kmaass: /* Fixed-gender epicenes and collective nouns */

2026-03-20T11:36:01Z

Fixed-gender epicenes and collective nouns

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:36, 20 March 2026
Line 95:		Line 95:

	=== Fixed-gender [[wikipedia:Epicenity\|epicenes]] and [[wikipedia:Collective_noun\|collective nouns]] ===		=== Fixed-gender [[wikipedia:Epicenity\|epicenes]] and [[wikipedia:Collective_noun\|collective nouns]] ===
	While human collective nouns — such as ''l'auditoire'' ('the audience') or ''le public'' ('the public')— inherently carry the semantic feature [+human], their relationship to natural gender/''Sexus'' diverges from that of individual personal nouns. Unlike fixed-gender epicenes (e.g., ''la sentinelle'', 'the sentry'), where a specific individual referent does indeed posses a gender/''Sexus'' that the noun's morphology simply ignores (rendering the form ''Sexus''-independent), collective nouns denote a macro-entity. In formal semantics, a multitude functioning as a single constituent does not inherently possess a natural gender. Thus, in collective nouns, the semantic feature of ''Sexus'' is not merely omitted, but is rather structurally completely absent (∅). In this respect, human collective nouns operate similarly to inanimate objects (e.g., ''la chaise'', 'the chair'): they are assigned a grammatical gender/''Genus'', but the semantic category of natural gender/Sexus is inapplicable to them.		While human collective nouns — such as ''l'auditoire'' ('the audience') or ''le public'' ('the public')— inherently carry the semantic feature [+human], their relationship to natural gender/''Sexus'' diverges from that of individual personal nouns. Unlike fixed-gender epicenes (e.g., ''la sentinelle'', 'the sentry'), where a specific individual referent does indeed posses a gender/''Sexus'' that the noun's morphology simply ignores (rendering the form ''Sexus''-independent), collective nouns denote a macro-entity. In formal semantics, a multitude functioning as a single constituent does not inherently possess a natural gender. Thus, in collective nouns, the semantic feature of ''Sexus'' is not merely omitted, but is rather structurally completely absent (∅). In this respect, human collective nouns operate similarly to inanimate objects (e.g., ''la chaise'', 'the chair'): they are assigned a [[wikipedia:Grammatical_gender\|grammatical gender]]/''Genus'', but the semantic category of natural gender/Sexus is inapplicable to them.

	To accurately classify the grammatical strategies for making French more gender-inclusive or gender-neutral, it is therefore necessary to distinguish between		To accurately classify the grammatical strategies for making French more gender-inclusive or gender-neutral, it is therefore necessary to distinguish between
Line 105:		Line 105:

	This distinction yields a rigorous tripartite framework, comprising Sexus-dependent, Sexus-independent, and Sexus-inapplicable nouns, which underpins the morphological oppositions presented in the following tables.		This distinction yields a rigorous tripartite framework, comprising Sexus-dependent, Sexus-independent, and Sexus-inapplicable nouns, which underpins the morphological oppositions presented in the following tables.



	~~The table below shows "naturally" gendered nouns (''Sexus'') on the left and "naturally" gender-neutral nouns (''Genus'', i. e. [[wikipedia:Grammatical_gender\|grammatical gender]]) on the right.~~
	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"
	\|+Individual ''versus'' collective nouns<ref name=":11" />		\|+Individual ''versus'' collective nouns<ref name=":11" />

Kmaass: /* Fixed-gender epicenes and collective nouns */

2026-03-20T11:35:00Z

Fixed-gender epicenes and collective nouns

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:35, 20 March 2026
Line 104:		Line 104:
	### lexically gendered nouns (sœur, mari, fille)		### lexically gendered nouns (sœur, mari, fille)

	~~these collective forms as '''Sexus-inapplicable'''.~~ This distinction yields a rigorous tripartite ~~framework—comprising~~ Sexus-dependent, Sexus-independent, and Sexus-inapplicable ~~nouns—which~~ underpins the morphological oppositions presented in the following tables.		This distinction yields a rigorous tripartite framework, comprising Sexus-dependent, Sexus-independent, and Sexus-inapplicable nouns, which underpins the morphological oppositions presented in the following tables.

