The lexical variants presented in the note below are arranged according to their frequency of occurrence in the survey data-from most frequent to least frequent.

For the concepts ‘elder sister’s husband’ and ‘younger sister’s husband’, a variety of words were recorded in different parts of Maharashtra.

mewʰṇa, mʰewna, mewna, mewṇa, mewʰna, mewno, mʰewne, mehuna, mʰeuna, mewne, mewʰne, mehune, mewʰuna, mewʰənə, mewʰune, dʰakla mewna, moṭa mewna, mʰewnə, meune, mewnə, mehuno, moṭʰa mewna, mewʰne, mehnəs, mehnas, mehwna, moṭʰa mehəna, mihnas, mihinas, minəs, mihṇas, minas, mihinasis, mʰinas, meuna, mewʰno, mʰewnale, mewən bʰau, bʰauǰi, bʰaujja, bʰaoǰi, bʰawǰi, lahan bʰauǰi, moṭʰa bʰauǰi, lʰan bʰauǰi, moṭe bʰauǰi, ləhan bʰauǰi, moṭʰo bʰaoǰi, nʰaṅɡo bʰaoǰi, bʰawoǰi, čʰoṭe bʰawoǰi, moṭʰe bʰawoǰi, bʰawji, bʰauji, bʰawəǰis, dʰakṭe bʰauji, tʰorle bʰauji, bʰauni, bʰawas, bʰauǰa, bəḍe bʰai, bʰaiǰan, bʰawo, bʰao, bʰawəḍ, bʰawaḍə, bʰaṭəw, bʰaṭwe, bʰaṭwaǰi, bʰaṭoǰi, bʰaṭo, bʰawə, daǰi, dada, ǰiǰu, daji, mama, moṭʰe mama, daǰiba, sadrəḷya, sadərmawa, saḍu, ǰijaǰi, ǰiǰaǰi, kunyat, kuǰat, bəḍe bʰaiǰan, ǰauǰi, jawaǰi, bʰajjan, bʰəunəi, jawəyǰi, bʰau, jawəi, kuyan, kuyad, pawne, saḍin, boho, ǰiǰa, ǰawai, jaway, ǰawəi, ǰəmai, bəhnoi, jawais, jawai, bʰaw, ǰaway, bənwəy, bʰawa, soyra, pahuna, benoi, mewʰṇale, mʰewnale, dulbʰai, mehuṇa, moṭʰa mewna, lahna mewna, bʰaya, dir, čʰoṭe daǰi, moṭe daǰi, ǰijo, paone, paona, bəhinoi, pawʰna, bəynoyi, bəinoi, bəynoi, kəwəḍsab, bəynai, bʰawnoi, pawna, pahuna, ǰəwai, bʰenoi, pənt, mewʰṇe, jəwai, daǰis, mehənwəḷi, bʰawəḍ, mehənwaḷ, ǰəwəi, jəwəi, sala, ǰijjaǰi, bʰəua, bəwwa, ǰəway, pawdya, pawḍiho, pawḍi, bənoi, bənne bəndʰe, bəndʰe, bəhenoyi, bʰua, bʰennoyi, bəynoyi, bʰeynoyi, jəwəyi, jawəybʰau, bəhinjəwayi, bapu, ǰiju, bʰausasra, bʰawsasran, bʰəin jawəy, saḷ bʰau, jəmai, buwa, bappu, bʰaṭo, bəhinjəwəi, jəwəy bapu, saya, sala, bʰaṭwa, bəhinjawəi, bʰaker, bəhinjawəyi, bəinjawəi, bəhinǰəwai, bʰəinjawai, sakilbʰau, saɡilbʰau, bʰəinjəway, bʰəinjaway, bʰəin jawəi, bʰəi jawəy etc.

mewʰṇa – This word was reported throughout Maharashtra for the concept ‘elder sister’s husband and younger sister’s husband.’ Phonetic variations of this word include mʰewna, mewna, mewṇa, mewʰna, mewno, mʰewne, mehuna, mʰeuna, mewne, mewʰne, mewhna mehune, mewʰuna, mewʰnə, mewʰune, dʰakla mewna, moṭa mewna, mʰewnə, meune, mewnə, mehuno, moṭʰa mewna, mewʰne, mehnəs, mehnas, mehwəna, moṭʰa mehna, mihnas, mihinas, minəs, mihṇas, minas, mihinasis, mʰinas, meuna, mehnas, mewʰno, mewʰnale, mewən bʰau, mehənwəḷi, etc. Further, mewno was reported in Kolhapur, Sindhudurg, and Ratnagiri districts. mehnəs, mehnas, mehənwəḷ, mewʰnas, mʰinas, mihnas, mihinas and mihinasis were elicited in the tribal community of the geographical area of Raigad, Palghar, Thane, and Pune districts.

