Gender-neutral words for second degree relatives

[swirl_of_blue]

So there has been discussion on finding gender-neutral ways to call a parent, but how about second-degree relatives like aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces? I have never before thought of this, but yesterday had a discussion with my friends on not wanting children but being okay spending time with one's siblings' kids. Eventually I had to call myself an aunt ("but I like doing.....aunt things with the kids sometimes"), and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I know that many languages actually have much more complicated ways of addressing one's parents' siblings than English: in Finnish there is only one word for aunt, but two words for uncle, one for father's brother and another for mother's brother. But I can't think of any way of addressing someone gender-neutrally, outside of using something very clunky and artificial-sounding like "sibling to the children's parent".

 

Do all lauguages have only gendered words for second-degree relatives, and does anyone here know if there are established words already in use by NBs? Naturally I won't be using English language words when speaking my native Finnish with friends and relatives, but at least I could get some ideas of how I could call myself.

[Groovy Teacakes]

I know someone who uses pibling (as in a contraction of parent's sibling) in the place where aunt/uncle would typically be used. I think nibling is sometimes used in place of nephew/niece (although don't quote me on that, I'm not 100% sure). I don't know anything about Finnish, but perhaps that's useful?

[Luftschlosseule]

Related hoomans just popped up in my head. As in "And those are the other related hoomans, friend."

[flagsforhippos]

38 minutes ago, Groovy Teacakes said:

I know someone who uses pibling (as in a contraction of parent's sibling) in the place where aunt/uncle would typically be used. I think nibling is sometimes used in place of nephew/niece (although don't quote me on that, I'm not 100% sure). I don't know anything about Finnish, but perhaps that's useful?

Nibling is very sweet. I think pibling would be cool if shortened to pibby, I can imagine my niblings calling me pibby.

[nanogretchen4]

I just read Provenance, a science fiction book where when people reach adulthood they identify as men, women, or nemen. The characters use "nuncle" for a neman sibling of a parent and "nother" for a neman parent. 

[Robin L]

Nibling is an actual word, pibling isn’t tho.

 

also just gotta say, “nibling” is the cutest word