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Article published In: Historiographia Linguistica
Vol. 40:3 (2013) ► pp.377–408

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Otto Jespersen and “The Woman”, then and now

 | Boston College
Published online: 3 September 2013
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https://doi.org/10.1075/hl.40.3.03tho
Summary
Danish linguist Otto Jespersen’s (1860–1943) Language, its Nature, Development, and Origin was published more than 90 years ago, in 1922. This article focuses on Jespersen’s often-cited Chapter 13, entitled “The Woman”, a text that has served since the 1970s as a touchstone for feminist narratives of the history of discussion of language and gender. The author of the present article shows that modern treatment of the chapter sometimes misconstrues Jespersen in casting him into the role of mouthpiece for ideas about women and language that contemporary scholars have discredited. She suggests instead that “The Woman” deserves a new reading, which neither apologizes for Jespersen’s views, nor diminishes his importance to the history of feminist linguistics, but rather recognizes the intricacies of this text and seeks to better understand its position in relation to present-day scholarship on language and gender.
Résumé
Language, its Nature, Development, and Origin du linguiste danois Otto Jespersen (1860–1943) a été publié il y a plus de 90 ans, en 1922. Cet article porte sur le chapitre 13 souvent cité de Jespersen, intitulé “The Woman” (“La femme”), un texte qui sert depuis les années 1970 de pierre de touche pour les récits féministes de l’histoire de la discussion de la langue et du genre. L’auteur du présent article démontre que le traitement moderne de ce chapitre interprète parfois Jespersen de façon incorrecte, en lui assignant le rôle de porte-parole pour des idées concernant la femme et la langue qui ont été discréditées par les linguistes contemporains. Par contre, l’auteur suggère que “La femme” mérite une nouvelle lecture qui n’excuse ni les opinions de Jespersen, ni ne diminue son importance dans l’histoire de la linguistique féministe, mais plutôt reconnaît la complexité de ce texte et cherche à mieux comprendre sa position par rapport avec l’érudition actuelle sur la langue et le genre.
Zusammenfassung
1922, also vor mehr als 90 Jahren, erschien Language, its Nature, Development, and Origin des dänischen Sprachwissenschaftlers Otto Jespersen (1860–1943). Im vorliegenden Aufsatz handelt es sich um das oft zitierte Kapitel 13 des Buches, das den Titel “The Woman” (“Die Frau”) trägt und das seit den 70er Jahren als Bezugspunkt der Kritik in der feministischen Diskussion über Sprache und Geschlecht gilt. Dabei geht es der Autorin darum zu zeigen, dass in der neueren Auseinandersetzung mit diesem Kapitel Jespersen bisweilen deswegen missverstanden wird, weil man Jespersen in die Rolle eines Sprachrohrs für gewisse von den zeitgenössischen Wissenschaftlern bereits diskreditierte Vorstellungen über Frauen und Sprache versetzt hat. Demgegenüber wird hier der Versuch unternommen, eine neue Auslegung des Kapitels “Die Frau” zu liefern, und zwar eine, die weder eine Apologie für Jespersens Ansichten bietet noch dessen Bedeutung für die Geschichte der feministischen Linguistik schmälert. Vielmehr wird eine Interpretation angestrebt, die die Vielschichtigkeit des Textes anerkennt und die ein genaueres Verständnis des Platzes dieses Texts in Bezug auf die heutige Forschung über Sprache und Geschlechterrollen ermöglicht.
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