Când vorbitorul nu are dreptate. Câteva observaţii referitoare la „masculinitatea” limbii române
When the Speaker Is Not Right. Some Remarks Regarding the “Masculinity” of the Romanian Language

Summary/Abstract: In this article I have tried to discuss about those speakers who do not accept the others’ speech as it is, and who criticize it, despite the fact that they are not professional linguists. According to Eugenio Coseriu, in such situations they manifest themselves as “naive linguists”, often subject to mistakes in their explanations. That is the reason why I thought it necessary to treat firstly, in extenso, the concept of “linguistic consciousness”, presenting, as a sample, a study case referring to the “masculinity” of the Romanian language. At the same time, in order to fight back some prejudices of non-linguist speakers, I have dealt with the “masculinity” of the Romanian language from the Coserian integral linguistics point of view. Taking certain linguistic facts as a starting point, one can discuss either about the femininity or masculinity of the Romanian language (or of other historical languages). What is more, it has been noticed that language in itself seems to function according to a special logic, different from the logic of science. I aim to prove the fact that the Romanian language is characterized, at least in one respect, by a “tolerant masculinity”, since it allows the use of the variable adjective bărbat ‘manlike’ for the feminine sex as well. In addition, unlike other languages, there is a complete paradigm in Romanian of the categorial significations (adjective, noun, verb and adverb), bărbat/bărbătesc, bărbăţie, a îmbărbăta, bărbăteşte, which were formed from the lexical signification of the notion of ‘courage’, rendered by the Romanian term bărbat ‘man’.

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