The development of the lexemes for ‘uncle/aunt’, ‘cousin’ and ‘brother/sister-in-law’ in Hispano-Romance and Polish in a comparative perspective

Abstract

The aim of the article is to compare the development of some family-related vocabulary from Latin (with PIE backgrounds) to Hispano-Romance with the old and modern Polish terms. The comparative analysis covers the words for ‘uncle’/’aunt’, ‘brother/sister-in-law’ and ‘cousins’. The author tries to explain lexical changes with reference to social changes that took place over the centuries.

Keywords

• etymology
• comparative ethnology
• lexical changes
• family