A what what
When did we all start saying "can I get"? Let's take a look at it.
Sample sentence, a customer: "Can I get about a pound of the picnic potato salad?"
Literally, yes, I suppose you can, if you come around the counter; the containers are easy to find, the spoon's in the dish of potato salad, there's no lock on the case door, the scale is in full view. Probably customers aren't allowed to come behind the counter, but hey, if you want to do my job for me, I'm not going to stop you.
Figuratively, the answer is also yes, unless I'm feeling particularly vindictive.
"Can I get" is nice, in a way, because it's so neatly descended from its more polite predecessor, "may I have". "May" --> "can," "have" --> "get," and it's only a matter of time before "I" --> "me" or the whole transaction becomes a series of grunts and hand gestures.
But "may I have?" is also strange. "May I have about a pound of the picnic potato salad?"
Literally, yes, you are allowed to have that much potato salad, even if I think it's rather excessive. But why don't we ask what we're actually asking, which is, "will you please give me?"?
In France, I would say "puis-j'avoir," (which means "may I have") for things like "puis-j'avoir un sandwich?" It worked, in that I got my sandwich, but I don't know if that's also a construction in French, or if the boulanger just heard "[badly-pronounced French] un sandwich?", rolled his eyes at the silly américainne, and handed over the poulet-crudités.
Sample sentence, a customer: "Can I get about a pound of the picnic potato salad?"
Literally, yes, I suppose you can, if you come around the counter; the containers are easy to find, the spoon's in the dish of potato salad, there's no lock on the case door, the scale is in full view. Probably customers aren't allowed to come behind the counter, but hey, if you want to do my job for me, I'm not going to stop you.
Figuratively, the answer is also yes, unless I'm feeling particularly vindictive.
"Can I get" is nice, in a way, because it's so neatly descended from its more polite predecessor, "may I have". "May" --> "can," "have" --> "get," and it's only a matter of time before "I" --> "me" or the whole transaction becomes a series of grunts and hand gestures.
But "may I have?" is also strange. "May I have about a pound of the picnic potato salad?"
Literally, yes, you are allowed to have that much potato salad, even if I think it's rather excessive. But why don't we ask what we're actually asking, which is, "will you please give me?"?
In France, I would say "puis-j'avoir," (which means "may I have") for things like "puis-j'avoir un sandwich?" It worked, in that I got my sandwich, but I don't know if that's also a construction in French, or if the boulanger just heard "[badly-pronounced French] un sandwich?", rolled his eyes at the silly américainne, and handed over the poulet-crudités.