It's not as easy as the title suggests. I want you to define gender without using the word gender or identity. I've been thinking about this for quite some time and I think gender in this regard doesn't even exist. If it doesn't relate to sex and it doesn't relate to anything that can be shown to exist what does it relate? Anybody can identify as whatever they wish. So the question becomes what does it mean? I'm not interested in abstract concepts or anatomy lessons and I don't care about brain Scans this is strictly about linguistics. So What does it mean?
The dictionary says its an identity. Which means its subjective and doesnt matter. I guess we should just have 'xx' sport teams and 'xy' sport teams.
I'm interested. If you are having trouble defining gender... do you have trouble getting a date? Are you alone a lot? Do you intend to be the end of your family line? Are your parents/grandparents happy about your confusion?
Like all linguistic definition, the meaning of the word is contextual and can vary significantly depending on that context. There are exactly the same complications coming up with a singular definition of words like "car", "weapon" or "plant" too. The definitions aren't the cause of any problems or controversies here, it is the real concepts and ideas different people use the word to refer to that matters. Getting caught up in the academic linguistic questions is just an effort to avoid those difficult realities.
Gender is a linguistic term. There are feminine, masculine and neuter genders. Sexually, there are those that produce sperm, males, those that bear eggs, females, and those who produce neither and are, thus, neuter. This is why, when an animal has its reproductive capacities eliminated it is said to be neutered. The other meanings of these terms are like all words; they are what majority usage makes them. A group that decides to change meanings makes the change real. An individual who tries to displays a lack of understanding..
I hope the majority understand the difference between male and female. I guess this confusion is inevitable when you eliminate traditional courses in school to make time for CRT and transgender/sexual confusion classes.
based on context and the way people use it it doesn't mean anything it's just some useless identifier. I mean I can identify as Catholic and that means more than gender. but that's not how language works. If it can mean anything to anyone and everyone's right then it means nothing. In order to address difficult realities we must first be able to communicate. If you say gender and I have no earthly idea what you're talking about but you might as well be speaking Klingon. And that's not me not avoiding issues I can't even fathom an issue because I'm not fluent in Klingon.
If you don't understand the differences between boys and girls you should sit down with your mom and/or dad and ask for a "birds and the bees" briefing. Until you get the basics about human existence down, you will be stunted in your growth in so many ways.
I think that there's a push to remove the meaning of the work. You mentioned feminine and masculine and neutered I take that to mean how some languages like Spanish or German that have a different word for the if it's a feminine noun. English is my first language so this is concept is so foreign to me. I like that. But there are people that want to try and say there's 72 they can't define any of the 70 extra ones and nobody ever bothers to try or even name them sometimes I hear sexualities and other sexual proclivities being turned gender which seems wrong to me but this is catching steam. The conclusion I've come to is that it doesn't mean anything at least in the case that I mentioned.
fair enough but that doesn't mean anything. If I can identify as a woman despite being 6'8 having the dangly bits versus the inside he bits and a full beard then woman doesn't mean anything. If it does explain what the hell it means. so that's my conclusion that it means nothing. Disagree I think it should be based on male and female if some people will say it's the same thing but not necessarily. Male and female are based on anatomy.
this isn't a question about biology it's a question about linguistics. People are trying to decouple these words from male and female essentially what they're saying is boys and girls can be either sex. Again it's about linguistics nothing biology you should really read the op before you respond.
If gender is complex to you, I bet you can't figure out which end of a pencil to write with, or what that little handle on a toilet is for.
First and foremost this discussion is about linguistics not about biology. Second let's try and keep it civil. Third I can't have children so thanks for rubbing salt on that wound.
God created us as man and woman. But unfortunately, some people are born sexually malformed, either physical, or mental, regarding to their preference of sexual intercourse (homosexual, pedohile, zoophile, etc.). So they're often humiliated and discriminated for being what they are. Gender ideology tries to save them from the hatred of the normal majority. That's why Gender ideology is artificial; has nothing to do with human nature.
Based in a specific context, yes. The word gender can be used in different context (for example, the concept of gendered words in some languages as you mentioned yourself in another post). You don't have a problem with the literal definition of the word, you have a problem with particular concepts it can be used to refer to. We could entirely eliminate the use of the word gender in the context of gender identity and transgender individuals, coming up with an whole new set of words to describe them, but it wouldn't change a thing about how those people feel or the issues of how society addresses them. Presenting it as being all about the definition of a single word feels like an effort to avoid the difficult realities and dismiss the entire thing out of hand. We generally don't communicate with single words. Nobody is going to come up to you out of the blue and just say "Gender!". As I said, pretty much all individual words have different meanings in different contexts and so taken alone don't really mean anything. For example, you used the words "address", "able" and "earthly" in the sentence above, and they can all mean very different things but I easily understood what you meant by them here. The meaning comes from the sentence as a whole, within the context of the sentences it was in response to and the general topic we're discussing. I could understand someone not being able to fathom the issues around gender identity but you come across as too smart to really be in that position. Either way, it certainly doesn't boil down to the definition of a singular word. The concepts, ideas and issues are described with sentences, and regardless of whether you recognise, accept or agree with what is being described, I don't believe you would be incapable of understanding the literal meanings of those sentences.
So you absolutely cannot define it in any way? Is it safe to say it has no definition and means absolutely nothing?
I really don't understand what you are looking for.....and I think trying to make something that is actually simple...more convoluted doesn't point to truth. Their are two genders, they are physically different entities which leads to distinct yet generalized different sets of priorities, communication styles, physical capabilities, growth patterns. Species must have both genders to survive and thrive as a species.
Like many words, "gender" does not have just one meaning. So many arguments about gender start off by one person insisting that their prefered definition must be used an others are somehow invalid. Gender can mean your biological sex. It can mean the biological sex you identify with. It can refer to some 70 other fabricated gender types that are neither male nor female. Best simply to state which definition you're using in the given context and tell the gender-scolds to sod off.
No, I can define it in multiple ways, as you can find in any decent dictionary. It can relate closely to physical and behavioural characteristics associated with biological sex. It can relate to psychological traits and identity. It can relate to characteristics of products traditionally identified with male or female. It can relate to sexual behaviour among other animals (which aren't always based on binary sex). It can relate to categories of words in some languages. It can relate to fittings for connecting some cables and pipes. Which of those definitions apply will be indicated by the context, often sub-contextually but when necessary, explicitly explained.
