Is "niece and nephew" preferred over "nephew and niece", or vice versa?
I tried using Google NGrams, but it gave inconclusive results: one was more common before 1980, then the other form became more common.
asked Mar 1, 2017 at 10:57
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You mean in terms of style?– user66974Mar 1, 2017 at 11:11
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Usually the longer word precedes the shorter one. But this is not a fixed phrase, or a typical binomial pair/Siamese/freeze– Mari-Lou AMar 1, 2017 at 11:20
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Related: What is the rule that describes the usage of “or” between multiple adjectives describing the same noun? and “pros and cons”, “black and white”,etc.– Mari-Lou AMar 1, 2017 at 11:22
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Masculine terms used to precede feminine ones, but no more.– user66974Mar 1, 2017 at 11:23
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1To me, it's a question of which cadence sounds nicer. The one syllable word before the two syllable word sounds better, somewhat a sense that the two syllable word is weightier and makes a better bookend at the end of the expression. In Mari-Lou's answer, making them plural terms makes them both two syllables, which changes the cadence.– fixer1234Mar 1, 2017 at 16:49
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1 Answer
I searched for the plural equivalent of niece and nephew: Google Ngram shows that nephews and nieces used to be the most popular sequence but since the 1980s that dramatic divergence has narrowed considerably.
From the 1800s until the mid 1980s, the dominant order for the singular form used to be nephew and niece, but the gap has decreased steadily ever since, and around the 1990s, the order niece and nephew has became marginally more popular.
All of which suggest that the binomial order is no longer irreversible and today the order of preference is totally arbitrary.
answered Mar 1, 2017 at 11:36
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1I think the question is why such a change in usage.– user66974Mar 1, 2017 at 11:46
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@Josh The Op is asking which order is preferred, not "why". Anyway, I need to edit, but I don't have the time now. later on. Mar 1, 2017 at 15:44
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OP is actually asking 'Is "niece and nephew" preferred over "nephew and niece", or vice versa?' so why should they have searched for 'nephews and nieces'? Mar 2, 2017 at 0:15
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But it seems incongruous (and I'm hedging) to respond 'OP is asking which order is preferred, not "why" ' while adjusting their question in a different way. Mar 2, 2017 at 0:42