SIGNIFICANT OTHER: Increasingly Significant Issue

[Mark A Mandel]

On Sun, 5 May 2002, Laurence Horn wrote:

#At 8:57 PM -0400 5/5/02, Duane Campbell wrote:
#>How 'bout "mate"?
#>
#>Whould work in the Northern hemisphere.
#>
#Conceivably down under too, as long as "mate" [as in bait] is
#distinguished from "mate" [as in bite] 'buddy'.  It might (or mate)
#be a bit tricky on the intros, though:  "Mite, I'd like you meet my
#mate".

Which, of course, it wouldn't, if I'm correct in taking "mite" to be the
Aussie pronunciation of "mate" 'buddy' < UKE.

-- Mark A. Mandel
   Linguist at Large