Quote:
Originally Posted by hdw
Phew, I think I'll stick to Swedish, where I feel on safe ground. The Swedes distinguish between morbror 'mother's brother', i.e. maternal uncle, and farbror 'father's brother', i.e. paternal uncle; also moster 'mother's sister' i.e. maternal aunt, and faster 'father's sister', i.e. paternal aunt. Interesting that they keep that distinction while Brits make do with aunt and uncle.
Same with cousin - the Germans feel the need to distinguish between Vetter 'male cousin', and Kusine 'female cousin'. Are relationships just not important to Brits?
Harry
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I think you need to know the little twist that we have in Denmark about aunts and uncles!
In Denmark its really only people who marry into the family who are called aunts and uncles.
If you are blood related, then you become morbror=mothers brother or farbror=fathers brother. Faster=fathers sister Moster=mothers sister.
About cusines. We also have male and female ones. Kusine=a female Fætter=a male.
If you are married to a faster, moster, farbror, morbror, then you are either tante or onkel/aunt or uncle.
Mormor or morfar=mothers mother or mothers father. Farmor or farfar=fathers mother or fathers father. We do however use a nick name for those, bedstemor or bedstefar=grandmother or grandfather.
Hope this clears up a few things!