A child addressing an adult.

[Bramandin]

This is for my fantasy story. People don't really have last names, but instead choose clarifiers like "from wool street" and such.

I also want to introduce something like they call someone "sir" in one settlement but "mister" is more universal. Or the opposite. I don't actually like either of those words, but I'm not sure what else to do.

 

[Dave]

"Elder" or "Senior" or make up some new word?

 

[paranoid marvin]

How about 'Father' and 'Mother' , or 'Master' and 'Mistress' or 'Ma'am'?

 

[Juliana]

I'm from Brazil, and there children often call non-related adults 'auntie' and 'uncle' as a sign of respect. Maybe something like that?

 

[Bramandin]

"Elder" or "Senior" or make up some new word?

I'm probably going to have to do the "make up a new word" thing. I was going to use sirrah but I looked it up and I guess it means "you are less than me" or something.

How about 'Father' and 'Mother' , or 'Master' and 'Mistress' or 'Ma'am'?

He doesn't seem like the type who'd go along with calling a stranger 'father' right off of the bat, even if he moved to a place where that's normal. Master or Sensei also seems inappropriate until they enter into a master/apprentice relationship.

 

[Bramandin]

I'm from Brazil, and there children often call non-related adults 'auntie' and 'uncle' as a sign of respect. Maybe something like that?

That's brilliant, but I want to reserve uncle, aunt, and cousin for someone who is not necessarily related but there's still familiarity. Strangers and people they're standoffish to have a different title.

That does remind me of something in Lilo and Stitch where David calls Nani cousin and then Lilo "says she likes your butt, I read her diary." I wonder how it looks like to someone who doesn't understand that it's an expression of native solidarity.

 

[CupofJoe]

Along the lines of Aunt and Uncle, there are cultures that use the term Little Mother and Little Father as terms of respect for some adults.

 

[Droflet]

How about Sir or Madam?

 

[AllanR]

but I want to reserve uncle, aunt, and cousin for someone

For an unrelated yet familiar, you could put the word as a suffix. Where a direct relative you could make it two words, emphasizing the relation like English does. (Hungarian has -bacsi as a suffix to a proper name (it means uncle) and it is used in respect, adults even use it for the oldest in a group)

 

[Bramandin]

For an unrelated yet familiar, you could put the word as a suffix. Where a direct relative you could make it two words, emphasizing the relation like English does. (Hungarian has -bacsi as a suffix to a proper name (it means uncle) and it is used in respect, adults even use it for the oldest in a group)

I'll see if it fits with the way I use language. Basically the MC either understands it or he doesn't, so other than a few untranslatables it doesn't make sense to make the reader learn a word that does translate.

 

[KiraAnn]

Navajos use the word "Hosteen" like English uses "Mister". Can't remember what is used for mature women. Hosteen means something along the line of "respected elder". For family, there are different words like one for maternal uncle (usually the most influential male in a child's life), fraternal uncle, etc.

I'm not suggesting you actually use that word, but use a similar concept.

 

[Bramandin]

Navajos use the word "Hosteen" like English uses "Mister". Can't remember what is used for mature women. Hosteen means something along the line of "respected elder". For family, there are different words like one for maternal uncle (usually the most influential male in a child's life), fraternal uncle, etc.

I'm not suggesting you actually use that word, but use a similar concept.

That is the concept I was going for. I settled on dom for one settlement and boss for another. They still use Granny for respected elder, haven't needed to decide on the male equivalent.

 

[msstice]

I'm from Brazil, and there children often call non-related adults 'auntie' and 'uncle' as a sign of respect. Maybe something like that?

I'm finding that this is pretty common outside Europe, and it may have been used in Europe earlier. I grew up amidst an Indian/South Asian diaspora, and we called our parent's friends and our friends' parents "Uncle" and "Aunty" when speaking in English. I had friends from Bengal and Kerala and both in Bengali and Malayalam this usage is common, though in Bengali a friend's parents would be called "Uncle/Aunt on the Father's side" which is technically less intimate (and affectionate) than "Uncle/Aunt on the Mother's side".