Unknown discovered alive and well in Penge!

[abu nuwas]

in the north of englamd we often call a person love or lovey, they can'y however be referred to as loves.

we also call a friend a mucker, but never call him muckers.

I think 'love' counts in meaning, since in this sense one is not talking about the abstract idea, but a person, and I don't think that you can use it, in that way, as subject or object. However, it does not have the distinctive form of the 's' on 'babes' and 'ducks'. 'Lovey', on the other hand, does have a distinctive form (one may also say 'ducky' to a child) and I have been searching for this '-y-' ending as a possible. I feel there are others in this field: 'matey', as in "Listen, matey..' I think began that way, but has progressed to a general all-purpose noun, as in " So then, matey here ups and sez..." The 'y' may be a kind of diminutive, but it usually reads as if representing 'my'. Hmmm...... Why do others not think this such a fascinating topic? Extraordinary!