Generisches Maskulinum vs. „geschlechtergerechte“ Sprache

This article deals with the current public discussion in Germany about so-called gendering. It is a kind of “culture war” between a small but very vocal social group fighting tooth and nail for “gender equality” in everyday language practice and the advocates of language purity and the opponents of language distortion on the other side. The author begins with a brief account of earlier attempts to manipulate language for ideological and political purposes before moving on to the various forms of distortion of contemporary German in terms of a completely false interpretation of women’s emancipation. Language is an invaluable cultural asset that must be protected just like cultural and natural monuments (monument and nature conservation).