Preceding Generations
| English | SENĆOŦEN | |
| 1 | ancestor | I¸ȽĆÁL¸E¸ LE¸ / ĆELÁṈEN |
| 2 | elder | S¸ÁLEW̱ / S¸ELW̱ÁÁN |
| 3 | great-great-great-grandparent | ȾEBEYEḰ |
| 4 | great-great-grandparent | EȻÍYEḰ / EȻE¸ |
| 5 | great-grandparent | JO¸MEḰ / TO¸ME¸ |
| 6 | grandfather, grandparent | SILE¸ / SISELE¸ / SIS |
| 7 | aunt, uncle | SÁĆS |
| 8 | aunt or uncle after parent’s death | ŚW̱ḴSEĆÁÁȽ |
| 9 | parents | SELI¸SET / S¸EL¸ÁLEW̱ |
| 10 | parent, head of household | SI¸SET |
| 11 | father | MÁN / MÁ¸ |
| 12 | mother | TÁN / TÁ¸ |
| 13 | step-parent | ŚW̱S¸OQEȽ |
| 14 | in-laws with each other | QEL¸WOSTEL |
| 15 | parents-in-law | SLÁ¸EȽ |
| 16 | grandparent-in-law, granduncle/aunt-in-law | ŚW̱SILE¸ |
| 17 | aunt-in-law, uncle-in-law | ŚW̱SÁĆS |
Notes on preceding generations terms.
1. Of the two words given for ‘ancestor’ (item 1), the first means literally ‘the preceding ones’ or ‘the first ones of the past.’ The second can mean ‘ancestor,’ but it is usually used to refer ‘heritage,’ to anything handed down from the ancestors.
2. Of the two words given for ‘elder’ (item 2), the first can refer to any adult person. It also means ‘old’ in general. The second refers specifically to elder people, especially the oldest people in a family.
3. Item 6 shows three words used for ‘grandparent.’ The first is the basic, most common, term. The second has the ‘affective’ reduplication (§59.2) and is a loving, familiar form of address. The third is a shortening of the second and even more familiar.
4. Of the two words given for ‘parents’ (item 9), the first is the collective plural of the word given for ‘parent’ in item 10. The second is the collective plural of the first word given for ‘elder’ in item 2, so it can mean ‘elders’ or ‘old ones’ as well as ‘parents.’
5. Items 4, 5, 11 and 12 show two words each. The first in each is the basic term for the family member. The second is used as a familiar form of address. For example, in item 11 MÁN is ‘father’ and MÁ¸ could be translated ‘dad.’
6. Item 17, ŚW̱SÁĆS, refers specifically to the spouse of one’s parent’s sibling.
7. To distinguish between great-grandfather and great-grandmother, use the feminine article for great-grandmother. The same is true for all of the family terms that are not specified for gender, like the word for aunt/uncle.
8. There are no words for relatives beyond great-great-great-grandparent. Traditionally if two people share a ȾEBEYEḰ they are too closely related to marry. If two people are related beyond ȾEBEYEḰ —in English that would be fifth cousins or greater—they may marry.