The Evolution Of The Concept “Parentality”: The Comparative Linguistic And Pedagogical Analysis

Abstract

The article is devoted to the phenomenon of “parentality” as a universal cultural value correlated with different views and notions in different fields of humanitarian knowledge. The authors represent the evolution of the concept “parentality” in different scientific fields using the analytical, synchronous-diachronic and comparative methods. The research purpose is to study the semantic development of the “parentality” lexeme in English, French, and Russian, to define the conceptualization of this notion in the study of modern problems of the family. From the standpoint of cognitive linguistics we determine the historical periods with the maximum semantic activity of the corresponding notion. The authors define the conceptualization of this notion in the study of the modern problems of childhood, family, and upbringing. The authors analyze the phenomenon under study in the English, French, and Russian languages in synchronic-diachronic terms. The authors of the article denote the additional meanings, the phenomena of synonymy and polysemy in the denomination of the types of “parentality” within different scientific fields, the mechanisms in the formation of the figurative meaning of this lexical unit in the process of the evolution of the term “parentality”. In this context the authors substantiate the interdisciplinary strategies of the modern science of the family and upbringing, the use of a rich arsenal of humanitarian knowledge.

Keywords: The concept “parentality” family evolutionsynchronic-diachronic terms

Introduction

The concept “parentality” has recently entered the international research discourse of various scientific areas. Quite a wide interdisciplinary research field comprising socio-medical, sociological, psychological, pedagogical, cultural, and other scientific views on the problem of “parentality” expands the limits of the role and place of parents in the modern world. Social Sciences and Humanities have been enlarging the knowledge fund of the concept “parentality” and proceeding from the subject each of them highlights the target dominant of the observed phenomenon. The flexibility and polysemy of the concept “parentality” are represented in such a diverse range of views and notions, sometimes contradicting each other, which, in its turn, stimulates the process of cognition of this phenomenon closely connected with the family – the most important social institution for the society.

1.1. The importance of parents for the individual consciousness of a person as well as for the social life of society as a whole is great. “Parentality” is a universal value in any culture, nevertheless, in different fields of the international humanitarian knowledge this concept correlates with different views and notions.

1.2. Based on the fact that “parentality” is the object of study of various sciences, and as Bruel states, is the “symptom” and the result of the transformations taking place in the family, of the complicated family pathways (Bruel et al., 2001), we suggest taking the principles of cognitive linguistics referring to the issues of the interrelation of languages and cultures into account while studying this phenomenon.

Problem Statement

An attempt to conceptualize the notion “parentality” by linguo-comparative analysis for enriching the international pedagogical discourse, for improving the methodological base of the scientific analysis of the problems of family.

Research Questions

While studying such a complex phenomenon as “parentality” we could not find any comprehensive research considering the conceptualization of this notion in the study of the modern problems of childhood, family, upbringing.

We define the following research questions:

totracethe semantic development of the “parentality” lexeme in English, French, Russian languages;

to determine the greatest semantic activity of the concept defined by historical periods of social development.

Purpose of the Study

To study the semantic development of the “parentality” lexeme in English, French, and Russian, to define the conceptualization of this notion in the study of modern problems of childhood, family, upbringing.

Research Methods

The problem has been studied from the standpoint of modern linguistics striving for the explantation and interdisciplinarity. This led to the choice of the analytical, synchronous-diachronic and comparative methods.

5.1. The analytical method is to study a large volume of authentic scientific sources, to select, systematize concepts and facts devoted to the problems of childhood, family, upbringing.

5.2. The synchronous-diachronicmethod– to trace derivational processes of the “parentality” lexeme, to determine time intervals with the most significant changes in its morphological structure, explain their existence, trends for future development. This approach based on the understanding the fact that “linguistics studies the systemic structure of a language in statics and dynamics” (Popova & Sternin, 2001). This compromise view reflects the interrelation and interdependence of the synchronic and diachronic approach as well as the method of the dictionary pedagogical definition from the standpoint of modern linguistics. We suppose that this research angle allows us to study the derivational processes proceeding from the system status of the changing objects taking into account certain historical periods of stability of linguistic facts. The consideration of the concept “parentality” from the point of view of a synchronic-diachronic aspect presupposes the differentiation of time-intervals during which significant changes in the morphological structure of the word took place. In this study we consider decades to be such time sections.  

