Feminization in the Arabic language

Arabic, like many languages, has grammatical gender. This means nouns are classified as masculine or feminine. Feminization in the Arabic language can be looked at from a few different angles:

1. Grammatical Feminization:

• This refers to the process of turning a masculine noun into a feminine one. Most commonly, this is done by adding specific endings to the masculine noun. Here are some examples:

  • Masculine: طالب ( طالب / طالب – طالب means “student”)

  • Feminine: طالبة (طالبة / طالبَة – طالبة means “female student”)

  • Masculine: معلّم (معلّم / معلِّم – معلّم means “teacher”)

  • Feminine: معلمة (معلمة / معلّمَة – معلمة means “female teacher”)

• Not all nouns have a feminine counterpart. Some professions might only have a masculine form, or the feminine form might have a slightly different meaning.

2. Social Feminization:

• This refers to the movement to create feminine forms for job titles, academic degrees, and other terms that traditionally only have masculine forms. This is an ongoing debate in Arabic-speaking countries, with some arguing it promotes gender equality and inclusivity, while others see it as unnecessary or grammatically awkward.

  • Example:
    • Traditionally, a doctor would be called طبيب (Tabib – masculine).
    • The social feminist approach would be to use طبيبة (Tabiba – feminine) for a female doctor.

3. Lexical Feminization:

• This refers to the introduction of new words specifically referring to women or feminine concepts. This is less common in Arabic but can be seen in some modern writing and discourse.

• Here are some resources for further exploration:

  • It’s Dean, not Dean – Feminization of Arabic Language: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/women-bcg_ted-businesswoman-arab-activity-6985932123769602048-VIWk (Discusses the social aspects of feminization in Arabic)
  • FEMINIZATION – Translation in Arabic: https://en.bab.la/dictionary/english-arabic/feminism (Provides translations for “feminization” and related terms)

In arabic there are five places where the meaning can be tricky for women.

First : If a man is alive then he is حي and the woman would be حية
حي (adjective) = alive
حية (adjective) = alive For women
حية (Noun) = Snake

So that could mean the women is alive or a snake.

Second: If the man answered a question right we would call him “مصيب” and the woman would be “مصيـبة”
مصيب (adjective) = is right
مصيبة (adjective) = is right For women
مصيبة (Noun) = disaster

So that could mean the women is right -in opinion- or a disaster.

Third: If the man became a judge we would call him “قاضى” and the woman would be “قاضية”
قاضي (Noun) = judge
قاضية (Noun) = judge
قاضية (adjective) = is the great catastrophe that leave a person destroyed – physically or mentally like the knockout punch –

Forth: if a man has a hobby of sport or another interesting activity we call him هاو and the woman would be “هاوية”
هاو (adjective) = amateur
هاوية (adjective) = amateur
هاوية(Noun) = is a name of the hell

fifth :when a man enters the Parliament, he is called نائب and the woman would be “نائبة”
نائب (Noun) = Deputy
نائبة (Noun) = Deputy
نائبة (Noun) = is the sister of disaster

P.S. this Topic is just for Fun.

Start learning arabic with our Professional Egyptian Teachers get a free Trail