Cousin - who is this? The origins of the term and its use
The terms used to designate relatives,very numerous, and they can easily get confused. Some of them are in the past and have already been forgotten, while others are actively used and known to all. It is sometimes difficult to understand the intricacies of kindred ties. In this article, we will try to understand, the cousin and the cousin - who is by family?
Who are these cousins?
To denote the children of an uncle or aunt, as a rule, terms such as "cousin" or "cousin" are used. But they can also be called a cousin and a cousin, respectively.
In general, there are several groups of relatedties: blood relationship, unrelated links and kinship by marriage. In a direct line, there will be blood relatives of brothers and sisters who have at least one common parent. Cousins and brothers are related to blood relationship not in a straight line.
Due to the fact that these definitions soundrarely, if you use the word "cousin" in society, you may be asked the question: "Who is the cousin?" This term can be given the following definition: a cousin, that is, the daughter of an uncle or an aunt both on the paternal line, and on maternal.
Origin of the word
The word "cousin" comes from the French"Cousine", which means "cousin". In the 18th and 19th centuries, representatives of the Russian nobility spoke French, and therefore this word was widely distributed. Then all the educated people knew, the cousin - who it is. Ordinary people rarely used "overseas words", they were alien and incomprehensible to him. Therefore, hearing "a cousine", could be puzzled: "Cousin - who is this?"
In modern Russian it is usedrarely, although many words in our language remained from the French heritage, but it did not take root. For example, the words "dad" or "mother" also have French roots and have become firmly established.
Other meanings of these terms
Cousin - who is this, explain the dictionariesRussian language Ozhegov, Ushakov. According to the explanatory dictionary of Efremova, the term can mean any distant relative, for example, a second cousin. But nevertheless such names of relatives, as cousins and cousins, are more applicable to their main meaning - cousins and sisters.
Also the word "cousine" in colloquial speech maycall a good friend. Historically, the appeal of mon cousin, which means "my cousin", was applied by the king in relation to the prince of blood or peer. This title was used in the treatment of one person of the royal family in relation to another titular person belonging to the genus.
The following values may also be understoodThis word: sidekick, bosom friend, and with an ironic tinge - a simpleton, a gullible eccentric. Also cousin is called in the common parlance of a colleague, that is, one who has similar views and tastes, and is also close in origin.
If you study Russian classical literature, thenyou can see that on the pages of works are often found such words as "cousin" and "cousin". Who is this, now we already know, the interpretation of these words are available in various dictionaries. You can also notice that in the old books of cousins are called in French cousine or in Old Russian "cousin".
The use of words in English phrases
There are different kinds of word combinations, containingthis word. For example, forty-second cousin is a distant relative, second cousin is a second cousin once removed - a cousin's or cousin's child, that is, a cousin's nephew or niece. The expression cousin seven / several / times removed means "the seventh water on the jelly", which means a very distant relative.
Cousin marriage
There is such a thing as a cousin marriage. It means that cousins come in marriage. This form of marriage was prevalent before, especially among the elite. The conclusion of such unions was often caused by economic reasons.
From a legal point of view, the ban on such marriagesno, but public opinion often condemns such marriages, considering them immoral, a manifestation of incest. Due to incest in such marriages, children with various pathologies and hereditary diseases are often born.
Why the use of these words did not stick to the Russian language?
The use of certain words falls under the trend of fashion. For example, when they were popular Brazilian soap operas, then, respectively, and words that have Hispanic origin, were also in vogue.
Why does no one use words today"cousin" or "cousin", why it became again habitual to call relatives in Russian - a cousin or sister? Perhaps the use of certain foreign words was influenced by the fact that after the October Revolution of 1917 the French language lost its relevance. Moreover, the knowledge of a foreign language was equated with a political crime, since representatives of a noble family spoke in French, which were outlawed.
Certainly explain why some foreign words are firmly entering the speech, and some do not get accustomed, it is difficult even to experienced philologists.
