Maskulinity Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Who is defined totally unconditionally as a human being in the dictionary? When using a German dictionary nowadays, a human being might be a female, male or even an intersexual being, who can possibly show the most diverse sexual-orientation-features, such as asexual, poly-amorous, hetero-, homo-, bi-, or transsexual/-gender. Does this first impression really apply? Are all human beings after nearly 40 years of legal emancipation, especially in regard to the heterosexual woman as well as to the almost complete emancipation of all others, represented accordingly? The question indeed remains, whether on a meta-lexicological level, a corresponding representation of all forms of sexual existence-not merely additive, but also in reference to the macro-structure of the dictionary-has actually taken place. Or do we have to concede that the representatives of this species are still defined in terms of the pre-feminist human being, i.e. the masculine heterosexual man, thus rendering their own conception lacking and incomplete? The implementation of this masculine prototype into the word-formation process is realized through the 3 Masculinist Principles. 1, "The Hetero-Man-the Embodiment of General Human Qualities", and principle no. 2, "Woman and the Other-the subordinated Gender" Principle no. 3, "Gender Imagery", can be attributed to the semantic-masculinist level, which to this day reduces the codification of women and the Other to certain semantic categories like privateness, associating them with selected roles, powerlessness and sexualization. Specifically, synonyms of the hyperonym Mensch like Person, Wesen, Individuum, Subjekt, and Leute should be gender-critically and analytically explored concerning the semantic relations to their hyponyms as for example Frau, Mann or Mädchen and Bub/Junge. It is the aim of this study to examine the lemma Mensch, to conclude whether in its lexicological implementation it can already be considered a hyperonym comprising all-including the heterosexual man, too.