Language
Council for German spelling advises on gender asterisks
Gender-fair search for personnel on this sign in Berlin. photo
© Jens Kalaene/dpa
Gender is discussed in schools, in the workplace and in politics. What is fair spelling? An important body meets for consultation.
Colon, underscore and asterisk in the word: Controversial debates about gender are constantly being held. The Council for German Spelling is today advising on gender-equitable writing in Eupen, Belgium, as the committee announced.
The managing director of the council, Sabine Krome, said in advance of the German Press Agency: So far there has been no passage in the official set of rules for German spelling published by the council “explicitly on dealing with gender-appropriate spelling, and here in particular the special characters related to orthography such as gender star, Colon” and others given in the middle of the word. The inclusion of such a passage will be discussed and something will also be decided. According to Krome, the background is that there have been many inquiries from the authorities and schools in recent years.
Asterisk, underscore, colon?
The Council is an important authority on spelling. His task on behalf of government agencies is to maintain the uniformity of spelling in the German-speaking world and to further develop the spelling with a view to changing the language.
Most recently, in 2021, the Council recommended not including asterisks, underscores, colons or other forms for identifying multi-gender designations in the middle of the word in the official regulations at this time. In relation to its recommendation, the Council stated, among other things, that gender-equitable spelling should not make learning the written German language more difficult.
For years there has been a discussion in Germany as to whether – and if so, how – the masculine forms in the language can or should be replaced by broader terms – in order, for example, to include women more aggressively. The gender asterisk as with teachers is one possibility. Some put a colon or an underscore instead. In the spoken language and on television or radio, this is then expressed as a pause in speaking.
Charged Debate
The debate about the use of gender language now affects many areas of life and sometimes boils over.
An example from politics and the media: CDU leader Friedrich Merz positioned himself indirectly against gendering in public broadcasting at a CDU party conference in 2022 and said: “Universities, ladies and gentlemen, and public broadcasting are not public educational institutions.” The allegation was rejected by the broadcaster.
The issue of gender has also long since arrived in business and in the courts. For example, last year the Ingolstadt district court dealt with a lawsuit against a guide for gender-sensitive language at the car manufacturer Audi.
Official set of rules of the Council for German Spelling Recommendation of the Council for gender-equitable spelling from the year 2021