Vol. 14 (2026): "Mädchen" in der Referenzkette. Eine Pilotstudie zur pronominalen Genusvariation in den Grimmschen Märchen (Hélène Vinckel-Roisin)

This paper explores the grammatical gender variation in pronominal referential expressions (es vs. sie) referring to the hybrid noun Mädchen (‘girl’), within reference chains in the Kinder- und Hausmärchen (‘Children's and Household Tales’) by the Brothers Grimm. Drawing on existing linguistic and literary studies, the focus is on the one hand on the composition of the Mädchen-reference chains characterised by double agreement (i.e. agreement with both grammatical and natural gender) or by congruence only with natural gender. On the other hand, the qualitative analysis primarily focuses on reference pragmatics and textual aspects, examining possible factors for gender variation in the reference chain as well as taking into account functions with regard to the recipients’ side. A final comparison of different editions of the KHM, with particular attention to the potential role of systematic textual interventions, especially by Wilhelm Grimm in the context of the Biedermeier period in the 19th century, provides interesting insights into the choice of pronominal agreement depending on the processing phase and leads to a relativisation of some of the previous findings in existing research.