<!>Kinship Systems and Terminology in your Con-stuff (2014-10-31 13:17:07)
Kinship Systems and Terminology in your Con-stuff
Anthologica Universe Atlas / Forums / Department of Creativity / Kinship Systems and Terminology in your Con-stuff / <!>Kinship Systems and Terminology in your Con-stuff (2014-10-31 13:17:07)

? Rhetorica Your Writing System Sucks
posts: 1292
, Last Kelatetía of Canada
message
The kinship system normally used by the Lilitai is called zúsika (literally "the way of the uterus") and leans heavily on the matrilineal side, with a focus on the core mother-daughter dynamic. (Remember that the Lilitai have no men and reproduce entirely through IVF.) Perhaps frustratingly, most of these terms are of affection rather than formal pedigree jargon, giving them flexible and ambiguous meanings.

Note that "father" is used a little loosely here to describe a donor to the IVF process who may in fact be female, and almost always is when describing Lilitai themselves.

efteta - daughter, granddaughter, great-granddaughter, or any subsequent descendent
pana ("infant") - daughter
bama/baba - biological mother (IVF surrogate) and closest caretaker; in very rare cases this may be usurped by a caretaker if the mother dies or abandons the child
atapa/apata/apapa/atata - biological father (IVF donor, may be more than one in very rare cases)
ébamela - caretaker, applies to any step-parents, biological parents other than the literal mother, or any extremely close friends of the mother; one or more of the mother's sisters often fall under this label if there are no other caretakers directly related to the child by blood
mímefta - sister or adopted sister
bamela - any of the above (although a less-important caretaker can be ébamela without being bamela)
híma - mother's sister
hímía - stepsister or daughter of mother's sister (cousin)
mema (short for memefísta) - mother's mother
kelmema (short for kelmemefísta) - matrilineal ancestor beyond grandmother (e.g. great grandmother)

egúmefta - "i don't know who you are, but you're part of my family somehow; furthermore, family reunions are annoying"

When humans were discovered, zúsika was displaced gradually by Alfí stulitrika ("the family traditions of Earth") which more closely resembles the English-speaking model we use today. The maternal-only rulings of the words above vanish, resulting in the following system. Note carefully that some words remain in the feminine gender despite being male nouns, and that there is no distinct word for great-grandfather.

efteta - daughter, granddaughter, great-granddaughter, or any subsequent descendent
efteto - son, grandson, great-grandson, or any subsequent descendent
pana ("infant") - daughter or son
pano ("infant") - son
bama/baba - biological mother (IVF surrogate) and closest caretaker; in very rare cases this may be usurped by a caretaker if the mother dies or abandons the child
atapa/apata/apapa/atata - biological father (IVF donor, may be more than one in very rare cases)
terbezo - father (literally means "fertilizer"; technical but not very polite)
ébamela or ébamelo - caretaker, applies to any step-parents or any extremely close friends of the parents; one or more aunts or uncles often fall under this label if the mother is single
mímefta - sister or adopted sister
mímefto - brother or adopted brother
bamela or bamelo - any of the above (although a less-important caretaker can be ébamela without being bamela)
híma - aunt
hímo - uncle
hímía - stepsister or female cousin—covers any relation described by "cousin" in English
hímío - stepbrother or male cousin—covers any relation described by "cousin" in English
mema (short for memefísta) - maternal grandmother
kelmema (short for kelmemefísta) - matrilineal ancestor beyond grandmother (e.g. great grandmother)
keltapa (short for kelterbezo) - grandfather, maternal or paternal; usually maternal when describing Lilitai, but paternal for other species
kelhíma - paternal grandmother or great aunt
kelhímo - paternal grandfather or great uncle