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The Serbo-Croatian standard languages (Croatian, Serbian, Montenegrin and Bosnian) have one of the more elaborate kinship (srodstvo) systems among European languages. Terminology may differ from place to place. Most words are common to other Slavic languages, though some derive from Turkish. The standardized languages may recognize slightly different pronunciations or dialectical forms; all terms are considered standard in all four languages, unless otherwise marked: [B] (Bosnian), [C] (Croatian), [M] (Montenegrin) and [S] (Serbian) below.
Contents
- Direct descendance and ancestry
- Egos generation
- Indirect ancestry descendants and legal relations
- In laws
- Step relatives
- Foster relatives
- References
There are four main types of kinship in the family: biological AKA blood kinship, kinship by law (in-laws), spiritual kinship (such as godparents), and legal kinship through adoption and remarriage.
As is common in many rural family structures, three generations of a family will live together in a home in what anthropologists call a joint family structure, where parents, their son(s), and grandchildren would cohabit in a family home.
Direct descendance and ancestry
Words for relations up to five generations removed—great-great-grandparents and great-great-grandchildren—are in common use. The fourth-generation terms are also used as generics for ancestors and descendants. There is no distinction between the maternal and paternal line. In addition there are terms found in Serbian for ancestors past the 5th generation, but those are not in common use.
Ego's generation
Diminutive forms of siblings are used for cousins.
Indirect ancestry, descendants and legal relations
There are separate terms for maternal and paternal uncles, but not for aunts. In addition, spouses of uncles and aunts have their own terms.
In-laws
There are separate terms for a man's and a woman's parents-in-law. However, the same terms are commonly used for siblings-in-law and children-in-law. There are separate terms for co-siblings-in-law.
Step-relatives
There are spouses of ancestors that are not blood relatives and their descendants.
Foster-relatives
Foster relations are important and have dedicated terms.