Kinship Terminology | Anthropology Optional for UPSC PDF Download

Kinship Terminology
It was the pioneering work of Lewis Henry Morgan that drew attention to the importance of kin ship terminology in the study of kinship systems . The verbal element in the kinship systems consists of terms by which each kin comprehends other. Though personal names are often used many societies. Use the kin terms in addressing one another.
The ways in which kinship relationships are defined in any society are subject to elaborate cultural rules. Each society has a particular way of assigning the individual to his place in the descent group. A set of terms designate the individual's position within the groups to which he belongs. These labels are called kinship terms. The whole classificatory system is called as the Kinship Terminology.
All the kinship terminologies accomplish two important tasks. First, they group particular kinds of persons into single specific categories. Second, they separate different kinds of persons into distinct categories. Generally  two or more kin are merged under a same term when, similarity of status exists between the individuals.