Page 75 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 11(1) (2023)
P. 75
ia universitatisly male professions and positions in the language Historically, the contemporary Italian fem-
designations of professions and positions in italian in the slovene littor al ... 75 of the Italian national community in Slovenia inine ending (-a) and suffixes (-ina, -tora/-trice)
are influenced by the Slovene usage on one hand were inherited from Latin by the vernacular
and, on the other, to what extent they are a con- and later on by the Italian,4 except for the suffix
tinuation of the Italian tradition and culture. -essa that entered Latin and the vernacular from
Greek due to its strong influence on early Chris-
Discussion tianity (Rohlfs 1969). Originally, -essa was used
In Italian, nouns are a variable part of speech, with reference to females’ positions and digni-
flexible in gender and number. In Italian gram- ties as ‘wife of the titled’ and ‘the titled’ and to
mar, the differentiation between the masculine professions occupied by women: contessa (bef.
and feminine gender of nouns is made through 1300)5, ‘wife or daughter of a count’, from medi-
inflectional morphology. With epicene nouns, eval Latin comitĭssa(m), derived from the mas-
gender is specified by male/female modifiers: il culine comes, -it is, ‘count’; dogaressa (bef. 1389),
giornalista (m.) / la giornalista (f.). Italian gram- ‘wife of a doge of Venice’; badessa (end of 13th c.),
mar thus has preconditions for the formation ‘superior of a nunnery’, from the medieval Latin
of the feminine to designate (new) professions abbatĭssam, derived from the m. abbas, -tis, ‘ab-
and positions occupied by women; neverthe- bot’. In addition to their denotative meaning, fe-
less, the use of the neutral masculine (il ministro male forms had a positive connotation, for ex-
Rosy Bindi) vs the use of the marked feminine ample baronessa (1342), ‘wife or daughter of a
(la ministra Rosy Bindi) is still debated. Both po- baron’, was also used in the meaning of ‘a woman
sitions, grammatical male and referential female of noble status’. In time, the suffix -essa acquired
vs grammatical female and referential female, of- a negative connotation, partly as opposition to
ten argue to the defence of women who occupy an increasing female presence in positions tradi-
prominent positions in society. Advocates of the tionally held by men and partly due to their his-
neutral (unmarked) male form are of the opin- toric reference to wives of the titled (Cortelaz-
ion that the reference of the noun is to a position, zo 1995). Buessa (18th c.) appeared next to vacca,
rather than the person occupying it. They believe ‘cow’, in the meaning of ‘a dismissible and vul-
that the use of a female form may diminish the gar woman’. Female forms such as dottora, dot-
female figure holding that position.3 On the oth- toressa, medichessa and professoressa were used in
er hand, the opponents argue that the reference the meaning of ‘a wiseacre’ (Lepschy et al. 2001).
of the noun, indicating a profession or a position, Further on, feminine suffixes with a negative
should be to the person occupying it to reinforce connotation even became productive, for exam-
female visibility in traditionally male-dominat- ple in the formation of augmentatives madriga-
ed fields of occupation. lessa (16th c.), ‘a long monotonous madrigal’, an-
coressa (1829), ‘anchor in poor condition, very
3 Elsa Fornero, a university professor of economics and for- heavy, with shank and one fluke’, and articolessa
mer Minister of Labour and Social Policies, recently ex- (1868), ‘a long and poorly written newspaper ar-
plained on a talk show that in Academia, in the past the ticle’ (Cortelazzo 1995).
female designation contributed further to unequal treat-
ment of male and female professors, the latter being al- In contemporary Italian, derivation from m.
ready in an unequal position. The male colleagues had as- -tore to f. -trice or -tora is not problematic and it
sistants, while female professors did all the work them- is still productive (for example, elettrice, ‘elector’,
selves. Thus, the referential male gender was felt as in-
clusive, a recognition that female professors shared the 4 In 1678, Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia, the first wom-
academic sphere with their male colleagues (Di martedì, an in the world to receive a degree from a university,
La7 3. 11. 2021). The extent to which the unequal treat- was awarded the title Magistra ed Doctrix Philosophiae
ment of women and men in elite professions and positions (Maschietto 1978).
is still embedded in Italian culture, emerged from the fact
that Elsa Fornero herself used the male referential gender 5 First mention according to De Mauro Vocabulary of Ital-
when she spoke about her role as a minister in Mario Mon- ian (https://dizionario.internazionale.it/).
