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Gender neutral language in German: Difference between revisions
→Adjectives and nominalized adjectives
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=== ''' | === '''Indefinite pronoun''' === | ||
In German, there is the indefinite pronoun "man". This is used in everyday language regardless of gender. But the fact that it sounds exactly like the word "Mann" makes some people uncomfortable. A few decades ago, feminist language critics suggested using alternatives such as "frau" or "mensch". However, the word "frau" only evokes one gender, so it has no real advantage over "man". | |||
From a linguistic history perspective, "man" is an Old High German noun that had the gender-neutral meaning of the word "human" and only later took on the meaning "man" as a noun. | |||
The form "man" is only used in the nominative. In the dative and accusative, the forms "einem" and "einen" are used as indefinite pronouns; there is no genitive form of the indefinite pronoun in German. | |||
"Mensch" and "eins" are suggested alternatives to the subject form of “man”. "einem"/"einen" would stay the same. | |||
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