Snippa – a new word for girls’ genitals in Swedish
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Karin Milles
Abstract
In standard Swedish there has been no neutral, colloquial word for the female genitalia. This problem attracted considerable attention in the 1990s. Different words were proposed, with the word snippa soon emerging as the most popular alternative. The word now seems to be one of the most common words to denote girls’ genitals and is included in dictionaries and children’s books. This article uses various methodological approaches within the framework of language planning theory to make a critical analysis and evaluation of the reform. Three primary explanations are given for the success of the reform: first, the time and place of the reform were favourable – Sweden at the end of the 20th century was one of the world’s most gender-equal countries; second, the strategies adopted by agents of the change gave the initiative momentum; and third, on a formal level, the word is in line with the cultural understanding of gender. This calls into questions whether the word snippa contributes to the struggle for gender equality. The article ends with a discussion of what this language planning project can tell us about the function of feminist language planning in the ongoing work to end patriarchy in Sweden and around the world.
Abstract
In standard Swedish there has been no neutral, colloquial word for the female genitalia. This problem attracted considerable attention in the 1990s. Different words were proposed, with the word snippa soon emerging as the most popular alternative. The word now seems to be one of the most common words to denote girls’ genitals and is included in dictionaries and children’s books. This article uses various methodological approaches within the framework of language planning theory to make a critical analysis and evaluation of the reform. Three primary explanations are given for the success of the reform: first, the time and place of the reform were favourable – Sweden at the end of the 20th century was one of the world’s most gender-equal countries; second, the strategies adopted by agents of the change gave the initiative momentum; and third, on a formal level, the word is in line with the cultural understanding of gender. This calls into questions whether the word snippa contributes to the struggle for gender equality. The article ends with a discussion of what this language planning project can tell us about the function of feminist language planning in the ongoing work to end patriarchy in Sweden and around the world.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Gender imbalances revisited 1
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Part I. Patriarchy and emancipation in private spaces
- “He beat her so hard she fell head over heels” 17
- The discursive construction of gender among Dholuo speakers in Kenya 49
- Snippa – a new word for girls’ genitals in Swedish 69
- What it means to be a Bosnian woman 81
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Part II. Mediating gender in public spaces
- Greek men’s and women’s magazines as codes of gender conduct 113
- Representation of desire and femininity 145
- Gendered discourse(s) 169
- Gender ideologies in the Vietnamese printed media 195
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Part III. Trajectories of patriarchy and emancipation across professions
- Constructing masculine work identity through narrative 219
- Stereotyping gender 249
- Living in therapeutic culture 273
- Index 303
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Gender imbalances revisited 1
-
Part I. Patriarchy and emancipation in private spaces
- “He beat her so hard she fell head over heels” 17
- The discursive construction of gender among Dholuo speakers in Kenya 49
- Snippa – a new word for girls’ genitals in Swedish 69
- What it means to be a Bosnian woman 81
-
Part II. Mediating gender in public spaces
- Greek men’s and women’s magazines as codes of gender conduct 113
- Representation of desire and femininity 145
- Gendered discourse(s) 169
- Gender ideologies in the Vietnamese printed media 195
-
Part III. Trajectories of patriarchy and emancipation across professions
- Constructing masculine work identity through narrative 219
- Stereotyping gender 249
- Living in therapeutic culture 273
- Index 303
