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Analysis o f kinship terminologies as semantic systems has been imbedded in t w o opposing theoretical frameworks, a "componential" framework that connects terminological sets to "biology" but divorces them from social structure, and a structuralist framework that integrates terms with structure but divorces them f r o m biology. It is suggested that both difficulties are generated by considerations internal t o the theories but exogenous t o kinship terminologies as semantic systems. A simple operational elicitation procedure is presented that avoids assumptions not directly related to a clear conception o f a semantic system. On the basis o f the Puniabi terminology, a simple reformulation o f the relationship between structures, terminologies, and "biology" is offered.

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Kinship is a fundamental feature and basis of human societies. We describe a set of computat ional tools and services, the Kinship Algebra Modeler, and the logic that underlies these. Thes e were developed to improve how we understand both the fundamental facts of kinship, and h ow people use kinship as a resource in their lives. Mathematical formalism applied to cultural concepts is more than an exercise in model building, as it provides a way to represent and exp lore logical consistency and implications. The logic underlying kinship is explored here thro ugh the kin term computations made by users of a terminology when computing the kinship r elation one person has to another by referring to a third person for whom each has a kin term relationship. Kinship Algebra Modeler provides a set of tools, services and an architecture to explore kinship terminologies and their properties in an accessible manner.

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