I hear people make the word “mine” plural as in, “The book is mines.” This drives me crazy! Has anyone else had this experience and where did this word come from? I have been teaching for over 20 years and it seems to have surfaced in the last 6-8 years or so. Is it just people being lazy?
mines
March 16th, 2010 by Gretchen
9 Responses to “mines”
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Teaching English to Preschoolers with iPhones
We (i.e. the creators of Pain in The English) developed a series of iPhone apps to teach preschool kids how to recognize letters and words. (My wife developed the characters and I did the coding.) Our own 4-year old daughter has been enjoying them. They are now available on Apple's App Store. You can search for "bitskis" on your iPhone, or visit the official website at bitskis.com.
If you have kids and own an iPhone, please check it out. It's $2.
My 5 year old daughter used to say “mines”. We thought it was funny so we also started using “mines” sometimes. My sister made her a bag that said “mines”. Maybe it’s not just my daughter; perhaps this is a common mistake by toddlers, and the adults started using it because they thought it was funny.
For toddlers, perhaps the “s” is actually a possessive, as in “mine’s”. At around that age, claiming their possessions is a big preoccupation, so they might feel that “mine” is not good enough, so they feel the need to add the possessive “s” for the maximum impact.
That’s my theory.
According to the OED, it’s “regional (chiefly Scottish)”.
I believe you may hear much more frequently in the southern U.S. Most often when I hear it, the individual is using it in a possessive sense.
This also drives me crazy. Usually I hear it from people that are more “ghetto”. One of my co-workers uses “mines” often. Later in the day I will ask him why.
That’s his, that’s hers, and this is mines – never come across it myself, but I guess you can understand in in L2 learners and children… the fact that is reported in native adult use is perhaps due to dialect?
That’s his, that’s hers, and this is mines – never come across it myself, but I guess you can understand it in L2 learners and children… the fact that it is reported in native adult use is perhaps due to dialect?
To call someone lazy for saying ‘mines’ gives me the right to call you a B!TCH. If one so chooses to say it that way let them be!
I’ve noticed in the southern african american dialect, mainly in middle to lower class adults and teens. Not trying to generalize, just making an observation.
“This book is mines”, is childish. It seems that many younger people in an attempt to appear “cool” or “gangsterish” deliberately speak in a way that makes them seem uneducated. Unfortunately, such English stigmatises the speaker and makes them sound…somewhat less than intelligent.