Obar, Shiela Marie D.

BAELS 1-B

Prof. Andrea Mae Baltazar

October 5, 2022

MIDTERM REQUIREMENT

Language is a powerful key for defining and influencing each word from generation to

generation, up until now Language is a major necessity for us, without it we'll have a hard time

communicating with each other. Learning the origin of the words we give voice too is not

necessarily a requisite but if you're up for the job on researching about it and want to know the

etymology of a certain word it will give you an idea on what the word was used to be called or

you can dive deeper and know more about it's historical facts.So before we dive in to the topic

here is the definition of etymology, Etymology is the study of the origins of words and how their

meanings have changed throughout history.

The particular word that I find fascinating to search for in its etymology is the word "Woman". In

our current generation the word "Woman" alongside with female and lady is a gender term used

for an adult female person, one model of biological sex and gender for mature humans. Woman

is a common word. It is neutral, devoid of favorable or adverse effects, and is the most

commonly used of the three. The word woman in Old English wfmann (woman, literally "female

person") was derived from Middle English womman, wimman, and wifman, which were derived

from Old English wf and mann (person, human being), respectively. The word woman is derived

from a compound in which the gender-neutral meaning of man was utilized. Wf, the progenitor

of modern English wife, was one of the two primary words for "woman" in Old English (OE),

together with cwn, the ancestor of modern English queen. OE wīf is a descendant of PGmc

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*wībą, and appears as wīf in Old Frisian, Old Saxon, and Old Dutch, wīb in Old High German,

and víf in Old Norse. In Continental Germanic languages, it has been replaced by descendants

of PGmc *frawjǭ ''woman'', such as Dutch vrouwe and German Frau, for ''woman, wife''. In

Dutch and German, wijf and Weib remain words, but acquire a pejorative connotation in contrast

to vrouwe and Frau. Using the original word means that the woman is naturally low. The same

kind of dynamic is responsible for the phenomenon in English, where in public speech (such as

bathroom doors) the words lady and gentleman are used instead of lady and man. Icelandic

(and Faroese? I don't have a good Faroese source), the word has survived but is restricted to

archaic and poetic use. The usual word for "woman" is Kona. The word is a cognate word for

Queen of England. Descendant of PGmc *kwēniz, via Old Norse kván. In Gothic, *kwēniz

appears as the ''wife'' of qēns, but there seems to be no trace of this word in Continental West

Germanic, and kván has disappeared even in Continental North Germanic. Although the

meaning of the word is specifically specialized to refer to royal women, the word can also be

used to refer to gay men. PGmc *kwēniz is descended from her PIE *gʷḗn 'woman'. This word is

very common in Indo-European languages.

Proto-Slavic *ena (> Russian ená), Old Irish bé, Ancient Greek gynḗ, Armenian cognate,

Sanskrit jániḥ 'wife', and Tocharian B śana (but not Latin cognates have not survived). In

particular, the Ancient Greek gynḗ appears in English words of Greek origin, such as

gynaecology, polygyny, and misogyny. How about *wībą? It is unknown whether this word is a

descendant of her PIE word (it may have been specifically borrowed from a long-lost language

in PGmc; it does not appear in Gothic, so it is unique to Northwest Germanic). may even be). A

connection between it and Proto-Tocharian *kwäipe ''to feel ashamed'' (> Tocharian A kip,

kwīp) is suggested via a shift in meaning along the line ''female'' > ''female''.]

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Words are not only important tools of communication and meaning, they are also powerful. They

bring the world of tacit understanding to the fore and are not fixed. They are "living artifacts" that

morph and adapt to meet the changing needs of the communities that use them. This is

especially true of the word "woman". It's been getting a lot of attention lately from feminist circles

working to dismantle patriarchy. In summary:

This deliberate paraphrasing of the word helps bring attention to this work and reframe

conversations about gender and what it means to be a woman.

Here are 3 historical shifts of the meaning of the word "Woman"

[1] Wyf-man in Old English, the word "man" was not gender-specific, but implied a generic

"person" as a gender-neutral term. It has been used more specifically to refer to someone who

is married (the wife) (remember the word werewolf). (Side note: Contrary to popular belief, Old

English predates Shakespearean English by several centuries. )

[2] Wimmin, this Old English word was one of the first alternative spellings to reappear in the

1900s and was considered part of a non-standard spelling intended to spell the word

phonetically. It was often dismissed as clumsy or inferior because it implied a lack of education

or "weirdness".

