1998: How to Clarify When Niece Means Granddaughter Jun 4, 2020

As mentioned yesterday, the words for 'granddaughter' and 'niece' (also with the masculine) are the same in many languages [1], historically and in modern times. However, as this can lead to confusion, other words have come around including the Old English broðordoh̩ter (brother's daughter). This is how the words for nephew and niece can be related from languages from Ireland (OI 'necht') to India (Sanskrit 'naptih'), but exist along other synonyms along the way.

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1999: Why Decreasing ≠ Ironing Jun 5, 2020

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1997: Why 'Niece' and 'Nephew Sound so Different Jun 3, 2020