Mine host.

[nq:1]My post above reminded me of a phrase I've heard of a few times recently, and which has got me thinking. ...mine host... Why not ..my host...?? Goggling "mine host" gives 6 450 000 hits, Keats, Shakespeare, Rabelais and Sir Waletr Scott. Stupot[/nq]
You failed to put "mine host" between quotation marks. When I do so, a Google search turns up 27,100 hits.
Other terms:
"mine uncle"

[nq:1]...mine host... Why not ..my host...??[/nq]
This is poetic or archaic diction, as in
Keat's ballad of the Mermaid Tavern:
I have heard that on a day
Mine host's signboard flew away.
thus commonly used to betoken
informal jocularity.

Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

[nq:1]My post above reminded me of a phrase I've heard of a few times recently, and which has got me thinking. ...mine host... Why not ..my host...?? Goggling "mine host" gives 6 450 000 hits, Keats, Shakespeare, Rabelais and Sir Waletr Scott.[/nq]
There used to be a rule that "mine" (and "thine") were used in place of "my" (and "thy") much as "an" is used in place of "a": before a vowel. "H"

[nq:1]My post above reminded me of a phrase I've heard of a few times recently, and which has got me thinking. ...mine host... Why not ....my host...?? Goggling "mine host" gives 6 450 000 hits, Keats, Shakespeare, Rabelais and Sir Waletr Scott.[/nq]
I thought it was a holdover from German "mein", as in "mein Führer".

Don
Kansas City

[nq:2]My post above reminded me of a phrase I've heard ... 450 000 hits, Keats, Shakespeare, Rabelais and Sir Waletr Scott.[/nq]
[nq:1]I thought it was a holdover from German "mein", as in "mein Führer".[/nq]
I just thought of another place I have heard this usage. Shakespeare's sonnet #48 where he uses the phrase "Thou best of dearest and mine only care".
A quick look in the good ol'

[nq:2]My post above reminded me of a phrase I've heard ... 450 000 hits, Keats, Shakespeare, Rabelais and Sir Waletr Scott.[/nq]
[nq:1]There used to be a rule that "mine" (and "thine") were used in place of "my" (and "thy") much as ... "H" has been considered a vowel for this purpose for sometime, for reasons that escape me. (Consider "an historic occasion".)[/nq]
That certainly fits, as i

[nq:2]...mine host... Why not ..my host...??[/nq]
[nq:1]This is poetic or archaic diction, as in Keat's ballad of the Mermaid Tavern: I have heard that on a day Mine host's signboard flew away. thus commonly used to betoken informal jocularity.[/nq]
'Tis a small thing, but mine own.
Cheers - Ian

[nq:2]There used to be a rule that "mine" (and "thine") ... sometime, for reasons that escape me. (Consider "an historic occasion".)[/nq]
[nq:1]That certainly fits, as in "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord".[/nq]
Incidentally, I've seen a claim that this usage of "mine" is the origin of the name "Nancy" in present form. The name was originally "Ancy", but the phrase "

[nq:2]My post above reminded me of a phrase I've heard ... 450 000 hits, Keats, Shakespeare, Rabelais and Sir Waletr Scott.[/nq]
[nq:1]I thought it was a holdover from German "mein", as in "mein Führer".[/nq]
There is of course another usage of "mine" which does descend from German: Yinglish. Yiddish-influenced English will frequently have "mine" instead of "my", regardless of whether the

[nq:2]There used to be a rule that "mine" (and "thine") ... "an" is used in place of "a": before a vowel.[/nq]
[nq:1]That certainly fits, as in "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord".[/nq]
Yes, and though it is not "from German" (but from Germanic), it sure comes easier to Germans. Just today on de.etc.sprache.misc:
[nq:1]It breaketh mine heart.<[/nq]
On several