This study uses constructivist language theory based on Lann Hornscheidt s research as a
framework. Grammar is viewed as a form of language use being more or less conventionalized. So
the debate on feminist linguistics is viewed from a new perspective. The study begins with an
introduction summarizing the state of research and establishing the research questions. Ch. 2
presents the constructivist framework: The notion of extra-linguistic reality is abandoned and
also the idea of language as reflection of reality. The strict distinction between a
preliminary language system and language use no longer exists. Ch. 3 provides an overview of
German feminist linguistics with a critical perspective on its early discussions. Ch. 4 gives a
historical overview on grammar theoretical views on gender. Ch. 5 deals with more recent
approaches including diachronic approaches to the question of grammatical gender. The critical
evaluation shows that feminist linguistics is now part of different fields of study even if
grammar theorists often do not recognize the results of feminist linguistics. In Ch. 6 a
corpus-assisted study of so-called genderfair forms in German is presented and the methodology
is explained. In Ch. 7 results are summarized and presented with a particular focus on the
usage of genderfair forms with non-human referents. Conclusions from the findings and a general
outlook are presented in Ch. 8.
