The English language is somewhat ridiculous.

[grue 1]

We have aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, moms and dads, grandmothers and grandfathers, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, right? One word for boy, one word for girl. WHY IS THERE ONLY ONE WORD FOR COUSIN?

cavete terrae.

[AggieDave 6]

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WHY IS THERE ONLY ONE WORD FOR COUSIN?

What word is that? Loven's? As in "hot loven cousins?"

You sicko.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[wildcard451 0]

We had to take West Virginia into account somehow.

[iluvtofly 0]

Well, in West Virginia they have multiple names for cousin. Such as brother, sister, aunt, uncle, mom, dad, grandmother and grandfather.

[sundevil777 102]

I wonder if other languages have a distinction for male/female cousin?

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[Zenister 0]

since i was just there

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cous·in (kŭz'ĭn) pronunciation
n.

1. A child of one's aunt or uncle. Also called first cousin.
2. A relative descended from a common ancestor, such as a grandparent, by two or more steps in a diverging line.
3. A relative by blood or marriage; a kinsman or kinswoman.
4. A member of a kindred group or country: our Canadian cousins.
5. Something similar in quality or character: “There's no mistaking soca for its distant Jamaican cousin, reggae” (Michael Saunders).
6. Used as a form of address by a sovereign in addressing another sovereign or a high-ranking member of the nobility.

Cousin isnt gender specific, so why need two words when one will do..

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[Lindercles 0]

Why do we park in a driveway and drive on a parkway?

[NWFlyer 2]

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I wonder if other languages have a distinction for male/female cousin?

French does, IIRC. Cousin/cousine.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[grue 1]

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Cousin isnt gender specific, so why need two words when one will do..

Why is it not gender specific, that's what I'm asking. We have gender specific words for our male/female offspring, the female offspring of our brother/sister, the male offspring of our brother/sister, etc.

cavete terrae.

[grue 1]

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I wonder if other languages have a distinction for male/female cousin?

primo/prima in spanish

cavete terrae.

[NWFlyer 2]

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Cousin isnt gender specific, so why need two words when one will do..

the offspring of our brother, the offspring of our sister,

Uh, I think we call the male offspring of our sister the same thing as we call the male offspring of our brother. Same with the female offspring.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[grue 1]

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Cousin isnt gender specific, so why need two words when one will do..

the offspring of our brother, the offspring of our sister,

Uh, I think we call the male offspring of our sister the same thing as we call the male offspring of our brother. Same with the female offspring.

Er, shit, I'm tired. fixing that.

cavete terrae.

[Zenister 0]

i'd guess because of the wide range of relationships it could refer to..not all familial per the definition...

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[ematteo 0]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072826/

of course, since it's French, they have to sleep together.

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In Reply To
I wonder if other languages have a distinction for male/female cousin?

French does, IIRC. Cousin/cousine.

[willard 0]

In West Virginia all male relatives are either "kin" or "cousin".
Female relatives are potential wives.

[metalslug 36]

"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."
-- James Davis Nicoll

[GQ_jumper 4]

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Why do we park in a driveway and drive on a parkway?

Why do we call it running for President when all they do is stand around and talk?

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower

[bazelos 0]

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I wonder if other languages have a distinction for male/female cousin?

Greek has a male and female destinction, yup.

He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.

[TheBile 0]

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I wonder if other languages have a distinction for male/female cousin?

Le cousin and La cousin in French

Gerb

I stir feelings in others they themselves don't understand. KA'CHOW !

[piisfish 140]

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Le cousin and La cousin in French

la cousine

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[Taikoen 0]

Since English is the only language I can carry on a conversation in (unless you count random vulgarity), I only learned a couple of weeks ago that some languages do offer a difference. I knew that languages with different genders (like la and el in Spanish) probably had this built in, but at work a few weeks ago an Indian co-worker said her "cousin-brother" was visiting. I work for a mostly Indian company and I had to defend English not having a gender distinction in cousin. Mostly, I don't care.