Re: Personal Conjugation based on Closeness

 --- Adam Walker wrote:
>  Rachel Klippenstein wrote:
> >In the "Xth cousin Y times removed" terminology,
> >your parents' cousins are your first cousins once
> >removed (...)But I think most people don't know
> >this terminology.
>  My mother's Cousin Linda is my Cousin Linda.  Of
> course, she's Mom's first cousin and my second
> cousin.  No wonder I never learned the "removed"
> bit.  We just change numbers.  Of course then you
> get more than one kind of second cousin.
>
> Adam
Yes, I think a lot of people use "second cousin" the
way you do.  The prescriptive side of me says "No,
that's not right.  Your second cousins are your
parents' cousins' children; if there's no X times
removed they have to be in the same generation."  But
the non-prescriptive side of me says, "If most people
use it that way, you have no right to complain.
Language does change."  But I think the system
including "X times removed" is more precise, even if
it is a bit cumbersome.

Rachel

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