100119 PS Proseminar Linguistics: There stands a lonely pine-tree/... He dreameth of a palm-tree/far... (2014W)
Metaphors of traditional gender hierarchy in gendered languages and their tendencies of dissolution.
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
The Pine-Tree and the Palm-Tree
Heinrich Heine
(Translation: Emma Lazarus)There stands a lonely pine-tree
In the north, on a barren height;
He sleeps while the ice and snow flakes
Swathe him in folds of white.He dreameth of a palm-tree
Far in the sunrise-land,
Lonely and silent longing
On her burning bank of sand.
Heinrich Heine
(Translation: Emma Lazarus)There stands a lonely pine-tree
In the north, on a barren height;
He sleeps while the ice and snow flakes
Swathe him in folds of white.He dreameth of a palm-tree
Far in the sunrise-land,
Lonely and silent longing
On her burning bank of sand.
Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
- Registration is open from Su 14.09.2014 11:00 to Su 28.09.2014 23:00
- Deregistration possible until Su 28.09.2014 23:00
Details
max. 35 participants
Language: German
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
- Thursday 02.10. 16:45 - 18:15 (ehem.Übungsraum 3 Germanistik Hauptgebäude, 2.Stock, Stiege 5)
- Thursday 09.10. 16:45 - 18:15 (ehem.Übungsraum 3 Germanistik Hauptgebäude, 2.Stock, Stiege 5)
- Thursday 16.10. 16:45 - 18:15 (ehem.Übungsraum 3 Germanistik Hauptgebäude, 2.Stock, Stiege 5)
- Thursday 23.10. 16:45 - 18:15 (ehem.Übungsraum 3 Germanistik Hauptgebäude, 2.Stock, Stiege 5)
- Thursday 30.10. 16:45 - 18:15 (ehem.Übungsraum 3 Germanistik Hauptgebäude, 2.Stock, Stiege 5)
- Thursday 06.11. 16:45 - 18:15 (ehem.Übungsraum 3 Germanistik Hauptgebäude, 2.Stock, Stiege 5)
- Thursday 13.11. 16:45 - 18:15 (ehem.Übungsraum 3 Germanistik Hauptgebäude, 2.Stock, Stiege 5)
- Thursday 20.11. 16:45 - 18:15 (ehem.Übungsraum 3 Germanistik Hauptgebäude, 2.Stock, Stiege 5)
- Thursday 27.11. 16:45 - 18:15 (ehem.Übungsraum 3 Germanistik Hauptgebäude, 2.Stock, Stiege 5)
- Thursday 04.12. 16:45 - 18:15 (ehem.Übungsraum 3 Germanistik Hauptgebäude, 2.Stock, Stiege 5)
- Thursday 11.12. 16:45 - 18:15 (ehem.Übungsraum 3 Germanistik Hauptgebäude, 2.Stock, Stiege 5)
- Thursday 18.12. 16:45 - 18:15 (ehem.Übungsraum 3 Germanistik Hauptgebäude, 2.Stock, Stiege 5)
- Friday 19.12. 09:00 - 12:00 (ehem.Übungsraum 3 Germanistik Hauptgebäude, 2.Stock, Stiege 5)
- Thursday 08.01. 16:45 - 18:15 (ehem.Übungsraum 3 Germanistik Hauptgebäude, 2.Stock, Stiege 5)
- Thursday 15.01. 16:45 - 18:15 (ehem.Übungsraum 3 Germanistik Hauptgebäude, 2.Stock, Stiege 5)
- Thursday 22.01. 16:45 - 18:15 (ehem.Übungsraum 3 Germanistik Hauptgebäude, 2.Stock, Stiege 5)
- Thursday 29.01. 16:45 - 18:15 (ehem.Übungsraum 3 Germanistik Hauptgebäude, 2.Stock, Stiege 5)
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Assessment and permitted materials
A presentation and a seminar paper consisting of 10-15 pages
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
Examination topics
Objectives and methods of the course
A critical analysis of feminist linguistics/ linguistic criticism and gender linguistics as well as international research literature on the topics of feminism, masculinism, men’s rights movement, gender theory and queer studies, all of which referring to the German language as well as other languages respectively, are to serve as a methodical framework. Linguistic asymmetries and historicisms will be examined in reference to their representation of gender and diversity as well as to their relevance in society in general and particularly in reference to the German language system, within its grammar and its translation of human aspects into language, including lexicalisations and other norms.
We will focus on the analysis and deconstruction of the androcentric and at times sexist verbalisation of heterosexual male contents, representing humans/ everything human per se. For this concept of being human neither includes the hetero sexual woman as an individual, nor homosexuals, nor transgenders, nor transsexuals, nor ethnic others, but it much rather and most definitely excludes them. This concerns, on a narrower scope, the masculine as a gender category and also the grammar in general, and in a broader sense, as a concept of the male-human, the morpho-semantic as well as the lexicographic field. For everything male and human was and still is thought of, conceived and defined as being semantically identical, whereas this is not the case for everything female and all the other forms of being human. This becomes apparent in our current grammatical system of rules (gender-sex-congruency) and our word formation. With the generic masculine and its predominant position, this is obvious, it is less clear, however, in word formation processes and the semantic assignment within the vocabulary.
A critical analysis of feminist linguistics/ linguistic criticism and gender linguistics as well as international research literature on the topics of feminism, masculinism, men’s rights movement, gender theory and queer studies, all of which referring to the German language as well as other languages respectively, are to serve as a methodical framework. Linguistic asymmetries and historicisms will be examined in reference to their representation of gender and diversity as well as to their relevance in society in general and particularly in reference to the German language system, within its grammar and its translation of human aspects into language, including lexicalisations and other norms.
We will focus on the analysis and deconstruction of the androcentric and at times sexist verbalisation of heterosexual male contents, representing humans/ everything human per se. For this concept of being human neither includes the hetero sexual woman as an individual, nor homosexuals, nor transgenders, nor transsexuals, nor ethnic others, but it much rather and most definitely excludes them. This concerns, on a narrower scope, the masculine as a gender category and also the grammar in general, and in a broader sense, as a concept of the male-human, the morpho-semantic as well as the lexicographic field. For everything male and human was and still is thought of, conceived and defined as being semantically identical, whereas this is not the case for everything female and all the other forms of being human. This becomes apparent in our current grammatical system of rules (gender-sex-congruency) and our word formation. With the generic masculine and its predominant position, this is obvious, it is less clear, however, in word formation processes and the semantic assignment within the vocabulary.
Reading list
Association in the course directory
(I 1233, I 2900)
Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:32
Thus „die Frau“ (woman) is also lexicalised under the term “Weib” or morphologically represented by the diminutives “Mädchen” (girl) and “Fräulein” (miss), in all cases becoming neuter. Animated and non-animated are principal categories of many languages, including German. Assigning the neuter gender to female humans means degrading female human existence, since the features “female-human” and “animated” are missing. Personal designations referring to male persons, on the other hand, by incorporating the features “male-human” and “animated” show a consistent gender-sex-congruency not only in their gender-assignment, but also in their syntax. A gender-equitable or gender-representative use of language and the newly kindled debate it has provoked, such as in the controversies over the “Binnen-I” or the “Töchter” (daughters) in the Austrian national anthem, as well as the general counter-movement against the dissolution of the androcentric, heterosexual gender hierarchy are to be included in the discussion.