[ ]Mapping the Familyferred to as Ego) and his kin. A kinship nomenclature system may equate
some uncles and aunts with Ego’s parents while classifying others as
“parents’ siblings.” This type of system, known as bifurcate-merging,
is associated with unilineal groups, groups that trace descent through
only one parent, whether the father or the mother. The classification of
a father’s brother as “father” or the mother’s sister as “mother” leads to
Ego’s classi f y i ng t he ch i ld ren of t hese i nd iv idua ls as “brot hers” a nd “sis-
ters,” that is, members of his lineage like his own brothers and sisters.
T he ch i ld ren of Ego’s fat her’s sister or h is mot her’s brot her a re not pa r t of
his lineage and are referred to as “father’s sister’s children” or “mother’s
brother’s children.” These distinctions have practical implications for
incest prohibitions and marriage choices. Ego could not marry a cousin
who was identified as a “sibling,” but marriage between Ego and his fa-
ther’s sister’s daughter might be permitted or even encouraged.
Another type of kinship nomenclature system is the bifurcate-
collateral system. This system, also known as the Sudanese system, re-
fers to all uncles, aunts, and cousins by different terms, classifying them
by their relationship to Ego’s father or mother. Not all patrilineal soci-
eties employ this system, but societies that do use it tend to be patri-
lineal. Other systems use lineal terminology, classifying all parents’
siblings as “aunts” and “uncles,” or generational terminology, referring
to all parents’ siblings as “father” and “mother” and all their children as
“siblings.”^25
Anthropologists disagree as to what can be learned from a society’s
kinship nomenclature system. Some suggest that such a system reflects
aspects of a society’s marriage system, indicating who may marry whom.
Ot hers a rg ue t hat t he ter ms reflect “relat ions” bet ween members; if a fa-
ther’s brother is termed “father,” it may be because he stands in relation
to Ego like a father.
In discussing kinship terminology, anthropologists distinguish be-
tween referential terms and terms of address. The former comprise
the terms that members of a group use to describe their relationships
to various members of their family. The latter are the words used when
one is speaking directly to specific family members. While some terms
may function as both referential terms and terms of address, there may
be differences in usage. A person might address a variety of male rela-
tives as “uncle,” while referring to them in conversation as “my father’s