ti’s government between 2011 and 2013.
designations of professions and positions in italian in the slovene littor al ... 75 of the Italian national community in Slovenia inine ending (-a) and suffixes (-ina, -tora/-trice)
are influenced by the Slovene usage on one hand were inherited from Latin by the vernacular
and, on the other, to what extent they are a con- and later on by the Italian,4 except for the suffix
tinuation of the Italian tradition and culture. -essa that entered Latin and the vernacular from
Greek due to its strong influence on early Chris-
Discussion tianity (Rohlfs 1969). Originally, -essa was used
In Italian, nouns are a variable part of speech, with reference to females’ positions and digni-
flexible in gender and number. In Italian gram- ties as ‘wife of the titled’ and ‘the titled’ and to
mar, the differentiation between the masculine professions occupied by women: contessa (bef.
and feminine gender of nouns is made through 1300)5, ‘wife or daughter of a count’, from medi-
inflectional morphology. With epicene nouns, eval Latin comitĭssa(m), derived from the mas-
gender is specified by male/female modifiers: il culine comes, -it is, ‘count’; dogaressa (bef. 1389),
giornalista (m.) / la giornalista (f.). Italian gram- ‘wife of a doge of Venice’; badessa (end of 13th c.),
mar thus has preconditions for the formation ‘superior of a nunnery’, from the medieval Latin
of the feminine to designate (new) professions abbatĭssam, derived from the m. abbas, -tis, ‘ab-
and positions occupied by women; neverthe- bot’. In addition to their denotative meaning, fe-
less, the use of the neutral masculine (il ministro male forms had a positive connotation, for ex-
Rosy Bindi) vs the use of the marked feminine ample baronessa (1342), ‘wife or daughter of a
(la ministra Rosy Bindi) is still debated. Both po- baron’, was also used in the meaning of ‘a woman
sitions, grammatical male and referential female of noble status’. In time, the suffix -essa acquired
vs grammatical female and referential female, of- a negative connotation, partly as opposition to
ten argue to the defence of women who occupy an increasing female presence in positions tradi-
prominent positions in society. Advocates of the tionally held by men and partly due to their his-
neutral (unmarked) male form are of the opin- toric reference to wives of the titled (Cortelaz-
ion that the reference of the noun is to a position, zo 1995). Buessa (18th c.) appeared next to vacca,
rather than the person occupying it. They believe ‘cow’, in the meaning of ‘a dismissible and vul-
that the use of a female form may diminish the gar woman’. Female forms such as dottora, dot-
female figure holding that position.3 On the oth- toressa, medichessa and professoressa were used in
er hand, the opponents argue that the reference the meaning of ‘a wiseacre’ (Lepschy et al. 2001).
of the noun, indicating a profession or a position, Further on, feminine suffixes with a negative
should be to the person occupying it to reinforce connotation even became productive, for exam-
female visibility in traditionally male-dominat- ple in the formation of augmentatives madriga-
ed fields of occupation. lessa (16th c.), ‘a long monotonous madrigal’, an-
coressa (1829), ‘anchor in poor condition, very
3 Elsa Fornero, a university professor of economics and for- heavy, with shank and one fluke’, and articolessa
mer Minister of Labour and Social Policies, recently ex- (1868), ‘a long and poorly written newspaper ar-
plained on a talk show that in Academia, in the past the ticle’ (Cortelazzo 1995).
female designation contributed further to unequal treat-
ment of male and female professors, the latter being al- In contemporary Italian, derivation from m.
ready in an unequal position. The male colleagues had as- -tore to f. -trice or -tora is not problematic and it
sistants, while female professors did all the work them- is still productive (for example, elettrice, ‘elector’,
selves. Thus, the referential male gender was felt as in-
clusive, a recognition that female professors shared the 4 In 1678, Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia, the first wom-
academic sphere with their male colleagues (Di martedì, an in the world to receive a degree from a university,
La7 3. 11. 2021). The extent to which the unequal treat- was awarded the title Magistra ed Doctrix Philosophiae
ment of women and men in elite professions and positions (Maschietto 1978).
is still embedded in Italian culture, emerged from the fact
that Elsa Fornero herself used the male referential gender 5 First mention according to De Mauro Vocabulary of Ital-
when she spoke about her role as a minister in Mario Mon- ian (https://dizionario.internazionale.it/).
ti’s government between 2011 and 2013.
