Unit Three What’s in a Name?Kin Terms Kinship TermslKinship terms are “category words by means of which an individual is taught to recognize the significant groupings in the social structure into which he is born”.lAll kinship term systems have such factors as sex, age, generation, blood and marriage in their society. Chinese Kinship Terms----Highly descriptiveChinese relatives appellations are many, specific and strict, and relatives of different branches, ages, generations, genders and relations have different appellations. Western Kinship Terms----Highly recapitulativelWestern families are usually small families, children will establish their own families after growing up, and the situation of several generations living in a big family is rarely seen. Therefore, they do not have special appellations for relatives older than the grandfather or younger than the grandson, do not have specific appellations for collateral relatives, and do not care much about appellations of marriage relatives. A comparison between Englishand Chinese kinship termslNumbers of kinship termslEnglish: 13 basic kinship terms; adding qualifying words, prefixes, suffixes and phrases, “grand-, great; -in-law; first, second”lChinese: much richer and complicated. more than 100 kin terms Calling relatives by nameslAccording to Chinese customs, the elder can call the younger by names, but the younger must not call the elder by names and must call them by appellations, such as grandpa, grandma, dad and mom. Calling relatives by nameslHowever, in the West, the younger can also call the elder by appellations or directly by names. Of the same generation, people also are not used to calling each other by appellations but often call each other by names or nick names, such as "John-Johnny, and Robert-Rob . In their opinion, calling relatives by names could show they have close and good relations. Simulating relative appellations lSimulating relative appellations means using relative appellations on non-relatives to show friendliness.lAs you know, in China kin terms are not only used within one's own family but also to other people. a child may call a policeman 警察叔叔（ uncle police）a child may call a middle-aged lady as 阿姨(aunty) Simulating relative appellations lIn China the use of kin terms is closely related to age and politeness. The appropriate and extended use of kin terms according to age is taken as reflecting good manners. lWhereas English speakers do not use kin terms so extensively. Also they tend to view age as a relatively private thing, especially among females. Simulating relative appellations uncle mailmandon't call me like that, just call me Mister Simulating relative appellations lBut in the countryside of some Western countries, people also use simulative relative appellations, such as "Uncle Tom" or "Aunt Kate," on their acquaintances (such as the parents' friends) sometimes. Cultural Differences behind Kin TermslDifferent concepts of friendshiplChinese: “all under heaven are of one family” “at home one relies on one’s parents and outside on friends” All Chinese look the whole society as their family and address persons in kinship termslUS: functional friendship, self-development through individual efforts How do we use the kin terms correctly in different culture ? Following local customslChina and the West are different in calling relatives and it is a reflection of the cultural difference between the two regions. During the communication, we should adhere to the old saying, "Do in Rome as Rome does." It is hard to tell which culture is better and the two should not repel each other. We let them be, and they will go well naturally. Thanks!参考资料来源： 。