A Research Note on Austronesian Relationship Terminologies With and Without Relative Age Categories

This research note examines the formal patterning of Austronesian relationship terminologies with or without relative age categories. Specifically, the article considers (1) the formal contrast between these patterns, (2) the key variant forms of these patterns, and (3) the distribution of these patterns and their associated variants throughout the Austronesian-speaking world. It offers a succinct examination of a key dimension of Austronesian terminologies and points to the position of eastern Indonesia as an innovative transition zone in the development of Austronesian terminologies.