bʰauǰi - This word was reported all over Maharashtra for this relation. Phonetic variations of this word include bʰaujja, bʰaoǰi, bʰawǰi, lahan bʰauǰi, moṭʰa bʰauǰi, lʰan bʰauǰi, moṭe bʰauǰi, ləhan bʰauǰi, moṭo bʰaoǰi, nʰaṅɡo bʰaoǰi, bʰawoǰi, čʰoṭe bʰawoǰi, moṭʰe bʰawoǰi, bʰawji, bʰauji, bʰawǰis, dʰakṭe bʰauji, tʰorle bʰauji, bʰauni, bʰawas, bʰauǰa, etc. The word bʰaujja was observed in the Christian community of Chandgad village in Kolhapur district.

ǰawəi - ǰauǰi, jawaǰi, jawəyǰi, jawəi, ǰawai, jaway, jawai, ǰəwai, ǰəwəi, jəwai, jəwəi, ǰəway, jəwəyi, jawəybʰau, bəhinjəwayi, bəhinjəwəi, bəhinjawəi, bəhinjawəyi, bəinjawəi, bəhinǰəwai, bʰəinjawai, bʰəinjəway, bʰəinjaway, bʰəin jawəi, bʰəi jawəy, etc were documented.

as phonetic variations of this word. The words jawəi, jəwəi, ǰəwai, jəwəyi, jəwai, jawai, ǰawəi, jaway, etc. were reported in Jalgaon, Buldhana, Akola, Amaravati, Nagpur, Yavatmal, Wardha, Gondia, Gadchiroli, and Chandrapur districts. Further, the words jawəybʰau, bəhinjəwayi, bəhinjəwəi, bəhinjawəi, bəhinjawəyi, bəinjawəi, bəhinǰəwai, bʰəinjawai, bʰəinjəway, bʰəinjaway, bʰəin jawəi, bʰəi jawəy etc. were documented in the Vidarbha region. bʰəi jawəy was noted in Datala village of Chandrapur district.

bʰaṭwa – This word was primarily reported in all the districts of the Vidarbha region. Phonetic variations of this word include bʰaṭəw, bʰaṭwe, bʰaṭwaǰi, bʰaṭoǰi, bʰaṭo, etc.

bʰenoi – It was mainly recorded in Nashik and Washim districts. While, its phonetic variations benoi, bəhnoi, bəhinoi, bənoi, bəynoyi, bəinoi, bəynoi, bəynai, bʰawnoi, bəhenoyi, bʰennoyi, bəynoyi, bʰeynoyi, bəhenoyi, etc. were reported in Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Akola, Washim, and Yavatmal districts.

ǰiǰu- This word was reported in Kolhapur, Sindhudurg, Raigad, and Nanded districts. Phonetic variations of this word include ǰijaǰi, ǰiǰaǰi, ǰijo, ǰijjaǰi, ǰiju, ǰiǰa, etc.

mewʰna, daǰi, bəhinoi, bʰauǰi, bʰaṭwa, pawʰna, ǰiǰaǰi, jawəi or bəinjawəi, sala were the words that were reported frequently and among them, the variation reported above was observed. bʰauǰi and mewʰṇa were reported throughout Maharashtra for this kin relationship. According to Karve (1953:166), the words mewʰṇa and mewʰṇe are of Sanskrit origin and have been derived from mǝithuna/mǝithunaka. These words from Sanskrit changed to mehuṇa or mehuṇaga in Prakrit. However, in Vedic Sanskrit, the word mǝithuna is not relatable to any kind of kinship term but was used to refer to pairs that have been formed due to marriage, etc. Later, Marathi inherited the form from Prakrit. In Marathi, the word mehuṇ is used only to refer to a married couple who are invited by a family for a meal on auspicious occasions. While the word mǝithuna/mǝithunaka is neuter in Sanskrit, the derived word mewʰṇa is masculine in Marathi and is also used as a kinship term.

daǰiba, sadrəḷya, sadərmawa, dulbʰai, bʰaker, sakilbʰau, saɡilbʰau, these kinship terms were reported in Solapur, Dhule, Nandurbar, Yavatmal, Gondia, and Chandrapur districts of Maharashtra.

References:

1. Karve, Iravati, 1953, Kinship Organisation in India, Deccan College Monograph Series: 11, Pune.
2. Monier-Williams, 1899. A Sanskrit-English dictionary: Etymologically and philologically arranged with special reference to Cognate Indo-European Languages. Oxford, The Clarendon Press.