"elder brother" and "elder sister".

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Fooge
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"elder brother" and "elder sister".

Post by Fooge »

Do these seem old fashioned to you? Personally I'd always say "older brother" and "older sister". "elder" sounds a bit old fashioned.

Aya
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Re: "elder brother" and "elder sister".

Post by Aya »

As a native speaker from the US, "elder brother/sister" definitely sounds old fashioned to me. "Older" is the default in my experience.

Vijay
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Re: "elder brother" and "elder sister".

Post by Vijay »

I'm comfortable with using both "elder" and "older," but then I'm probably more used to "elder" because my family's Indian and I've read a lot of Indian English since childhood.

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So Haleza Grise
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Re: "elder brother" and "elder sister".

Post by So Haleza Grise »

I wouldn't say "old fashioned". I would definitely use "older brother" in preference but I wouldn't be especially surprised if someone used the other form.
Duxirti petivevoumu tinaya to tiei šuniš muruvax ulivatimi naya to šizeni.

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Zaarin
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Re: "elder brother" and "elder sister".

Post by Zaarin »

Disclaimer: I'm an only child. However, "elder brother" and "older brother" both sound rather formal to me; in my experience most siblings seem to prefer the term "big brother/big sister" informally. However, especially in a joking context, it wouldn't sound strange to me to hear a younger sibling call their older sibling "my elder" (e.g., "He's my elder by two years" or [sarcastically] "I guess I have to listen to him because he's my elder").
"But if of ships I now should sing, what ship would come to me,
What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a Sea?”

Fooge
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Re: "elder brother" and "elder sister".

Post by Fooge »

Zaarin wrote:Disclaimer: I'm an only child. However, "elder brother" and "older brother" both sound rather formal to me; in my experience most siblings seem to prefer the term "big brother/big sister" informally. However, especially in a joking context, it wouldn't sound strange to me to hear a younger sibling call their older sibling "my elder" (e.g., "He's my elder by two years" or [sarcastically] "I guess I have to listen to him because he's my elder").
Some think "big brother" and "big sister" sound childish and sound more like how a child would refer to their older siblings.

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linguoboy
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Re: "elder brother" and "elder sister".

Post by linguoboy »

Fooge wrote:Some think "big brother" and "big sister" sound childish and sound more like how a child would refer to their older siblings.
Yeah, I'd pretty much only use "big/little" with "brother" or "sister" when I was consciously trying to invoke childhood associations.

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Zaarin
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Re: "elder brother" and "elder sister".

Post by Zaarin »

linguoboy wrote:
Fooge wrote:Some think "big brother" and "big sister" sound childish and sound more like how a child would refer to their older siblings.
Yeah, I'd pretty much only use "big/little" with "brother" or "sister" when I was consciously trying to invoke childhood associations.
Well, the last time I hung around siblings I was a teenager, so that would explain it. :p (Not that none of my friends have siblings--I just don't have any friends whose siblings are also my friends.)
"But if of ships I now should sing, what ship would come to me,
What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a Sea?”

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mèþru
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Re: "elder brother" and "elder sister".

Post by mèþru »

I never called my brother anything but his name. I only use "older brother" when talking to other people. I never use elder or big, and I have never heard anyone say those. I have heard a lot of "little brother" though. Then again, I call my parents mother and father when speaking in English, which is uncommon. I always call them אמא and אבא when addressing them, regardless of what language I' talking in. My אמא in particular is very touchy about being called "mommy" or "mom", as she finds it distasteful and always responds by saying אני לא מומיה.
ìtsanso, God In The Mountain, may our names inspire the deepest feelings of fear in urkos and all his ilk, for we have saved another man from his lies! I welcome back to the feast hall kal, who will never gamble again! May the eleven gods bless him!
kårroť

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Re: "elder brother" and "elder sister".

Post by Vijay »

mèþru wrote:I never called my brother anything but his name.
I've literally never called mine by name. I only ever call him "Achicha" [aˈt͡ʃit͡ʃa] with an optional glottal stop at the beginning. It's based on how I pronounced [əˈt͡ʃaːt͡ʃa], the term for '(my) older brother' in our family.

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Re: "elder brother" and "elder sister".

Post by Travis B. »

I practically exclusively call my mother and father "mom" and "dad" when speaking to them or with them present. I only use "mother" and "father" to refer to them when speaking to other people with them not present.

As for my sister, I normally refer to her as "Mere" [mɛ(ː)ʁ], short for Meredith, as do the other members of my family; likewise I am normally called "Trav" [tʃʰɻ͡ʁɛːf] by other members of my family, obviously short for Travis. We normally only use "brother" or "sister" to refer to each other when speaking to other people outside my immediate family.
Dibotahamdn duthma jallni agaynni ra hgitn lakrhmi.
Amuhawr jalla vowa vta hlakrhi hdm duthmi xaja.
Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro.

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