Hvorfor er Berit farmasøyt mens Brigitte er pharmacienne? Om kjønnsspesifikke betegnelser for yrker og funksjoner i norsk og fransk

Abstract

In French, nouns denoting occupations and offices usually have different forms for males and females (e.g. pharmacien 'male pharmacist' - pharmacienne 'female pharmacist'). In Norwegian, this is a very marginal phenomenon. We discuss this difference between the two languages, and propose that it must be understood on the background of their systems of grammatical gender. The forms for males and females find a natural place in French, with its clear distinction between masculine and feminine gender. The situation is different in Norwegian, where this distinction is marginal or non-existing in central varieties.