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Kinship Terms

Lineal kinship terminology:Parental generation kin terminology with four terms:one for M, one for F, one for FB and MB, and one for MZ and FZ.

Bifurcate merging kinship terminology:Kinship terminology in which M and MZ are called by the same term, F and FB are called by the same term, and MB and FZ are called by different terms.

Bifurcate collateral kinship terminology:Kinship terminology employing separate terms for M, F, MB, MZ, FB, and FZ

Generational kinship terminology:Kinship terminology with only two terms for the parental generation, one designating M, MZ, and FZ and the other designating F, FB, and MB

Affinals:relatives by marriage, whether of lineals (e.g., son’s wife) or collaterals (e.g., sister’s husband)

Ambilineal:principle of descent that does not automatically exclude children of either sons or daughters

Bilateral kinship calculation:A system in which kinship ties are calculated equally through both sexes:mother and father, sister and brother, daughter and son, and so on.

Corporate groups:groups that exist in perpetuity and manage a common estate, including descent groups and modern corporations

Ego:Latin for ‘I’.In kinship charts, the point from which one views.

Kindred:A group of people closely related to one living individual through both parents

Lineal relative:Any of ego’s ancestor’s or descendants (e.g., parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren) or the direct line of descent that leads to and from ego.

Ambilocal:postmarital residence pattern in which the couple may reside with either the husband’s or wife’s group

Neolocality:Postmarital residence pattern in which a couple establishes a new place of residence rather than living with or near either set of parents

Unilocal:Either virilocal or uxorilocal postmarital residence; requires that a married couple reside with the relatives of either the husband (vir) or the wife (uxor), depending on the society