Re: Way off list for wordsmiths

["Patricia M. Godfrey" priscamg@xxxxxxxx]

Avrom Fischer wrote:
> I just had a discussion with the person (Stephen) who I believe is my
> second cousin. Stephen's Grandmother was my Grandmother's sister.
> Stephen's mother and my mother were first cousins.  Am I right that
> Stephen is my second cousin.

Yes, absolutely.
> Are my children Stephen's second cousins
> once removed.
Yes, again. But your children and Stephen's children are third
cousins to one another.

 Is my granddaugher Stephen's cousin twice removed or what.
Yes. The rule is that one is a sib, and aunt or uncle, or a
first, second, third, and so on cousin depending on the number of
steps back to the common ancestor, equally on both sides. One
step are siblings, as your grandmother and Stephen's were. Two
steps are 1st cousins, as your mother and Stephen's mother were.
Three steps are 2d cousins, as you and Stephen are.
If there are an unequal number of steps back to the common
ancestor, one takes the cousin number of the last equally matched
pair, and adds "removes" for each further step. Your parent's
sibling is your aunt or uncle. Your 1st cousin's child is your
1st cousin once removed. Your 2d cousin's child is your 2d cousin
once removed. And so on.
> On a similar topic. Is my wife's brother's wife my sister in law or is
> there another classification for that relationship.
There's certainly no other term for it. (English is, compared
with other tongues, rather poor in relationship names. Most
languages have, e.g., separate words for the uncle who is your
father's brother and the uncle who is your mother's brother--avus
and paterculus in Latin, IIRC, but I'm not sure which is which.
Robert?) I need to look in the OED (writing this at the office,
since I still cannot get a connection faster than 14K at home) to
see if 'sister-in-law' can be used of anyone but one's spouse's
sister. Note also that in earlier times, mother- [and father-]
in-law were used of step-parents.
> In Yiddish there are very good words to describe my relationship to my
> daughter's in laws. Her father in law is my M'chutan, her mother in law
> is my M'chatenestah, and my daughter's in laws are collectively my
> M'chutanim (I have tried to spell these words phonetically. I hope I am
> right) Are there any equivalent English words.
Almost certainly not. Not modern English, anyway. There may have
been some additional relational names in older English.

--
Patricia M. Godfrey
priscamg@xxxxxxxx