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On a Viennese park sign, I saw the word “BesucherInnen”. Is this a short form for Besucherinnen und Besucher?

Can this contraction be used generally, i.e., …~Innen covers both genders?

It seems to me like a form that only advertisements and similar use.

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3 Answers 3

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You got it right - this form is called "Binnen-I", and it is used as a "neutral" form to cover both genders. It can be used generally in contexts where you are not bound to the "official" orthography rules, since it is not part of them.

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The usage of the "Binnen-I" in german spelling occured from the 1980ies (e.g. KollegInnen, MitarbeiterInnen). It is frequently used but similarly often it is rejected. These short forms are not consistent with present spelling rules where capitals within words are not allowed.

Duden - Richtiges und gutes Deutsch, 6. Aufl. Mannheim 2007

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Yes, this is the P.C. way, instead of using just "Besucher" (visitors), which traditionally encompassed both genders. Many people don't like it, but it's becoming more and more frequent. Personally I prefer "Besucher and Besucherinnen", instead of using the so-called Binnen-I.

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    Note that Besucher also covers both genders. (And in my personal opinion, wouldn’t some people insist on claiming something different, nobody would be offended by this anymore.)
    – Wrzlprmft ♦
    Commented Sep 22, 2014 at 10:52
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    Just as an aside... I find it weird when it's used with words for which the masculine plural does not end with the stem... like "FreundInnen" or "KollegInnen" or StudentInnen
    – Emanuel
    Commented Sep 22, 2014 at 19:23
  • Ich war überrascht, dass Du meinst, das Binnen-I werde häufiger, denn ich hätte es eher in den Achtzigern und Neunzigern verortet, siehe auch den Wikipedia-Artikel, auf den Matthias verweist, und den dort genannten Text von Ute Scheub. Dann fiel mir auf, dass Du wie auch die Frage aus Wien kommst. Ist dies vielleicht ein regionaler Unterschied?
    – Carsten S
    Commented Oct 7, 2014 at 14:07
  • Das ist gut möglich, hierzulande feiert es jedenfalls fröhliche Urständ. Als ArbeitnehmerInnenschutzgesetz hat es auch in der Gesetzgebung Einzug gehalten, und die Verwaltung in Wien ("progressive" Koalition Rot/Grün) verwendet es beinahe inflationär, etwa im Straßenverkehr ("... ausgenommen RadfahrerInnen" udgl.)
    – Ingmar
    Commented Oct 7, 2014 at 14:22
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    @userunknown Oder sind die Lebenden im Strassengraben doch nur Leber?
    – tofro
    Commented Feb 9, 2017 at 6:19

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