miembra: member
yes, yes, I know, the Real Academia does not recognize this as a real word. and what do you know, there are hardly any women in the RAE. but doesn't it seem ridiculous to you to interpret for a large women's organization and have to call them all miembros? the joys of patriarchal language. well apparently I'm not the only one who'se annoyed. recently the Spanish Minister of Equality (how cool is it that there's a ministry like that?) used 'miembros y miembras' in a speech and set off a whole discussion about this word in Spain.
how we say the world shapes how we see the world shapes how we can be in the world.
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social justice movement terminology for interpreters and translators - because more bilingual movements are stronger movements!
SEARCH for terms: use the blogger box in upper left - if you don't find it, please suggest it!
COMMENTS: some great discussions of terms in the comments - check them out and please add to them!
CONTACT: feel free to email me at Sara (dot) Koopman (at) gmail (dot) com
COMMENTS: some great discussions of terms in the comments - check them out and please add to them!
CONTACT: feel free to email me at Sara (dot) Koopman (at) gmail (dot) com
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decolonizing solidarity
My other blog looks at colonial patterns in international solidarity and ways that we might change them, and talks about my research on international accompaniment and how it uses difference and privilege to make space for peace. The latest entries are listed below.
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6 comments:
We don't need to follow the RAE as they are comfortably seated in their plushy armchairs at Madrid. Those ancient guys, FAR AWAY from the Caracas suburbs or the mexican popular food markets or the high-class neighbourhoods in Santiago or Colombia's Pacific coast inhabitants speeches, TRY to teach us how to use or not the words.
We don't need the RAE as it's part of the spanish monarchy and it's an imperialist entity too.
I accept MIEMBRA. Do they dislike this word? Me la sudan! Who cares about them?
La verdad es que pienso que la palabra miembro es de género neutro y es correcto decir un miembro o una miembro o las y los miembros.
Creo que se utiliza más...
"Ella es miembra del equipo"
que...
"Ella es una miembra del equipo"
O sea que "una" adelante de miembra, para mi no queda bien, y nunca lo escuché. En cambio el primer ejemplo, sí. Aunque lo más correcto y neutral es "miembro".
The DRAE flags this word as "com." (common gender), meaning one can use "la miembro" or "el miembro."
It is not the only Spanish word ending in "o" that has a common gender (e.g., "la modelo" and "la testigo").
As to using a noun ending in "o" to designate the feminine gender, it wouldn't be an exception, as we already have those (e.g., "la libido" and "la mano").
Daniel
Hi Sara,
I'm not sure I'm convinced by the term "miembra".
True, "miembro" is a term ending it "o" applied to both males and females. But there are many words in Spanish which end in -a- that are neutral gender words. I'm not sure that we have to say "artísto", "idealísto", "jurísto" to avoid sexism towards men, for example, and in the same sense, I don't think that "miembro" is necessary sexist towards women.
If it were, it could be suggested that assigning gender to words at all is patriarchial and sexist, but changing this would require fundamental, wide-reaching changes to the language which may not be feasible or practical.
That being said, language use evolves similarly to lifeforms...some deviation from the norm springs up and it either sticks or doesn't. If it sticks, then I won't oppose it out of religious dogma. But I think its justification is misguided.
(I also personally wonder if the new Ministra said "miembra" just to get publicity for her brand-new ministry. No press is bad press, as they say.) Just a thought.
Take care :-)
or maybe it IS best to leave them all ending in o: here's one that's been making the rounds on email:
LA LENGUA CASTELLANA ES MACHISTA!
AQUI ALGUNOS EJEMPLOS CLAROS.......
Zorro: Héroe justiciero
Zorra: Puta
Perro: Mejor amigo del hombre
Perra : Puta
Aventurero: Osado, valiente, arriesgado.
Aventurera: Puta
Cualquier: Fulano, Mengano, Zultano
Cualquiera: Puta
Callejero: De la calle, urbano.
Callejera: Puta
Hombrezuelo: Hombrecillo, mínimo, pequeño
Mujerzuela: Puta
Hombre público: Personaje prominente. FuncionarioPpúblico.
Mujer pública: Puta
Hombre de la vida: Hombre de gran experiencia.
Mujer de la vida: Puta
Puto: Enojado
Puta: Puta
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