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We do something similar when we say “hello Cousin” at a family event or address our parents (dad and mom). If your community is small enough (100 people) it co

We do something similar when we say “hello Cousin” at a family event or address our parents (dad and mom). If your community is small enough (100 people) it could easily be applied to every type of relationship, at the exclusion of individual name. Also note that in many languages there is or used to be a dedicated word for very specific relationship to someone, with different word if the relationship is via the mother, the father, etc.

davchana 8y ago
In India, in my language Punjabi, we have different words for Sister of mother Sister of father Elder brother of father Younger brother of father Wife of elder brother of father Wife of younger brother of father Brother of mother Wife of brother of mother Son of brother Daughter of brother Son of sister Daughter of sister Husband of sister Wife of younger brother Wife of elder brother Sister of wife Brother of wife Husband of sister of wife Wife of brother of wife Brother of father of husband or wife Sister of father of husband or wife Wife of son of brother Wife of son of sister Husband of daughter of brother Husband of daughter of sister In English, most of these are Uncle, Aunt, Cousin, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, mother-in-law, father-in-law, nephew, niece.
- punchclockhero 8y ago
  Nice to learn that Bulgarian is not the only language that is so precise about relations. However, many of these words are disappearing from usage as families get smaller and younger people don't learn them.
- glandium 8y ago
  In Japanese, there are also distinctions like these, but only in characters, not words. For example: - 叔母さん and 伯母さん both read おばさん (obasan) and mean, respectively, younger sister of father or mother and elder sister of father or mother. - 叔父さん and 伯父さん both read おじさん (ojisan) and mean, respectively, younger brother of father or mother and elder brother of father or mother. - お母さん and お義母さん both read おかあさん (okaasan) and mean, respectively, mother and mother in law. etc.
  - yorwba 8y ago
    These distinctions are imported from Chinese, where 叔母 and 伯母 are pronounced differently, although nowadays 婶婶 is much more common than 叔母 and both only refer to the wife of the father's younger brother, while 伯母 is an older brother's wife. There are many more different terms for various fine distinctions of relatedness, but I only know those I had a need to use, and when I asked a Chinese friend for help, he told me that he can't remember all of them either.

davchana 8y ago

In India, in my language Punjabi, we have different words for Sister of mother Sister of father Elder brother of father Younger brother of father Wife of elder brother of father Wife of younger brother of father Brother of mother Wife of brother of mother Son of brother Daughter of brother Son of sister Daughter of sister Husband of sister Wife of younger brother Wife of elder brother Sister of wife Brother of wife Husband of sister of wife Wife of brother of wife Brother of father of husband or wife Sister of father of husband or wife Wife of son of brother Wife of son of sister Husband of daughter of brother Husband of daughter of sister In English, most of these are Uncle, Aunt, Cousin, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, mother-in-law, father-in-law, nephew, niece.

punchclockhero 8y ago
Nice to learn that Bulgarian is not the only language that is so precise about relations. However, many of these words are disappearing from usage as families get smaller and younger people don't learn them.
glandium 8y ago
In Japanese, there are also distinctions like these, but only in characters, not words. For example: - 叔母さん and 伯母さん both read おばさん (obasan) and mean, respectively, younger sister of father or mother and elder sister of father or mother. - 叔父さん and 伯父さん both read おじさん (ojisan) and mean, respectively, younger brother of father or mother and elder brother of father or mother. - お母さん and お義母さん both read おかあさん (okaasan) and mean, respectively, mother and mother in law. etc.
- yorwba 8y ago
  These distinctions are imported from Chinese, where 叔母 and 伯母 are pronounced differently, although nowadays 婶婶 is much more common than 叔母 and both only refer to the wife of the father's younger brother, while 伯母 is an older brother's wife. There are many more different terms for various fine distinctions of relatedness, but I only know those I had a need to use, and when I asked a Chinese friend for help, he told me that he can't remember all of them either.