Making a difference
based on gender is not the #Wikipedia thing. In selected situations
it is however a #MediaWiki thing. Gender and particularly linguistic
gender distinguishes how a man or a woman is addressed or referred
to. For several languages the “User” name space will be named
differently depending on the gender set in the user preferences.
When our messages support gender, it becomes possible to address people using natural language. This improves readability and consequently it makes MediaWiki a more friendly environment.
For the Portuguese language this has
been implemented recently. Changing a name space is different from
programmatic changes; it requires someone who can configure the
servers. This means that Portuguese did support gender before it is
just that one of the more visual aspects of the user interface
supports gender.
Supporting gender is an
iterative process. Many MediaWiki messages pre-date gender support
and at translatewiki.net we get a steady stream of requests to
support gender in specific messages on our “Support” page. With
so many Portuguese speaking ladies becoming aware of our gender
support, they must find occasions where messages could address them
even better.
We welcome any lady
from any language (as well as any gentlemen) to help us improve the
MediaWiki experience and point out more messages that can do with a bit of genderification.
Thanks,
GerardM
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