5.3. The comparative method consists of identification common, specific mechanisms of the evolution of the concept “parentality” in the languages under study (English, French, and Russian) connected with the socio-historical context

Findings

6.1. While tracing the process of the evolution of the concept “parentality” in the languages under study (English, French, and Russian) it is possible to draw a conclusion that the word was filled with additional meanings in the field it was intended to serve. Thus, in the late 50s of the XX century Th. Benedekt, an American psychoanalyst, introduced the concept “parenthood” in a scientific circulation to differentiate paternal and maternal functions and to define the process of the psycho-emotional maturation of both biological parents in connection with the conception of a child (Benedekt, 1959). And from that moment on in the English studies devoted to psychology of parents and child-parent relations the term “parenthood” has been widely used along with the already existing term “parenting”. In the same period of time Paul-Claude Racamier, a French psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, while developing Benedekt’s scientific ideas, introduced the concept of “maternalité” in the scientific discourse of French characterizing the processes occurring with the future (and/or with the primiparous) mother as well as the concepts of “parentalité”, “paternalité” which are the tracings from the English “motherhood”, “parenthood”, “fatherhood” describing the processes of mental maturity which are developing in a mother as well as in a father (Racamier, 1961). Nevertheless, up to the 80s of the XX century the use of these new concepts in the scientific environment remained the prerogative of psychiatrists and psychoanalysts studying the pathological processes.

It was during this period of time that the English concept “parentality” gained much popularity in the language of different fields of activity and disciplines, which led to the appearance of different semantic meanings of the terms “parenthood” and “parenting”, thus, limiting the semantic field of their use. In French the concept “monoparentalité” became public for the specialists of the biomedical sphere and became common to characterize the experience of a woman (or a man) bringing up children alone. Modern researchers point out contribution to the French study of the concept of “parentalité comme être parent” in the meaning of “being a parent”, and state that “parentality” can take a variety of forms and due to this it is necessary to find the definition of the parental status where the common denominator is the term "paternalité".

6.2. In the 90s of the XX century the concept “parentality” was firmly embedded in the everyday language of different spheres of human life, though, it does not denote the general semantic meaning of kinship (la parenté – in French) in all European languages. The concepts “parentality” as well as “parenting” (English), “la parentalité” (French) have the common seme “parent”, in the studied languages suffixes point out the generality of the concept characterizing “state, quality”, which is reflected in the modern sense of the term “parentality”. This generalized concept is used to unite both of these meanings and to denote the general semantic meaning of "kinship" and the meaning of “being a parent” in the languages where two separate epithets do not exist, that is why, one word is used, as, for example, the word “родительство” (roditelstvo) in Russian.

During this period of time in the languages under study the lexical layer was undergoing the process of constant updating, it was replenished by word formation (binary noun+adjective word combinations were registered in French; nominal compound notions of the adjective+noun type predominated in English and Russian). The semantic structure of such combinations concretizes a special notion and has a differentiated seme already in the name, thus, denoting a highly specialized notion. In our opinion, that is due to the social order for the “real/true”, “right” parenting. Let us take the most used concepts which are used in the names of different educational and social programs, conceptions (psychological and sociological more often) disclosing the concept “parentality” into consideration:

In French - la parentalité biologique, la parentalité positive, la parentalité compétente.

In Russian – естественное родительство (“estestvennoye roditelstvo”), ответственное родительство (“otvetstvennoye roditelstvo”), компетентное родительство (“competentnoye roditelstvo”).

In English - natural parenting, responsible parenting, competent parenting.

6.3. It was in the 90s of the XX century that the concept “parentality” acted as a social status, social code, public demand, and due to the expanding of the meaning it was transformed into the legal and social-educational fields. It appeared in “Dico critique d’action sociale” (since 1995 of the XX century), which is the first and only scientific publication giving the definition of “parentality” (Dictionnaire critique, 1995).

