In Talmud the term "Bat-Achoto" for niece is very popular, which matches the term that your neighbor was used to earlier on.

keep on the good work.
Jacob Miller | 08.14.08 - 6:47 pm | #

Any relation between נין/נינה and the Spanish niño (niña,fem.), which means "child"?

I'm not one of those Hebrew-was-the-first-language-and-every-other- language-came-from-it types, but I'm curious about this.
Yochanan | 08.15.08 - 2:00 am | #

Jacob:

Kehati writes on Nedarim 8:7

http://www.moreshet.net/oldsite/...-01/ shabbat.htm

If they urged him - a person, to marry his sister's daughter - or another woman; the mishnah cited "his sister's daughter" since it is virtuous to marry her, for it is written, "if a person marries the daughter of his sister" (Yev. 62b), concerning which Scripture writes, "And that you do not ignore your own flesh" (Isa. 58:7)

Yochanan - Interesting question. Nino comes from the Latin ninnus, also meaning "boy". My guess is that it's probably from child-talk, but it could be that Isaac Newton made a connection, if I understand this book correctly (and I'm not sure that I do):

http://books.google.com/books? id...UZ78Xg#PPA54,M1
Dave (Balashon) | Homepage | 08.18.08 - 7:25 pm | #

Dave,

I don't understand what you meant with Kehati's interpetation on the Mishnah, but it is another example where the Talmudiacl term to neice or nephew is the esplain the relationship itself, such as "sister's daughter" or "brother's son.
Jacob Miller | 08.18.08 - 9:33 pm | #

Kehati was saying that the mishna used the specific term "sister's daughter", when a more general term would have sufficed, because it was considered virtuous to marry her.
Dave (Balashon) | Homepage | 08.18.08 - 10:13 pm | #

Kehati is not explaining why the misnah used the specific "term" he explains why the mishnah uses the specific "scnario" when the same Halacha would been suffice in any other case.
Jacob Miller | 08.19.08 - 6:22 am | #

An observation; (perhaps a digression from the topic at hand): 'nin' (Gen. 21:23)means: 'grand-son'(or progeny), whilst 'nino' is Spanish for boy-child and 'nana' for girl-child. Whilst in some European (Danish, et al.)languages and Yiddish 'nanna' is the name of the elder progenitor: grandpa or grandma, depending on the particular tongue.
Bartalmei | 08.19.08 - 10:48 pm | #

You're very talented. Why don't you make a Hebrew blog (for the Heb readers)?
Or | Homepage | 09.10.08 - 9:03 pm | #