Stav povodom rodno osetljivih vrsta reči u španskom kao stranom jeziku: istraživanje na Katedri za iberijske studije Filološkog fakulteta

Abstract

The theoretical part of the paper shows the state of gender within the language in Serbia and Spain, as well as the Spanish language and gender equality within it. Gender is showcased in Spanish and basic changes are presented, but also the problem of neutral gender and how to solve this novelty by introducing letter changes. Before the research, the case of learning Spanish as a foreign language in Serbia and teaching gender is depicted. The research itself is related to the undergraduate students of the Department of Iberian Studies at the Faculty of Philology in Belgrade. Through an online survey eighty-six of them were questioned regarding their attitude in the case of gender-sensitive types of words in Spanish with examples of the forms of personal pronouns Nosotros/Vosotros, Nosotras/Vosotras, as well as the unacknowledged form Nosotres/Vosotres. In the presented situations in the survey, the students confirmed the assumption of the research that they would turn to the male gender as neutral, even in the case where the group was formed mainly of females with one male. Very little knowledge of the new neutral form Nosotres/Vosotres and to whom it refers to has also been demonstrated. Some of the conclusions are that it is necessary to broaden the horizons of those who learn Spanish as a foreign language and to guide them in the diversity that occurs within the language. Additional research should be conducted at the level of other Faculties of Philology in Serbia.