6.4. In Russia it was only in the mid-90s of the XX century that “parentality” was distinguished as a separate subject area in sociology and the study of parentality in the sociology of the family was substantiated. The number of federal, regional, municipal target programs and projects, the subject of which was the process of the purposeful influence on the space of a modern family with the aim to form “parentality” increased in Russia. That was due to the fact that there was a whole number of urgent problems registered in the Russian society connected with the increasing devaluation of the value of family life, birth and upbringing of children. The variability of meanings which were put into the nomination of the types of “parentality” in Russian should be pointed out. Thus, for example, “natural parenting” was the most popular approach in maternal and paternal practices of the period of infancy chosen by the modern parents and popularized by them in different communities, Internet-portals and blogs. In practices of different parental communities it often occurred in the same row, was partially or completely identified with “conscious” “parentality”, and, in Russia of the 90s of the XX century the approach to newborns in the context of "Natural Parenting" was referred to as “сознательное родительство” (soznatelnoe roditelstvo). This approach unites those fathers and mothers whose leading attribute of the conscious – responsible – competent “parentality” is the pursuit of naturalness which is understood as nature-conformity and the alternative to the standardized approaches to birth and upbringing.

6.5. At the beginning of the XXI century the widespread use of the concept “parentality” in various interdisciplinary contexts as well as in the everyday life indicated a significant evolution of the concept together with the simultaneous loss or extension of the original meaning. Thus, despite the existence of two different concepts of “parenthood” and “parenting” in English the term “parentality - n. The condition of being a parent; the parental relation” (Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, 2017) has gained the widespread use in psycho-pedagogical, social and legal spheres recently.

At present in the English literature the term “parenthood” is more often used by the specialists analyzing the institutional characteristics of “parentality” (norms, values) and legal statuses (for example, establishing filiation, the refusal of motherhood, adoption, etc.). To characterize the actual/proper parental roles including the deviations from the models of treating children approved in this specific culture such as neglecting the basic needs of children, abusing, violence, the second concept “parenting” is more often used.

In French the term “parentalité” has the generalized semantic meaning, it characterizes both the parental status and the approaches (practices) towards children upbringing, specifying the narrower meaning of the concept “parenté”. So, in famous “Dictionnaire de français Larousse” we can find the following definition of “parentalité, f, - fonction de parent, notamment sur les plans juridique, moral et socioculturel” (Dictionnaire de français Larousse, 2018).

6.6. Today the nominations created on the basis of the Greek-Latin term-elements are productive in French:la monoparentalité, l’homoparentalité, la multiparentalité, la pluriparentalité, la coparentalité, la beau-parentalité, la transparentalité. There are no notions with the similar structures in Russian, a descriptive, explanatory translation is used to convey the semantic meaning of these terms. Wherein, the given terms exist in the languages under study. The ability to form such concepts is due to the social and cultural factors dealing with the relationships between parents themselves, between the elder and the younger generations in the family, the peculiarities of manifestation of love and care, creative transformation of the home environment and the way of home life, the nature of care of one’s own health and a child’s health, the choice of the reproductive behavior model, the specificity of interaction with social institutions and their representatives, but, in the first place, the transformation of family relations, denoting various configurations of modern families.

6.7. The changes in the family and private life of individuals contributed to the development of new categories of the scientific discourse assuming that “parentality” makes it possible to differentiate “parentality” in matrimony, the understanding of “being a parent”, different criteria of “parentality” (biological, social or private, symbolic or genealogical, spiritual). In the course of study we found out that the phenomenon of synonymy often occurs to denote the types of “parentality” in the languages under study:

In French - la parentalité symbolique = la parentalité généalogique, la parentalité sociale = la parentalité domestique.

In Russian - сознательное = ответственное родительство (soznatelnoye = otvetstvennoe roditelstvo), естественное = сознательное = осознанное родительство (estestvennoye = soznatelnoye = osoznannoe roditelstvo).

In English - empathic parenting = natural parenting, organic parenting = attachment parenting.

In our opinion, that is due to the fact that while analyzing various spheres and conditions of the phenomenon of “parentality” the researchers use a rich arsenal of humanitarian knowledge comprehensively, which stipulates the existence of interdisciplinary strategies in the modern science of the family and “parentality” (“parenting”).

6.8. In the modern interdisciplinary studies the researches try to give various definitions to the concept “parentality”, sometimes contradicting each other, which results in the polysymy of the term within different scientific fields.

The concepts of “attachment/responsive parenting”, “natural parenting”, "protective parenting" (in English), “la parentalité naturelle”, “la parentalité biologique” (in French), “естественное родительство” (estestvennoye roditelstvo), “биологическое родительство” (biologicheskoe roditelstvo) (in Russian) are more often used in health and childcare research to help the parents to create strong, healthy emotional bonds between children and their parents (Dugravier, 2014).

