OF THE HUMAN FAMILY. 



47 



It is the only Aryan dialect which can point to more than one antecedent form in 

 which it was established by a literature, and from which it successively broke 

 away. It still retains its grammatical structure as an Aryan dialect, whilst it has 

 drawn its vocables so largely from Semitic and other sources as to seriously alter its 

 family complexion. 



For many reasons the Persian system of relationship was very desirable for com- 

 parison with those of the remaining branches of the family. It is given with toler- 

 able fulness in the table. Its nomenclature has been augmented by the adoption 

 of several terms from the Arabic, which in turn have introduced a change in the 

 mode of designating kindred ; but it is still evident, notwithstanding the foreign 

 element, that its original form was descriptive. The following diagram exhibits the 

 material parts of the system. 



LINEAL LINE. 



FATnER'a SlI>B 



2d Collateral, Female 



Father's Sins 



2(i Collateral, Male 



GGS ]^'^t'j^*™o* 



There is no term in the Persian for grandfather ; he is described as an " elder 

 father." The term ncitlja, great-grandchild, was either borrowed from the Nesto- 

 rian, or the latter obtained it from the former. In the Persian terms for paternal 

 uncle and aunt dmoo, ama, are recognized the Arabic ^amm, \tmmet, for the same 

 relationships ; and in hdloo, lidld, maternal uncle and aunt, the Arabic 'Klidl, 

 ^Khdld, also for the same. From the presence of these foreign terms in the Persian 

 it is inferrible that these relationships were not discriminated eitlicr in the Zend, 

 Pahlevi or Parsee, nor in the Persian until after they were borrowed. These several 

 persons, therefore, must have been described by the Celtic method. 



In the first collateral line, male, the series is as follows : brother, son of brother 

 and grandchild of brother ; and in the second: paternal uncle, son of paternal uncle, 

 grandchild of paternal imcle, and great-grandchild of pater7ial uncle. The other 

 branc"hes follow in a similar form.^ 



The pronoun my is a snfRx in tlic Persian, as it is in the Finn and also in the Arabic. 



Father. Mother. Son. Daughter. Paternal Uncle. 



My Poodiiram, Madariim, Poosiiam, Puhkt;irum, Aniooyam. 



Our PoodiiriniEl, MAdarinia, Poosiiiraa, Duliktiirinia, AniooyamA. 



His Poodarioo, MAdiirioo, Poosiiioo, Duhktiiroo, Amooyaoo. 



