Re: Senyecan kinship system

Hey.

Shouldn't have been so terse in my previous response. Here are the
terms for Miapimoquitch (<e> is a high, central, unrounded vowel, and
<ng> is a velar nasal--not a nasal-plosive sequence):

Ego +/- 2 generations:[1]

sale 'grandfather (MoFa); grandson (DaSo)'
ukei 'grandfather (FaFa); grandson (SoSo)'
ima 'grandmother (MoMo); granddaughter (DaDa)'
aiti 'grandmother (FaMo); granddaughter (SoDa)'

Ego + 1 generation:

nami 'mother, aunt (MoSi, FaBrWi)'
ata 'father, uncle (FaBr, MoSiHu)'
husi 'uncle (MoBr, FaSiHu)'
aipe 'aunt (FaSi, MoBrWi)'

Ego + 0 generation:

esi 'brother, cousin (MoSiSo, FaBrSo), brother-in-law (SiHu)'
kuku 'sister, cousin (MoSiDa, FaBrDa), sister-in-law (BrWi)'
tenga 'cousin (MoBrSo, FaSiSo)'
tema 'cousin (MoBrDa, FaSiDa)'
site 'spouse (lit: "other")'

Ego - 1 generation:

tana 'son, nephew (BrSo), son-in-law (SiDaHu)'
piti 'daughter, niece (SiDa), daughter-in-law (BrSoWi)'

This is an Iroquois system, in which a strict distinction is made
between parallel and cross relationships. A parallel relationship is
one through a same-sex sibling of a parent; a cross relationship is
through a different-sex sibling of a parent. Parallel cousins, for
example, are children of the father's brother or the mother's sister;
these cousins get terms which are homophonous or derived from terms for
siblings. Cross cousins are children of the father's sister or the
mother's brother and get independent terms. The father and the father's
brother as well as the mother and the mother's sister will also share
the same or closely derived terms. Cultures which show this sort of
division in kin terms often practice cross-cousin marriage.

[1] There's an extra twist in Miapimoquitch kin terms for the
generations twice removed from Ego--the same terms are used for
grandparents and grandchildren. (I borrowed this feature from Shoshoni
and Luiseño, both of which are Uto-Aztecan languages.)

Dirk
--
Dirk Elzinga
Dirk_Elzinga@byu.edu

"I believe that phonology is superior to music. It is more variable and
its pecuniary possibilities are far greater." - Erik Satie