Kinship terms in Mandarin Chinese vary by region, with some using sibling terms instead of specific cousin terms.
In Lee's village, people track generational distinctions, even among unrelated individuals, showcasing the interaction between language and society in a close-knit community.
Deep dives
Kinship systems in Mandarin Chinese
In Mandarin Chinese, kinship systems are fairly complex, with distinctions based on the paternal line and birth order. However, there are variations in different regions. For example, in Lee's home village in Hunan province, cousins are not usually addressed using specific terms like Tang or Biao. Instead, they are called by the sibling terms, such as Guga or May. Additionally, these kinship terms cannot be extended beyond one's own generation, highlighting the importance of generational distinctions even within extended family.
Generation tracking in a small village
In Lee's home village, people actually keep track of the generation, even among individuals who may not be related. This was demonstrated when one of Lee's family's neighbors, who is older and unrelated, referred to George as Gulfu, which means the husband of one's Gugu, essentially calling him her uncle. It is uncertain whether the generation tracking originated from tracing the village to a common ancestor or came about historically as unrelated individuals addressed each other as brothers and sisters. This example showcases how language and society interact in a close-knit community, serving as inspiration for con-langers and con-worlders creating small village communities.
George discusses his own observations about the use of kinship terms in his wife’s village in Henan province, China. NOTE: We’re going to change how our audio is hosted soon. This might mean some oddness in the feeds in the coming weeks.
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