Feminine Nominations in War Media Communication Narratives: Linguogender Aspect

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of feminine nominations in the narratives of military media communication in the linguistic and gender aspect. The research focuses on the identification and interpretation of linguistic means that reflect the change in gender roles and the representation of women’s experience in the realities of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Particular attention is paid to the formation of a female narrative of heroism, which affirms the image of a woman as an active participant in armed resistance, equal to men in the performance of military duty. The representative, identification, mobilization, and symbolic functions of feminine lexemes, which are increasingly used in journalistic discourse to name women serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine or performing other roles in the war, are noted. The active presence of names for female persons in the headlines and texts of various genres of journalistic materials – news, reports, interviews, articles, – is observed. This is due to a number of factors: linguistic economy, attracting the audience’s attention, demonstrating editorial policy, gender differentiation, ensuring social visibility. Differentiation of the most common thematic groups of feminine media nominations (names by military positions and ranks, combat functions, technical or special training, medical and humanitarian role of women, status of participation in the war) showed that gender narratives of wartime demonstrate a gradual departure from traditional stereotypes, where women appear mainly as a symbol of motherhood, care or logistical support. At the same time, certain gender stereotypes still persist in military media communication. Quite often, the image of a female soldier is presented through the prism of a double standard: she “breaks the perception”, “impresses”, “proves” that she can be no worse than men. Such discourse, despite its positive connotation, hides a shade of comparison and the need for women to “assert themselves” in a traditionally male sphere (Santoniccolo et al., 2023). Modern Ukrainian media increasingly raise the issue of gender prejudices and manifestations of sexism that women face at the front, which indicates the growing sensitivity of society to the problems of gender equality. The most common word-forming models of feminine nominations have been identified: -к-а (воячка, воїнка, снайперка, піхотинка, волонтерка, солдатка, командирка); -иц-я (військовослужбовиця, захисниця, розвідниця, кулеметниця, гранатометниця); -ин-я (бійчиня, медикиня), two-component names (операторка БПЛА, військова ЗСУ). The results obtained show that the active functioning of feminine lexemes in military media communication not only linguistically reflects sociocultural transformations, but also contributes to the formation of a new, more balanced gender narrative of heroism, free from stereotyping.