“Language is patriarchal”-- this topic has received much attention from a gender studies perspective. Language is a powerful way to reinforce and normalize the dominance of men over women within socio-cultural or political contexts.
However, Bangla can take pride in having a comparatively gender-neutral approach. While we proudly celebrate International Mother Language Day in Bangladesh, it is important to recognize this glorious aspect of Bangla that many of us unconsciously overlook.
It is better to have a discussion on the patriarchal approach of languages before specifically focusing on Bangla. While the issue is a wide area of debate or discussion, let’s focus on the usage of pronouns.
In English, masculine pronouns, for instance, he, his, etc, commonly refer to people in general. It is not unusual to find a sentence like this one -- “A doctor knows how to communicate with his patients.” The sentence lacks inclusivity, as the existence of a certain cohort of people (women) is completely ignored in this approach.
Further complication is inferred as sentences, like these, associate with a prestigious profession. As the sentence denotes only male doctors, this systematically excludes women from that professional environment. Whereas, women have definitely proved their capability in these professions, they are made invisible through this way of communication. Women’s intelligence, hard work, and contributions are simply overthrown due to the inappropriate usage of a pronoun!
A gender-inclusive approach of the English language is emphasized in many offices. Some notable academic journals or certain publishing communities strictly adhere to gender-inclusive norms in writing for publication.
While the usage of “s/he” in writing addresses this problem, the issue remains problematic in reading. People tend to read that as “he or she” despite the fact that “s” appears first. The approach again reinforces male dominance while demonstrating the mentality that women cannot come before men.
The popular approach now is to use the plural form of English pronouns (such as they, them) to avoid complications as these are gender neutral. Although this can be an effective strategy for the English language to address the gendered problem, it is not the case for some other languages, for instance, Spanish. The plural form of pronouns in Spanish is different based on gender. As such, a group of men has a specific pronoun which is different from the one that is used for a group of women.
There is an additional layer of complication in the plural form of pronouns in Spanish. A group of mixed-gendered people is always denoted by a masculine pronoun. Even if there is only one man in a group of women, the pronoun will be masculine. It clearly reflects the patriarchal approach of the language. The problem is not limited to how the words are used; rather, the male-dominant mentality is revealed through the development of the pronouns.
Some languages have further gendered problems concerning singular forms of pronouns. The pronouns are not only for human beings or animals but also for non-living things. For example, in Portuguese, a masculine pronoun is used for a door, whilst a feminine pronoun is employed for a window.
It is important to recognize that concentrating only on one aspect, ie pronouns, cannot allow us to label a language as gender-bias-free
A question can be raised regarding the basis of such a gendered connotation. Different examples of Portuguese pronouns for objects indicate that gendered pronouns were determined based on the power structure relationship. As a point of clarification, a door is bigger than a window. Given that superiority, a door is indicated by a masculine pronoun.
Similarly, the sun is referred to by a masculine pronoun, whilst the moon is denoted by a feminine pronoun in Portuguese. The moon is smaller than the sun. It is also dependent on the sun for light. As the sun seems to be in a powerful position, it is designated by a masculine pronoun.
The patriarchal approach of certain societies is so strong that the specific language translates the inequality of the non-living things in terms of gender inequality.
Now, drawing attention to our language, we can find that all the pronouns (both singular and plural) are gender-neutral in Bangla. We do not have any singular gendered pronouns for non-living things which indicate gender power relationships like in Portuguese.
In some cases, the sensible usage of singular pronouns is required for gender inclusivity in some languages, like English, but it is not at all an issue for Bangla.
Some plural forms of pronouns in some languages (for instance, Spanish), leave people with no other option but to reflect the patriarchal approach in wording, whilst Bangla is completely free from this problem.
It is important to recognize that concentrating only on one aspect, ie pronouns, cannot allow us to label a language as gender-bias-free. Still, the discussion regarding the development and usage of pronouns in different languages brings to light the magnificent aspect of Bangla; our language is not patriarchal in terms of the pronoun issue.
While we observe the Shaheed Dibosh on February 21 each year, we proudly remember the historical and cultural significance of the day. It is also important to recognize that, while many are trying to fix the gendered issues of some languages, or find it difficult to tackle the deeply entrenched patriarchal approach of their languages, Bangla evolved long ago without such problems.
Our language reflects the thoughtfulness of the people and their respect towards gender equality as articulated in coining the pronouns. Therefore, on this day, we also have to proudly recognize the gender sensitivity of our language that pays attention to gender equality.
Dr Jasmine Jaim is a Professor at Institute of Business Administration, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. Email: jaim.jas@gmail.com