“The boys and girls played in the yard — all male children together.”
Semantic shift Entry 192 / 1605 60-second read
Girl (Semantic Shift)
Once meant 'young person of either sex' — now specifically means 'female child'.
The comparisoni
“The boys and girls played in the yard — a mix of male and female children.”
More examplesii
01
In medieval texts, 'girl' always refers to female children.
In medieval texts, 'girl' could refer to any young person of either sex.
02
The girls and boys were divided by sex in the old meaning.
The girls and boys were divided by sex in the modern meaning.
03
Old usage: 'The girl servants' meant male young workers.
Modern usage: 'The girl' specifically means female.
The ruleiii
¶
SEMANTIC NARROWING BY GENDER: Girl narrowed from 'young person' to 'female child' as English de…
Medieval English used 'girl' for any young person. As gendered language developed, 'girl' became specifically female and 'boy' specifically male.
Memory aidiv
Remember it like this
Girl used to be everyone young. Now it's half of the kids — the female half.
Quick duel 4 questions · ~30 seconds
Which is right?