A Question About Affinity

[murat guler]

This question may sound odd but.... can your aunt's husband call you nephew / niece. In my culture, the answer is NO. What about English and American cultures?

Thanks

 

[Florentia52]

In AE, my aunt's husband is my uncle, and I am his niece.

I do have an aunt who married her current husband when they were both in their 60's and I was almost 50. I don't really think of him as my uncle, or myself as his niece, but it wouldn't be incorrect to use those terms.

 

[DonnyB]

Yes, this is quite normal - certainly in Britain at least. Similarly, I as a nephew call my aunt's husband "uncle" even though he's only a relative by marriage.

 

[Schimmelreiter]

In AE, my aunt's husband is my uncle, and I am his niece.

I do have an aunt who married her current husband when they were both in their 60's and I was almost 50. I don't really think of him as my uncle, or myself as his niece, but it wouldn't be incorrect to use those terms.

Wouldn't your aunt's husband technically be an affinal uncle​? There might be circumstances in which the clarification is helpful (e.g. in inheritance law).

 

[Florentia52]

"Affinal uncle" may be the correct term, but because I would have to define it for the person I was speaking to, it's just as easy to say "my mother's sister's husband," which is what we do if clarification is required.

 

[sdgraham]

Wouldn't your aunt's husband technically be an affinal uncle​? There might be circumstances in which the clarification is helpful (e.g. in inheritance law).

I believe the OP was asking about common English usage.

If you will check this previous thread: Affinal, you will see that we native speakers consider it rather bizarre in normal usage.