여말선초의 친족의 칭호와 범위

Abstract

This article is to inquire into the structural principles of kinship terminology

through analysing the kinship-terms found in the Kerim yusa(鷄林類事), the

Taming lui(大明律) and the Kyounguk taejon(經國大典: the National Code of the

Choson dynasty). It finds that the terms for kinship usually used from 14th to

early 15th centuries were traditional Korean ones and accepted Chinese kinship

principles were not operated.

In traditional system, Father(父), mother(母), Son(子), brother(弟) is elementary

terms and the complex ones are made by adding various limited terms to that.

So, the basic structural principles are the principle of distinguishing gender, ages

and generation. They did not have sense to distinguish family members by

decent rules.

But In 17th century, the Chinese family system and kinship principles adopted

earlier were used popularly and the Korean system became very similar to

Chinese one from that time.