[3] Womon, This old Scots spelling, which gained prominence in the 1970s and became

associated with the dianaic (women-centered) Wiccan movement, was initially thought to be

inclusive, but for "women" Activists have criticized this variant, saying the spelling excludes her

from accessing spaces and resources meant for women.

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Furthermore, here are 2 examples of how the word "Woman" has been used in works of

literature, [1] Women in Medieval Literature and Society Throughout the Middle Ages, women

were considered second-class citizens, and their needs were always put on the back burner.

They were considered outright fraudulent, sexual, innocent, or incompetent. As a result, women

were for the most part discouraged from holding positions of power or raising their voices. Men

made the decisions for them and their lives were determined by the men who ran society. It

existed in various forms. [2] Women in Greek mythology were perceived as sexual objects

rather than individuals Many were used by gods and humans. Women's rights were very limited

and they were not allowed to express much of their freedom. During this period, women were

responsible for wars, the destruction of cities, and the deaths of men. It is unlikely that the

goddess would use her powers for revenge. Human women's roles were limited, but the

presence of goddesses gave the female characters great power.

Moreover, the use of the word "woman" that I find interesting or fascinating is women

empowerment. I love women empowering themselves and fighting for their equal rights against

men in the society, those who target women as literal objects and degrading them for being a

woman itself should be condemned. because women are more than that, women are very

powerful individuals, both physically and emotionally. Being a woman takes a whole lot of

bravery when facing all the stereotypes and harassment led by the groups of society mostly

ruled by men.

In conclusion, the word "woman" is generally used today to refer to any female human, or

specifically, to refer to an adult female human. The reason why I think the word "woman" itself

has changed as to how it is today is because of the evolving of our world and its languages and

how more trendy slang and abbreviations have risen at this point of time in our generation.

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References:

Yourterm, (2020). The etymology of "woman" in different languages. YourTerm FEM.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2a

hUKEwiJ7bPluM36AhVYFIgKHWuSB58QFnoECBEQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fyourterm.eu%

2F2020%2F03%2Fthe-etymology-of-woman-in-different-languages%2F&usg=AOvVaw3Ibz9qX

Brw7P7UEanHO7w-

Dictionary (2022). Denition of woman. Dictionary.com. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing

Company.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2a

hUKEwiJ7bPluM36AhVYFIgKHWuSB58QFnoECBEQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fyourterm.eu%

2F2020%2F03%2Fthe-etymology-of-woman-in-different-languages%2F&usg=AOvVaw3Ibz9qX

Brw7P7UEanHO7w-

Kovacevic, D. (2021). A Complicated Word: 'Woman' and it's History, Slice.

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=9f6eea1406601e29JmltdHM9MTY2NTEwMDgwMCZpZ3VpZ

D0wM2I1NjY0My00M2VjLTZmMjctMzEyYy03NDVmNDI3MTZlOTkmaW5zaWQ9NTE3NA&ptn=

3&hsh=3&fclid=03b56643-43ec-6f27-312c-745f42716e99&psq=historical+shifts+of+the+meanin

g+of+the+word+woman&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2xpY2UuY2EvYS1jb21wbGljYXRlZC13b3J

kLXdvbWFuLWFuZC1pdHMtaGlzdG9yeS8&ntb=1

Penna, C. (2018). Women in Medieval Literature and Society, British Literature Wiki.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2a

hUKEwiUqKn91s36AhWWDt4KHSm4DE4QFnoECA4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsites.udel.ed

u%2Fbritlitwiki%2Fwomen-in-medieval-literature-and-society%2F&usg=AOvVaw0RH5x9iYe-G9

9Bg1oCS8sU

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Krivis, J., Regueira, E., Calhoun, B., DiMuont, P., Ulivari, E. The Role of Women Throughout the

Ages of Literature.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2a

hUKEwjV--_M7M36AhWQGogKHcs6APYQFnoECCwQAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fplaza.ufl.edu

%2Fjess16%2FMultiplePerspectives%2F&usg=AOvVaw0ml33DJ3VhdYul102PdS0l

Wikipedia - Woman.

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hUKEwii6vvQ_M36AhUrgVYBHVTPBsUQFnoECA0QAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.o

rg%2Fwiki%2FWoman%23%3A~%3Atext%3DThe%2520word%2520woman%2520can%2520b

e%2Cmean%2520specifically%2520a%2520female%2520child.&usg=AOvVaw2x0YPoLYDEvR

cFzWWf9gPh