The concept of “conscious parentality” most often appears in the psychological discourse which is often identified (partially or completely) with “natural/ emphatic”, “conscious” “parentality” in the practices of various informal parental communities (Jung, Pétavy, Pourcel, Rochet, & Serhane, 2017; Meirieu, 2017; Rey, 2014).

In sociology the most popular is the interpretation of the concept “parentality” as an aggregate of social functions, as a process of a parent and a family couple’s “denaturalization”. In French sociology the term “parentality” appeared as an initial one, adjectival of “parental” without any explicit links with psychoanalysis, and in the context of modernization of gender relations in the definition of the equality and the general status of fathers and mothers (Hammond, Cheney, & Pearsey, 2015; Césaréo, 2014; Martial & Segalen, 2013; Poussin, 1993).

In ethnology the concept “parentality” focuses on the definition of the attributes of the parental function in accordance with the specific tasks in different environments and between different individuals (Karsz, 2014; Goody, 1982).

In the legal field the term “parentality” (parentalité) as well as the cooperative upbringing of children ( coparentalité ) is used to denote the legal status of parents. The Advisory Commission on Human Rights defines “parentality” and its legal aspects connected with the responsibilities and competences of parents and their rights to execute parental rights (Commission, 2017; Filiation, 2014; Mathieu, 2014).

6.9. In Russian pedagogical research the concepts of “competent” and “educated” “parentality” are more often used. Within this approach the translation agents of competences and education for parents are, first of all, the experts, specialists. In the last ten years in the modern scientific pedagogical studies the idea of recognizing the potential of modern “parentality” and the ability to support it with the help of the mechanisms of pedagogical and social actions, in which “parentality” is referred to as a means of preventing psyco-social risks for families, has been more often proclaimed (Demeuse, Frandji,Greger,&Rochex,2011; Martin, 2014; Ausloos, 2013).

Such concepts as “conscious”, “responsible” “parentality” have entered the Russian scientific discourse and applied practices relatively recently. However, we suppose them to be not so good and correct due to the fact that these concepts characterize the degree of active/passive acceptance of a parental status and the realization of a parental role more (Orekhova, Shaidenko, & Sergeeva, 2016). This narrows the solution of the problem of the “parentality” development, which is much more multifaceted than the attitude towards a parental status.

Conclusion

7.1. The variety of notions and types of “parentality” in different cultures and interdisciplinary contexts characterizes the significance of this phenomenon in modern reality which is manifested in the language reflecting what modern “parentality” is in each definite historical period, what it is supposed to be, and what it lacks. The study of the evolution of the concept “parentality” indicates the dynamics of the concept itself in the historical and social and cultural contexts, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, it recognizes the existence of numerous research approaches leading to a possible shifting (and even confusion) in the interpretation of the original meaning, in the description of this complex phenomenon in the studied languages of scientific disciplines.

7.2. This study has allowed us to follow the evolution of the lexeme “parentality” and the degree of the compliance of this concept in the languages under study (French, English, and Russian), to define the historical periods with the maximum semantic activity and the mechanisms in the formation of the figurative meaning of this lexical unit. We managed to reveal the polysemy and contradictions of the definitions within different scientific fields. The evolution of the concept under study is due to the influence of extralinguistic conditions (the semantic changes of the lexeme is closely connected with the social-historical context) as well as to the intralinguistic factors (the development of the semantic structure of the motivating word, the influence of the analogy, the law of the economy of the language efforts). 

7.3. “Parentality” is a universal value in any culture. In different fields of the international humanitarian knowledge this concept correlates with different views and notions. (As the formation of the semantic fields of the linguistic picture of the world reflects and interprets the reality). This leads to a variety of notions of the types of “parentality” in different interdisciplinary contexts.

