This always gives me so much trouble! Let me see if I've got this right.

So far as a {lor} is concerned, can you distill it down to the rule that the {lor} is the child of an opposite-sex sibling?

your mother's brother has a {lor}, your father's sister has a {lor},

if you are a male, your sister has a {lor}, if you are female, your brother has a {lor}?

This applies to children of the siblings of you or your parents.

(And {tey'} is used for the children of same-sex siblings).

Correct?

There are two words related to your father's family: tennuS father's brother and 'e'mam father's sister. The first refers to men; the second to women. The spouses of these get the same words with -nal suffixed to them, keeping the maleness and femaleness appropriate: your tennuS's wife is your 'e'mamnal, while your 'e'mam's husband is your tennuSnal.

There are two words related to your mother's family: 'IrneH mother's brother and me' mother's sister. The first refers to men; the second to women. The spouses of these get the same words with -nal suffixed to them, keeping the maleness and femaleness appropriate: your 'IrneH's wife is your me'nal, while your me''s husband is your 'IrneHnal.

The child of one of your parents' opposite-sex siblings (either 'e'mam or 'IrneH) is your lor; the child of one of your parents' same-sex siblings (either tennuS or me') is your tey'. Both lor and tey' can specify whether they are male or female by adding loD or be'.

But lor and tey' also refer to nieces and nephews. lor means the child of your sibling the opposite sex as you; tey' means the child of your sibling the same sex as you. They can still take loD and be' to distinguish their sexes.

To distinguish between aunts/uncles and nieces/nephews, just explain the relationship (e.g., loDnI' puq). You normally do not distinguish if the information is not important.

A group of lor and tey' are vInpu'; the singular vIn is only used to refer to an individual in a group of vInpu'.

A more distant uncle/aunt/niece/nephew relation is generally called a yur. A group of yurpu' might include some lor or tey', but you wouldn't use yurpu' if the group consisted only of lor and tey'.

'e'nal is someone married into the family whose relationship isn't specified.

So to summarize:

Your father's family uses the words tennuS and 'e'mam. Your mother's family uses the words 'IrneH and me'. lor are traced through opposite-sex siblings; tey' are traced through same-sex siblings. vInpu' are a group of lor and tey'. A yur is a more distant relation through siblings. An 'e'nal married into the family but doesn't say to whom.

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name