Can I get?

Yet another Americanism. I hate it too, also 'around' as in I like to be/have a problem 'around' whatever - it should be 'with.'
We need something like a wet fish to give offenders a slap around the chops when we're annoyed.

Perhaps we should start a new corner called "grammatical whinge corner"

I really dislike the tendency to 'grab' in advertising now; 'Go grab a coffee, 'Grab some lunch' - it sounds rough and 'push others out of the way' Is it just me?

grandmattie..... Oh yes please

Ooooh! Just seen your solution, lovebeigecardigans. Pass me a haddock! (Or perhaps I should 'grab ' a haddock)

WARNING!!! Whinge coming! Don't like the way "crisp" has turned into "crsipy" etc...

Perhaps we should start a new corner called "grammatical whinge corner

Isn’t that what Pedants’ Corner is about?

"Can I get........ (after it has been assembled and brought to me - understood)?

I'm comfortable with that!

oldbatty very true! Rosina, yes it grates on me too. I think it's supposed to signify they're important people who are SO busy they can barely stop to eat. lovebeigecardigans1955

Absolutely with you on this. I'm a regular watcher of Countdown and I cringe every time someone says 'can I get a ... Rachel'. Amazing how many people do say it. I want to scream at the TV.

If I asked my Dad
"please can I have.... "
he'd say "you çan but may you"

the dreaded uptalk What is this?

Is it the questioning tone such as pollyperkins uses? Sorry, polly, but that sounds really annoying. Surely the person you're addressing can decide to respond without you giving them a verbal clue that they should do so.

Don't go to Australia FarNorth! ?

Do we all remember Blockbusters?
DD1 and a friend had an impressive three Gold Runs on that about 25 years ago and duly sniggered at “I think I’d like a P, Bob”
Innocent days!

'Yous' I can not let this pass, if someone says it to me I have to say something. Thirteen to sixteen years of education and some still can not speak properly, I despair.
All the young seem to raise their voices at the end of a sentence, I wait with bated breath for the next trend …. NOT.

The point as I understood it from both OP and many others is that we were brought up to regard "Can I get?" as rude and were automatically told to say "May I have, please" Or in my father's words, "Well, you are physically capable of it, but if you are soliciting my permission, you mean May I, please"

And yes, my comment was ironic, as surely if you read Pedant's corner or anything else on Gransnet you don't expect everyone to see things exactly as you do.

Some people say "can I" when they really mean "May I".

To those who say it's perfectly polite in the US I would reply that it's not perfectly polite here -- it comes across as abrupt and bordering on rude, especially as there is often no accompanying 'please' in the sentence.
While I accept that we are losing , or have already lost 'please may I have' it's quite acceptable to say 'could I have' or even 'can I have' although that is strictly not grammatically correct as long as you say please somewhere in the sentence.
Oh, and BAGGS as this is Pedants' Corner the OED says it should be 'alright' or 'all right' although the latter is preferable. But definitely not 'allright'......

I get" is tantamount to "I want" and as we all know 'I want never gets!"
How do we respond to shop assistants etc. who enquire "What can I get you?"

'Whatever 'OR 'as it comes' when asking how a person prefers their tea or coffee seems to be the norm! for many . In that case don't you dare complain if you find it not to your liking.

I really hate 'So' at the start of a sentence and upward inflections at the end but then, I dislike bad grammar and spelling.

Sorry everyone I'll try not to do the 'upspeak'! Ive just caught it from children and do it without thinking! DH is always tellig me off about it. Don't do it all the times just sometimes!

Speaking of 'May I' I was always fascinated by the sentence in The Secret Garden where Mary Lennox asks her uncle 'Might I have a bit of earth?' (There was a full.page illustration of this in my book which is why I remember it. Seems very old fashioned and awkward these days. Things do go in and out of fashion even in languages which develop and change.

Ive learnt something about myself today - I’m a “linguistic snob”! “Yous” is indeed used on the west coast of Scotland and in N Ireland (where I grew up). I hate it. But what I hate more is ”yiz”, which is used here on the east coast of Scotland.
“Please may I ...” is alive and well in my house.

Our daily local newspaper has taken to calling the police 'the cops' in all their reports, including headlines. It drives me wild. I have complained about it, but needless to say, no change. As we're in NE Scotland, it would be more appropriate to call the police 'the Bobbies', which is a local term, rather than adopt an 'Americanism'!