References

1. Ausloos, G. (2013). La compétence des familles, temps, chaos, processus [The competence of families, time, chaos, process]. Toulouse: Erès.
2. Benedekt, Th. (1959). Parenthood as a developmental phase: A contribution to the libido theory. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 7, 389–417.
3. Bruel, A., Faget, J., Jacques, L., Joecker, M., Neirinck, C., Poussin, G. (2001). De la parenté à la parentalité [From kinship to parenthood]. Paris : Erès.
4. Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia (2017). Retrieved fromhttp://www.wordnik.com/words/parentality
5. Césaréo, D. (2014). Du social au familial: des mutations relationnelles qui bouleversent les représentations. Du familial au social. Répétitions et mutations [From social to family: relational mutations that upset representations. From family to social. Repetitions and mutations]. Paris: L’Harmattan.
6. Commission consultative des droits de l'homme (2017). [National Consultative Commission on Human Rights]. Retrieved from http://fr.academic.ru/dic.nsf/frwiki/1294094
7. Demeuse, M., Frandji, D., Greger, D., Rochex, J. Y. (2011). Les politiques d’éducation prioritaire en Europe. Quel devenir pour l’égalité scolaire? [Priority education policies in Europe. What is the future for school equality?]. Lion: ENS Éditions.
8. Dictionnaire critique de l'action sociale. Collection Travail Social (1995). [Critical Dictionary of Social Action. Social Work Collection]. Paris: Bayard éditions.
9. Dictionnaire de français Larousse (2018). [French dictionary Larousse]. Retrieved from http://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais/parentalité/58145.
10. Dugravier, F. (2014). Bébés, parents, et grands-parents: des rencontres inattendues [Babies, parents, and grandparents: unexpected encounters]. Lion: Philippe Duval Editions.
11. Filiation, origines, parentalité. Le droit face aux nouvelles valeurs de responsabilité générationnelle (2014). [Filiation, origins, parenthood.The right to the new values of generational responsibility]. Retrieved from http://www.justice.gouv.fr/include_htm/etat_des_savoirs/eds_thery-rapport-filiation-origines-parentalite-2014.pdf.
12. Goody, E. (1982). Parenthood and Reproduction: Fostering and Occupational Roles in West Africa (Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology). Cambridge University Press.
13. Hammond, R., Cheney, P., Pearsey, R. (2015). Sociology of the family. Retrieved from http://freesociologybooks.com/Sociology_Of_The_Family/10_Parenting.php.
14. Jung, J., Pétavy, Ch., Pourcel, N., Rochet, Th., Serhane, Y. (2017). Figures de la parentalité et enjeux du familial en accueil familial thérapeutique [Figures of Parentality and the Familial in Therapeutic Foster Care]. Bulletin de psychologie, 550 (4), 255-263.
15. Karsz, S. (2014). Mythe de la parentalité, réalité des familles [Myth of parenthood, reality of families]. Paris: Dunod.
16. Martial, A., Segalen, М. (2013). Sociologie de la famille [Sociology of the family]. Paris: Armand Colin.
17. Martin, C. (2014). Etre un bon parent, une injonction contemporaine [Being a good parent, a contemporary injunction]. Rennes: Presses de l’EHESP.
18. Mathieu, G. (2014). Origines, parentalité et parenté dans la jurisprudence de la Cour européenne des droits de l'homme [Origins, parenthood and kinship in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights]. In Filiation et parentalité: actes du XIIIe colloque de l'Association "Famille & Droit", Louvain-la-Neuve, 29 novembre 2013 (pp. 35-94). (Famille & Droit; Vol. 7). Bruxelles: Bruylant.
19. Meirieu, Ph. (2017). Délégués de parents: alibis ou leviers pour une coéducation? [Delegates of parents: alibis or levers for coeducation?] L'école des parents, 625 (4), 16-17.
20. Orekhova, E.Ya., Shaidenko, N.A., Sergeeva, A.V. (2016). Sem'ya XXI veka: splochennost' ili razobshchenie? [Family of the XXI Century: cohesion or separation ?] Nauchnoe mnenie, 2016, 6-7, 103-106.
21. Popova, Z.D., Sternin, I.A. (2001). EHsse po kognitivnoj lingvistike [Essays on cognitive linguistics]. Voronezh: VGU.
22. Poussin, G. (1993). Psychologie de la fonction parentale [Psychology of parental function]. Paris: Dunod.
23. Racamier, P. C. (1961). La mère et l’enfant dans les psychoses post-partum [Mother and child in postpartum psychoses]. L’évolution psychiatrique. 26(4), 525-570.
24. Rey, Ch. (2014). Quelle autorité pour nos enfants [What is authority for our children]. Toulouse: Erès.