Term Confusion

[War_and_Poetry]

I'm having a hard time figuring out a specific title of address to someone in something I'm writing but haven't published.

So, a guy has 3 wives, and has numerous children by each of them. Imagine the 3rd wife has only a single son. This son has no direct siblings, but he has many half-siblings. What would this son call the other two wives who are the mothers of his half-siblings? Stepmother?

Also, imagine the 3rd wife dies, leaving this son without his own mother, does that change the answer?

 

[BenJepheneT]

Whores. We call them whores.

 

[Deleted member 22014]

Aunt-mother ..., or just refer them based on their hierarchy, like first wife become first mother, second mother, and so on and so forth.

 

[Deleted member 20302]

Aunt-mother ..., or just refer them based on their hierarchy, like first wife become first mother, second mother, and so on and so forth.

Ignoring the user above, this is correct. Tend to see this in Chinese novels too.

 

[bananapink]

The legal wife only has the right to be called 'mother,' while the rest in the backyard can only be 'aunts' including the birth mother. All children must addres the legal wife mother.

 

[ForestDweller]

Ha, this is what I'm thinking as well.

I guess I should look up Mushoku Tensei to see how Rudy's children called their other mothers.

 

[BenJepheneT]

Ha, this is what I'm thinking as well.

I guess I should look up Mushoku Tensei to see how Rudy's children called their other mothers.

I think Rudy still calls the maid by her name.

 

[Sabruness]

depends on the societal structure of the world.

 

[DarkGodEM]

I'm having a hard time figuring out a specific title of address to someone in something I'm writing but haven't published.

So, a guy has 3 wives, and has numerous children by each of them. Imagine the 3rd wife has only a single son. This son has no direct siblings, but he has many half-siblings. What would this son call the other two wives who are the mothers of his half-siblings? Stepmother?

Also, imagine the 3rd wife dies, leaving this son without his own mother, does that change the answer?

Depends on the background.
Is Polygamy a thing? If yes, based on which culture?
Chinese Polygamy has a 1st mother to X mother thing, while the one who gave birth is simply "Mother"
In Indian Polygamy while there is the idea of 1st wife and so on, it's more of a time idea than importance, so they would just call all of them "mother" with a different intent/feeling depending on their relationship with them.
In japanese style Polygamy it varies a LOT! Because it doesn't really exist for the best part of the last 400 years, the ideas on how it should be change a lot in the writer's mind so... You have aunt-mother, mother-in-law, step-mother, etc.
If you choose Christian Polygamy , only the official wife would have the right to be called "Mother" from the marriage and his mom because of course, while the concubines would generally be called "aunt". Of course that changes completely if the Husband decides to accept all of them officially which has happened with some kings in the past, albeit frowned upon by the church, in which case it varies on raising and household.

 

[Ai-chan]

I'm having a hard time figuring out a specific title of address to someone in something I'm writing but haven't published.

So, a guy has 3 wives, and has numerous children by each of them. Imagine the 3rd wife has only a single son. This son has no direct siblings, but he has many half-siblings. What would this son call the other two wives who are the mothers of his half-siblings? Stepmother?

Also, imagine the 3rd wife dies, leaving this son without his own mother, does that change the answer?

Yes, it would be called stepmother. Source: Living in a society where polygamy is legal and acceptable. If the kid's mother died, the other mothers would still be considered as his stepmothers, though how he specifically call it may differ based on which culture you're adopting. Even in the same culture, the way someone is addressed could differ.

Though in Ai-chan's family, the kid would just call the other wife as mama, because we raise the little girl as a family. So although Waiwai has no direct blood relation with the little girl, the little girl would call her Mama Waiwai and Ai-chan as Mama Ai if such distinction is required. If there is no chance of confusion, it would just be 'mama'. Yes, Ai-chan is in a real-world polygamous marriage.

 

[Helkyrk]

Mother-in-law seems most reasonable, same thing as when you marry into a family, since they are your mom by hierarchy, but not blood.