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Re: Mine El. Maybe not a name directly but related
Curious - do you know if my/mine were used similarly to a/an, so that "mine" was a form of "my" used only before a vowel? Or was "my" never used? If the object of affection were named Margaret, would she have been called "my Margaret" or "mine Margaret"?- mirfak
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I seem to recall reading that "mine" was used before vowels, but I don't have a reference to verify that. It makes sense, though. Hanks & Hodges, usually reliable about etymology, state that the initial N "originat[ed] in the misdivision of phrases such as 'mine Ed'," so at least that part is generally accepted.
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