Chapter 4 Family and Relationships

The Tamil family system is very ancient and based on many generations of family living under one roof. It is based on the patriarchal system. The nuclear family system is on the rise in the metropolitan areas on Tamil Nadu and the traditional joint family system is slowly dying out due to westernization and people moving out of their place of birth for better jobs.

Goals of This Chapter: 

• To learn the specific Tamil name for relationships.
• To understand the extended family system in Tamil Nadu and the names for those relationships.
• To understand the traditions based on religion, caste and community in Tamil Nadu.
• To understand the traditional marriage system in Tamil Nadu.
• To be able to communicate about one’s family using the vocabulary learnt in this chapter.