Definitions of Kin

Abstract

This paper explores some of the properties of sets of vernacular definitions of kin-relational expressions and draws implications for the status of structural semantic analysis. A comparison of three sets of definitions shows them to have several properties in common, including ordering and hierarchical reduction. An account of the significance of the definitions suggests that they form the basis of bodies of discursive knowledge: they are constitutive of sets of kin-relational expression; they articulate with theories of sexual reproduction as well as laws and conventions governing marriage and adoption, etc.; and the forms of the sets are closely related to patterns of learning and reasoning about kin relations. This account has implications for the problem of the cognitive validity or psychological reality of structural semantic analysis, as well as its analytical status.