Podcast Summary: Le Cours de l'histoire – “Une langue plus égalitaire que la nôtre ?”

Date: October 31, 2025
Host: France Culture

Episode Overview

This episode explores the surprising historical origins of gender equality in the French language. The host delves into how, contrary to common belief, medieval French was often more flexible and egalitarian regarding gendered forms, especially in designations of professions and titles. The episode traces the shift from this flexibility to the rigid, male-dominant language rules instituted in the Renaissance and reinforced by grammar authorities, leading up to current debates on inclusive language.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Medieval French: Flexibility and Equality

• In medieval times (12th–16th centuries), French was not yet standardized.

• The language was flexible, particularly in creating feminine forms for professions and roles:

  • Examples: chambrière, broderesse, physicienne, miresse (female physician), chevaleresse, and autrice (female author) ([01:10–02:00]).

• Grammatical agreements were less codified—sometimes the feminine could predominate in mixed-gender expressions.

  “Par exemple, les hommes et les femmes sont belles. Et alors, dans une tournure de style, le féminin pouvait l’importer sur le masculin.”
  – Host ([02:24])

2. Language Evolution: From Flexibility to Rigidity

• The Renaissance period saw grammarians begin to fix rules.
• The suffixes “-esse” and “-eresse,” used to feminize words, lost some of their vitality and even gained a negative connotation:
  • Rabelais mocks “révenderesses d’oignons” ([02:30–03:00]).
  • Modern remnants include enchanteresse and maîtresse.

3. The Influence of Institutions: Language as a Reflection of Power

• 1635: Creation of the exclusively masculine Académie française to regulate language.

• The notion was established that the masculine is more “noble” than the feminine.

  “Rapidement, on décrète que le masculin est le plus noble.”
  – Host ([03:24])

• 1767: Academician Bosé explicitly justifies masculine grammatical dominance by “la supériorité du mâle sur la femelle.”

  “Ce n’est plus de la grammaire, c’est de la domination masculine.”
  – Host ([03:44])

• Feminine forms for prestigious professions disappear (e.g., autrice becomes socially unacceptable).

4. Resistance and Change in the Modern Era

• Despite societal progress in the 20th century, official language resists change.
• 1984: Yvette Roudy's commission revives feminization of job titles ([04:25]).
• 2019: Académie française acknowledges there’s no principled barrier to using feminine forms—essentially conceding what was practiced in the Middle Ages.

5. Contemporary Debate: The Future in the Past?

• Ongoing controversies around inclusive writing and language evolution.

• Suggestions that looking to medieval practices could offer a roadmap for modern feminization of French.

  “Et si, pour féminiser la langue, on regardait vers le Moyen-Âge ? Car avec ses chevaleresses et ses miresses, l’important parfois sur le masculin, la vieille langue était parfois plus égalitaire que la nôtre.”
  – Host ([05:15])

  “Comme quoi, l’avenir du français pourrait bien se trouver dans son passé.”
  – Host ([05:30])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Feminization in the Middle Ages:

  “Dès le Moyen-Âge, le français possédait déjà les ressources grammaticales pour dire le monde au féminin.”
  – Host ([02:12])

• The Fixing of Gender in Language:

  “À la Renaissance, les grammariens commencent à fixer des règles. Puis, en 1635, Richelieu fonde l’Académie française, une institution à l’époque exclusivement masculine, pour réguler la langue.”
  – Host ([03:12])

• Contemporary Reflection:

  “Entre-temps, la langue continue d’évoluer par l’usage. Elle se met à jour pour décrire notre monde.”
  – Host ([04:50])

Important Timestamps

• [00:00–01:10]: Introduction; overview of how gender was handled in medieval French.
• [01:10–02:00]: Examples of feminine forms in professions and titles.
• [02:00–02:45]: The flexibility of grammatical agreements; feminine sometimes dominates.
• [02:45–03:44]: The Renaissance and the start of codifying masculine dominance.
• [03:44–04:25]: The decline and stigmatization of feminine forms for prestigious titles.
• [04:25–04:50]: Modern feminist movements and institutional resistance.
• [04:50–05:30]: Present-day debates on inclusive writing and reflection on the potential of historical practices.

Conclusion

This episode thoughtfully challenges the conventional wisdom around the history of gender in the French language. By tracing the path from medieval flexibility to institutionalized masculine bias and contemporary debates, it encourages listeners to reconsider both the origins and the possible future of linguistic gender equality—reminding us that sometimes, progress means reviving what was once lost.