The Language of the Modhupur Mandi (Garo), Volume 2
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6.61 Kinship Terms
pp. 217Garo kinship terms, including the terms that are used by the Mandis, can be understood as making three basic distinctions: 1. Generation, 2. Sex, and 3. Membership in a marriage group. Only the third of these will be at all strange to non-Mandis. The two marriage groups are those with which marriage is allowed and those with which marriage is forbidden. Each person belongs to the marriage group of his or her mother, and each person should marry into the opposite group. There are a few complications, but in general, it follows from these simple rules that brothers and sisters, one's mother, mother's mother, and their brothers and sisters, all belong to one's own marriage group. The father, father's mother, mother's father and the mothers and brothers and sisters of all these people would belong to the opposite group. By following out in any direction, it is possible to calculate which marriage group any kinsman belongs to. As long as everyone marries someone from the opposite kin group from one's own, each kinsman must belong to a particular marriage group. Except for the generations of the grandparents and grandchildren, people in different marriage groups are always called by different terms. Thus the mother's sister's children and the father's brother's children belong to one's own kinship group and they are called by the same terms as siblings. Father's sister, and mother's brother's wife belong to the same group as each other and they are called by the same term, while mother's sister, and father's brothers wife belong to the other group and are called by another term. Beyond this, some distinctions are made in relative age, and the terms for brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law are particularly complex, but most of the terms can be understood as expressing the three basic distinctions.
6.611 Older Generations, Male
pp. 217a-pa n. father.
a-wang, wang-gip-a n. father's younger brother, mother's younger sister's husband, stepfather.
at-chu, at-chu-gip-a n. grandfather.
ba-ba n. dad, father, (intimate). <B
ho, ho˙-gip-a n. father-in-law, (A˙ pal).
ho˙-bit-e, hu˙-bit-i, o˙-bit-e n. father-in-law.
ma-ma, ma-ma-gip-a, ma-ma-tang n. mother's brother. <B
mo-sa n. man of the opposite marriage group, brother-in-law, wife's mother's brother, sister's daughter's husband.
nang˙-pa n. your father.
Page 218pa-a, pa-gip-a n. father.
pa-jong n. father's older brother, mother's older sister's husband.
6.612 Older Generations, Female
pp. 218a-ma n. mother, mom.
ai n. mom, mother, (familiar and intimate).
am-bi n. grandmother.
ja˙-man-ni a-ma, a-pa n. stepmother, stepfather.
ma-ni, a-ni n. father's sister, mother's brother's wife, mother-in-law.
ma˙-de, ma˙-di, a˙-de, a˙-di n. mother's younger sister, father's younger brother's wife, aunt, stepmother.
ma˙-gip-a n. mother.
ma˙-jong, a˙-jong n. mother's older sister, father's older brother's wife.
na˙-gi-pa n. mother.
nang˙-ma n. your mother.
6.614 Own Generation, Male
pp. 218a-da, a-da-gip-a, a-da-tang n. elder brother, mother's elder sister's son, elder father's elder brother's son, elder parallel cousin-brother.
a-da-gip-i n. oldest brother, oldest of two or more brothers.
ang-ga-ri n. echo in cha-wa-ri ang-ga-ri son-in-law.
ang-jong, jong-gip-a, jong-tang n. younger brother, mother's younger sister's son, father's younger brother's son, younger parallel cousin-brother.
ang-sa-du, sa-du n. wife's sister's husband.
ang-se, se n. husband.
bo-ning, ang-bo-ning n. man or woman's younger sister's husband, spouse's older brother, reciprocal term between men.
da-da n. older brother, term of address.
gu-me, gu-mi, gu-me-gip-a, gu-mi-gip-a n. man or woman's older sister's husband.
jo-jong n. little brother, baby brother, affectionate name for a baby boy.
jong-sa-ri n. wife's younger brother, husband's younger brother.
nang˙-jong n. your younger brother.
nok-cham-e n. parent's of one's children-in-law, parents of a child's spouse.
sa-du, sa-du-gip-a n. wife's sister's husband: sa-du dal˙-gip-a wife's older sister's husband; sa-du chon-gip-a wife's younger sister's husband; sa-du-sa husbands of sisters.
se, si, se-gip-a, si-gip-a n. husband.
6.615 Own Generation, Female
pp. 219a-bi, a-bi-gip-a, a-bi-tang n. elder sister, mother's elder sister's daughter, father's elder brother's son, elder cousin-sister.
a-bi-gip-i n. oldest sister, oldest of two or more sisters.
a-no, no, a-no-gip-a, no-gip-a, no-tang n. younger sister, mother's younger sister's daughter, father's younger brother's daughter, younger cousin-sister.
ang-sa-ri, sa-ri n. sister-in-law.
bo-ji, bu-ji n. man's older brother's wife, wife's older sister. <B
di-di n. older sister, female teacher, primarily a term of address. <B
je-was n. wife's older sister, (same as bo-ji). <B
jik, jik-gip-a, jik-tang, ang-jik n. wife.
jik-git-e, jik-git-i n. younger wife, second wife.
jik-pang-ma n. first wife, senior wife, as opposed to jik-git-e.
jik-skang n. first wife, former wife.
no-no n. little sister, affectionate name for a baby girl.
no-sa-ri n. wife's younger sister.
sa-ri n. sister-in-law, used reciprocally between any sisters-in-law.
6.617 Younger Generation
pp. 219ang-de, ang-di, de, di, de-gip-a, di-gip-a n. child as a kinship term, son, daughter, man's brother's child, woman's sister's child.
ang-gri, gri, gri-gip-a, gri-tang n. man's sister's son, woman's brother's son, nephew.
ang-su, su˙-gip-a n. grandchild.
bo n. bride, daughter-in-law. <B
cha-wa-ri, cha-wa-ri-gip-a, cha-wa-ri-tang n. son-in-law.
de-me-chik, de-me-chik-gip-a, di-mi-chik n. daughter.
de-pan-te, di-pan-ti n. son.
ja-mai n. bridegroom, son-in-law. <B
nam-chik, ang-nam-chik n. man's sister's daughter, woman's brother's daughter, cross-niece, niece, daughter-in-law.
nok-krom n. male heir, resident son-in-law.
nok-na n. heiress, daughter who inherits property and cares for her parents.