Kmaass: /* Fixed-gender epicenes and collective nouns */ Working on the grammatical explaination

2026-03-20T11:34:03Z

Fixed-gender epicenes and collective nouns: Working on the grammatical explaination

@@ Line 95: / Line 95: @@
 === Fixed-gender [[wikipedia:Epicenity|epicenes]] and [[wikipedia:Collective_noun|collective nouns]] ===
 The table below shows "naturally" gendered nouns (''Sexus'') on the left and "naturally" gender-neutral nouns (''Genus'', i. e. [[wikipedia:Grammatical_gender|grammatical gender]]) on the right.
 {| class="wikitable"

Kmaass: /* Morphologically invariant gender-specific nouns */ deleted a reference that didn't make sense anymore

2026-03-20T11:13:01Z

Morphologically invariant gender-specific nouns: deleted a reference that didn't make sense anymore

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:13, 20 March 2026
Line 90:		Line 90:
	\|Notice the epicene agentive suffix [https://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/-aire -aire].		\|Notice the epicene agentive suffix [https://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/-aire -aire].
	\|}		\|}
	As singular [[wikipedia:Article_(grammar)\|articles]] indicate gender ('la' and 'le'), this technique works best with plural forms. However, it also works with singular forms if the noun begins with a vowel, because the article automatically becomes ''l''', which does not express gender. A drawback is that there are not morphologically invariant occupational titles for all professions or functions in regards to [https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gender natural gender], i. e. [https://www.plus.ac.at/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Gender_in_German_MWerner.pdf ''Sexus'']~~<ref name=":0" />~~, "a linguistic category for the sex of real life beings, both the biological sex of animals or the social identity of a person."<ref>"Natural Gender". ''Wikipedia. Simple English: The Free Encyclopedia'', Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Last Modified Date: 14 March 2024, URL: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gender. Accessed 20 March 2026.</ref>		As singular [[wikipedia:Article_(grammar)\|articles]] indicate gender ('la' and 'le'), this technique works best with plural forms. However, it also works with singular forms if the noun begins with a vowel, because the article automatically becomes ''l''', which does not express gender. A drawback is that there are not morphologically invariant occupational titles for all professions or functions in regards to [https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gender natural gender], i. e. [https://www.plus.ac.at/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Gender_in_German_MWerner.pdf ''Sexus''], "a linguistic category for the sex of real life beings, both the biological sex of animals or the social identity of a person."<ref>"Natural Gender". ''Wikipedia. Simple English: The Free Encyclopedia'', Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Last Modified Date: 14 March 2024, URL: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gender. Accessed 20 March 2026.</ref>

	In certain Swiss-French varieties, as in the canton of Vaud, masculine and feminine words ending in <é> resp. <ée> are pronounced differently (e. g., ''une employée'' [ynɑ̃plwaj<u>e:</u>]/[ynɑ̃plwaj<u>e:j</u>] vs. ''un employé'' [ɛ̃nɑ̃plwaj<u>e</u>]/[œ̃nɑ̃plwaj<u>e</u>]). However, this linguistically conservative pronunciation is becoming increasingly marginal: it is primarily confined to Switzerland and, in major cities and among younger generations, the pronunciation is gradually converging with the standard French norm, meaning that the distinction between /e/ and /e:/ (or /e:j/, remnant from [[wikipedia:Franco-Provençal\|Franco-Provençal dialects]] spoken in the region before linguistic homogenization) is being [[wikipedia:Neutralization_(linguistics)\|neutralized]], resulting in a single phoneme /e/ and causing ''employé'' and ''employée'' to be pronounced identically. As a result, here, these words are considered orally indistinguishable.		In certain Swiss-French varieties, as in the canton of Vaud, masculine and feminine words ending in <é> resp. <ée> are pronounced differently (e. g., ''une employée'' [ynɑ̃plwaj<u>e:</u>]/[ynɑ̃plwaj<u>e:j</u>] vs. ''un employé'' [ɛ̃nɑ̃plwaj<u>e</u>]/[œ̃nɑ̃plwaj<u>e</u>]). However, this linguistically conservative pronunciation is becoming increasingly marginal: it is primarily confined to Switzerland and, in major cities and among younger generations, the pronunciation is gradually converging with the standard French norm, meaning that the distinction between /e/ and /e:/ (or /e:j/, remnant from [[wikipedia:Franco-Provençal\|Franco-Provençal dialects]] spoken in the region before linguistic homogenization) is being [[wikipedia:Neutralization_(linguistics)\|neutralized]], resulting in a single phoneme /e/ and causing ''employé'' and ''employée'' to be pronounced identically. As a result, here, these words are considered orally indistinguishable.

Kmaass: gender position = social gender

2026-03-20T11:11:16Z

gender position = social gender

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:11, 20 March 2026
Line 8:		Line 8:
	Today, many people refer to the contemporary introduction of feminine designations as [https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/23983/banque-de-depannage-linguistique/la-redaction-et-la-communication/feminisation-et-redaction-epicene/synthese-sur-la-feminisation-lexicale-et-la-redaction-epicene ''féminisation''] ('feminization'), believing that these occupational titles are newly coined terms. However, this is not the case, as they are being revived from an earlier iteration of the French language, making ''reféminisation''<ref name=":0">Divergenres (2021): ''Guide de grammaire neutre et inclusive''. Québec. Online at: https://divergenres.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/guide-grammaireinclusive-final.pdf (retrieved 12.12.2023).</ref> ('refeminization') a more accurate term.		Today, many people refer to the contemporary introduction of feminine designations as [https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/23983/banque-de-depannage-linguistique/la-redaction-et-la-communication/feminisation-et-redaction-epicene/synthese-sur-la-feminisation-lexicale-et-la-redaction-epicene ''féminisation''] ('feminization'), believing that these occupational titles are newly coined terms. However, this is not the case, as they are being revived from an earlier iteration of the French language, making ''reféminisation''<ref name=":0">Divergenres (2021): ''Guide de grammaire neutre et inclusive''. Québec. Online at: https://divergenres.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/guide-grammaireinclusive-final.pdf (retrieved 12.12.2023).</ref> ('refeminization') a more accurate term.

