On Tue, 2 Mar 2004, Philip Hart wrote:
#Doesn't Devera refer to Morrolan as Uncle at some point? Hmm.
I don't see that necessarily being literally precise. Morrolan and
Aliera are cousins; I forget the exact relationship, if indeed we know
what it is. That makes M. Devera's cousin as well. (Suppose M & A have
a pair of great-grandparents in common; then they're second cousins, and
D is M's 2nd cousin once removed.)
So what's a little girl going to call a relative who is of her mother's
generation? "Uncle" fits the bill pretty well.
("His name's Morrolan, not Bill."
"Shut up, Loiosh.")
-- Mark A. Mandel
http://cracksandshards.com
a Steven Brust Dragaera fan website