4i0 SYSTEMS OF CONSANGUINITY AND AFFINITY 



In the second collateral line male, on the father's side, irrespective of the sex of 

 Ego, my father's hrother is my father, great or little, his son and daughter are my 

 elder or younger brother, or my elder or younger sister, as they are respectively 

 older or younger than myself. The sons and daughters of this collateral brother 

 and sister are my nephews and nieces, the terms used being too and too-md', and 

 the children of the latter are my grandchildren. 



In the female branch of the same line, my father's sister, is my great or little 

 aunt, as she is older or younger than my father. Here we find a distinct Turanian 

 characteristic, namely the relationship of aunt, restricted to the sisters of a father 

 to the exclusion of those of a mother. My father's sister's son and daughter are 

 my elder or younger brother, and my elder or younger sister in all respects as in 

 the former case ; their children are my nephews and nieces, and the children of the 

 latter are my grandchildren. 



On the mother's side, my mother's brother is my uncle, oo-men. He is also my 

 great or little father, as he is older or younger than my mother ; and this appears 

 to be the prevailing relationship over that of uncle. The presence of an original 

 term for uncle, restricted to the mother's brothers, is a significant fact, especially 

 when considered in connection with the other term tau, aunt, restricted to a 

 father's sister. It may be found, on further investigation, that the latter terms are 

 used exclusively when the Burmese system is strictly interpreted. Should this 

 prove to be the fact, it would give to the system two other important Turanian 

 characteristics. My mother's brother's son and daughter are my brother and sister, 

 elder or younger, according to our relative ages ; the children of this collateral 

 brother and sister are my nephews and nieces, and the children of the latter are 

 my grandchildren. 



My mother's sister is my mother, great or little, as in other cases ; her son and 

 daughter are my brother and sister, elder or younger ; the children of this collateral 

 brother and sister are my nephews and nieces, and the children of the latter are my 

 grandchildren. 



The third, and more remote, collateral lines are counterparts of the first and 

 second in all respects, with the exception of additional ancestors. In respect to 

 the latter, we find that the brothers and sisters of the grandfather and of the 

 grandmother are all alike grandfathers and grandmothers, Avhich is a characteristic 

 of the Turanian system. 



The coincidences between the Burmese form, and the Tamilian will be at once 

 observed. Its close agreement Avith the Gaura form will also be noticed, as weU 

 as the points in which it diff'ers from both. Its principal characteristics may be 

 recapitulated as follows : first, it has a double set of terms for elder and younger 

 brother, and for elder and younger sister, one of which is used by males, and the 

 other by females. Secondly, it has but one term for nephew and one for niece, 

 which are not only applied to the children of an own brother, as well as to the 

 children of an own sister, but also to the children of a collateral brother and sister. 

 Thirdly, that while these terms have strict correlatives in or>-mcn, uncle, and tau, 

 aunt, and do not find a proper correlative in great or little fatlicr and mother, they 

 are used indiscriminately as correlatives of both, which is, at least, a defect in the 