	Refeminization contributes to degendering French, as studies in various languages have demonstrated that [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generisches_Maskulinum generic masculine], despite being considered gender-neutral by French prescriptive grammar ("Selon Le Bon Usage de Maurice Grevisse, l'adjectif se met donc au 'genre indifférencié, c'est-à-dire au masculin'."),<ref name=":3">Alchimy (2017): ''« Le masculin l’emporte sur le féminin » : Bien plus qu’une règle de grammaire''. In: ''Usbek&Rica.''</ref> is not actually cognitively neutral.<ref>Tibblin, J./Van De Weijer, J./Granfeldt, J./Gygax, P. (2023): There are more women in ''joggeur·euses'' than in ''joggeurs'' : On the effects of gender-fair forms on perceived gender ratios in French role nouns. In: ''J. Fr. Lang. Stud.'' ''33'', 28–51. 10.1017/S0959269522000217.</ref><ref>Heise, E. (2003): Auch einfühlsame Studenten sind Männer: Das generische Maskulinum und die mentale Repräsentation von Personen [Even empathic students are men: The generic masculine and the mental representation of persons]. In: ''Verhaltenstherapie & Psychosoziale Praxis 35''(2), 285–291.</ref> By incorporating the feminine form of a word, speakers acknowledge the presence of individuals of more genders than just one,<ref>Schütze, Christin (2020): ''Comprehension of Gender-neutral forms and the pseudo-generic masculine in German: a visual world eye-tracking study – ‘It goes without saying’ that everyone is included?''. Master thesis. University of Potsdam. Available at: https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/opus4-ubp/frontdoor/deliver/index/docId/48415/file/schuetze_diss.pdf (accessed 2 March 2026).</ref> and the interchangeability of the masculine versus feminine terms as a result of the growing similarity in their [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distribution_(Sprachwissenschaft) distributions] contribute to decoupling [[wikipedia:Sex\|biological sex]], [https://eige.europa.eu/publications-resources/thesaurus/terms/1335 gender position] or [[wikipedia:Gender_identity\|gender identity]] (cf. [[wikipedia:Sex_assignment\|sex assignment]]) from the specific contexts they tend to be associated with.		Refeminization contributes to degendering French, as studies in various languages have demonstrated that [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generisches_Maskulinum generic masculine], despite being considered gender-neutral by French prescriptive grammar ("Selon Le Bon Usage de Maurice Grevisse, l'adjectif se met donc au 'genre indifférencié, c'est-à-dire au masculin'."),<ref name=":3">Alchimy (2017): ''« Le masculin l’emporte sur le féminin » : Bien plus qu’une règle de grammaire''. In: ''Usbek&Rica.''</ref> is not actually cognitively neutral.<ref>Tibblin, J./Van De Weijer, J./Granfeldt, J./Gygax, P. (2023): There are more women in ''joggeur·euses'' than in ''joggeurs'' : On the effects of gender-fair forms on perceived gender ratios in French role nouns. In: ''J. Fr. Lang. Stud.'' ''33'', 28–51. 10.1017/S0959269522000217.</ref><ref>Heise, E. (2003): Auch einfühlsame Studenten sind Männer: Das generische Maskulinum und die mentale Repräsentation von Personen [Even empathic students are men: The generic masculine and the mental representation of persons]. In: ''Verhaltenstherapie & Psychosoziale Praxis 35''(2), 285–291.</ref> By incorporating the feminine form of a word, speakers acknowledge the presence of individuals of more genders than just one,<ref>Schütze, Christin (2020): ''Comprehension of Gender-neutral forms and the pseudo-generic masculine in German: a visual world eye-tracking study – ‘It goes without saying’ that everyone is included?''. Master thesis. University of Potsdam. Available at: https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/opus4-ubp/frontdoor/deliver/index/docId/48415/file/schuetze_diss.pdf (accessed 2 March 2026).</ref> and the interchangeability of the masculine versus feminine terms as a result of the growing similarity in their [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distribution_(Sprachwissenschaft) distributions] contribute to decoupling [[wikipedia:Sex\|biological sex]], [https://eige.europa.eu/publications-resources/thesaurus/terms/1335 social gender/gender position] or [[wikipedia:Gender_identity\|gender identity]] (cf. [[wikipedia:Sex_assignment\|sex assignment]]) from the specific contexts they tend to be associated with.

	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"