To protect the language or out of the fear of change? Language manipulations in right-winged journalistic texts about feminine nouns

Abstract

Although the feminine nouns had been a part of Polish language for ages, the category of feminativum still arouse emotions among the users of Polish and in the media. The article is an analysis of right-winged journalistic texts published at the turn of 2019 and 2020. The aim of the analysis is to point out and discuss the language manipulations and eristic techniques appearing in the texts. Author begins with outlining the status and shortly presenting the history of feminine nouns in Polish. Further he sets his research in the context of contemporary journalistic discourse about feminine nouns and defines the methodology he will be using. In the analytical part the author successively points language manipulations and describes eristic techniques using examples from analysed texts. In summary author suggests that the subject of fe­minine nouns in right-winged press seems to be just an excuse for ideological scuffles.