Kinship terms are words used to refer to specific individuals within a family that identify certain relationships, such as mom, dad, grandma, uncle, etc. Usually, the use of kinship terms occur in two types of relationships: consanguineal and affinal. 

Consanguineal kinship refers to blood ties, like siblings, parents and children, and relatives. 

Affinal kinship comes from relationships related not by blood, but by marriage, including the married couple and their respective relatives. 

However, kinship terms are also sometimes used as a form of reference to individuals outside of a familial relationship. When kinship terms are used in this way, it is called fictive kinship. Fictive kinship uses kinship terms to identify people within a social setting rather than a familial one.

Why do we use kinship terms?

Kinship terms are thought to serve several purposes, but one main intention lies in its classification of relationships which acts as a set of rules that outlines responsibility and sexual availability that is meant to ensure continued survival. By designating family members with a specific term, it creates stronger links and bonds that make the family more likely to care for each other and place each other first before others. Also, it simultaneously defines and prohibits things like incest, which are considered unnatural and harmful.

Is kinship the same in every language?

No. Every language has its own way of classifying kin relationships and extending these terms beyond the family to other members of society. Read on further to see some examples!

Move on to Kinship Classification Systems!

Citations

Allen, Nicholas J. “Tetradic Theory and the Origin of Human Kinship Systems.” Early Human Kinship: From Sex to Social Reproduction, by Nicholas J. Allen, Wiley-Blackwell, 2011, pp. 96–112.Roufs, Timothy G. “Kinship and Descent.” Cultural Anthropology, University of Minnesota Duluth, www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/troufs/anth1604/cakinship.html.

NativLang. “Family Trees in Other Languages: our world’s 7 kinship systems.” Youtube, 7 Apr. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOi2c2d3_Lk.

Roufs, Timothy G. “Kinship and Descent.” Cultural Anthropology, University of Minnesota Duluth, www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/troufs/anth1604/cakinship.html.