# Can I get a beer? Can winklepicker get a coke?



## panjandrum

<<Update - starting at #30>>

It must be an age thing.
Once upon a time, people in bars would say 
"I would like a ...", or 
"Could I have a ...", or 
"Mine's a ...", or
"For God's sake get me a...".

Here, today, the standard request, ending with an antipodean terminal pitch uplift, seems to be:
"Can I get a beer?"

Please tell me this is a local perversion that will fade away, soon.


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## garryknight

panjandrum said:
			
		

> Please tell me this is a local perversion that will fade away, soon.


Oh, God, I hope so!!!  I hear this all the time in places like Starbucks: "Can I get a grande latte, please?" and I want to shout at them: "No, the guy behind the counter has to get it for you!".


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## jess oh seven

i say that sometimes  but i blame it on the fact that i'm half american  ... it has to be an americanism.


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## elroy

garryknight said:
			
		

> Oh, God, I hope so!!!  I hear this all the time in places like Starbucks: "Can I get a grande latte, please?" and I want to shout at them: "No, the guy behind the counter has to get it for you!".



I think it's just informal.  "Get" means "have" in this case.  I say it all the time, and quite shamelessly at that.


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## mjscott

Maybe those brought up in the bold and decisively different X generation were not under the same tutelage as those of us whose are from the middle ages! There was a difference between can and may when I was a kid and the Normans were invading France.


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## cuchuflete

panjandrum said:
			
		

> It must be an age thing.
> Once upon a time, people in bars would say
> "I would like a ...", or
> "Could I have a ...", or
> "Mine's a ...", or
> "For God's sake get me a...".
> 
> Here, today, the standard request, ending with an antipodean terminal pitch uplift, seems to be:
> "Can I get a beer?"
> 
> Please tell me this is a local perversion that will fade away, soon.



Sorry Panj,
It's neither local nor apt to fade away very quickly.  So far it seems to have the staying power of that most idiotic and meaningless expression, "very unique".

C.


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## remosfan

I don't think it's going anywhere, because I even have a polite version of it with "Could I get a beer?"

But I don't think it's illogical at all -- I say "I got a letter today" and so on.


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## daviesri

jess oh seven said:
			
		

> i say that sometimes but i blame it on the fact that i'm half american  ... it has to be an americanism.


 
Don't blame the american half.  Personally I have never heard "Can I get a beer", unless I am at someones house and someone is about to invade the hosts refrigerator.

Things I hear:

I'd like a beer please.
May I have a beer?
Beer, please.
Give me a beer.


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## lsp

elroy said:
			
		

> I think it's just informal.  "Get" means "have" in this case.  I say it all the time, and quite shamelessly at that.


Me, too. Get=have in this case of the evolution of language. I'd be more upset at the absence of "please," if anything!


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## touaregsand

panjandrum said:
			
		

> It must be an age thing.
> Please tell me this is a local perversion that will fade away, soon.



It's not a local perversion. I hear it all the time in Los Angeles.

It's alread been mentioned but 'very unique' or 'somewhat unique' or 'really unique' bug me more. Another one is 'impact' rather than 'effect'.


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## garryknight

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> So far it seems to have the staying power of that most idiotic and meaningless expression, "very unique".


That probably comes from the same stable as "How pregnant is she?". ("Uh, well, like - completely!")


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## panjandrum

remosfan said:
			
		

> I don't think it's going anywhere, because I even have a polite version of it with "Could I get a beer?"


Strangely, I don't find it impolite because of the antipodean terminal uplift and because it is usually addressed as a request to an equal, not an order to a serf.



> But I don't think it's illogical at all -- I say "I got a letter today" and so on.


 SO?? Two wrongs don't make a right

My darling daughter was even heard to say in a restaurant last Saturday:
"*Could we get* two sparkling waters (and a beer for this old curmudgeon)?"
  Well she left out the () bit 
It comes in the plural form as well - and they (my darling daughters) use it as a matter of course. Maybe I should ask them?


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## remosfan

panjandrum said:
			
		

> Strangely, I don't find it impolite because of the antipodean terminal uplift and because it us usually addressed as a request to an equal, not an order to a serf.



Who knows who's strange, but maybe polite was the wrong word -- I should have probably said I have a more formal version.



> SO?? Two wrongs don't make a right



What? Are you saying that I and everyone around me speak wrongly?? 
But seriously, I'd say "get" meaning "receive" is pretty well established, at least around here.



> My darling daughter was even heard to say in a restaurant last Saturday:
> "*Could we get* two sparkling waters (and a beer for this old curmudgeon)?"
> Well she left out the () bit
> It comes in the plural form as well - and they (my darling daughters) use it as a matter of course. Maybe I should ask them?



So it looks like it's here to stay.


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## panjandrum

Thanks remosfan: I knew you would understand. 

I have put out queries through family connections to see if any of them can shed light on when they began to use "get" in this context.


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## M56

panjandrum said:
			
		

> It must be an age thing.
> Once upon a time, people in bars would say
> "I would like a ...", or
> "Could I have a ...", or
> "Mine's a ...", or
> "For God's sake get me a...".
> 
> Here, today, the standard request, ending with an antipodean terminal pitch uplift, seems to be:
> "Can I get a beer?"
> 
> Please tell me this is a local perversion that will fade away, soon.


 
Another is "Can I get a water?"


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## panjandrum

My researchers can't be sure when they first came across this.  They claim mid-90s - but think that it may have been because they went to uni (away from home) then and would have come in contact with a more multi-cultural set of people.  Current theory is that it came across from AE or possibly OzE.


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## garryknight

panjandrum said:
			
		

> My researchers can't be sure when they first came across this.  They claim mid-90s


That would be about the first time I heard it. That was when the coffee bars and restaurants were full of yuppies shouting down their giant cellphones (before they were called 'mobiles') and saying, "Oh, absolUTEly!!!" at every available opportunity.


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## panjandrum

Hey,, It's OK,, Mariah Carey just said, twice,,

"Can I get a mikestand"

   So of COURSE it's normal, been the way I've done it for years


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## Putrid Toaster

People here (New Zealand) use "grab" as well: "Could I just grab a flat white please?"


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## Oros

Una cerveza, por favor.


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## Amityville

Putrid Toaster said:
			
		

> People here (New Zealand) use "grab" as well: "Could I just grab a flat white please?"


 
Is that a fish, putrid ?


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## panjandrum

Certainly not, it's coffee with milk, no foam, isn't it? 

Might even have been a skinny flat white.


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## mzsweeett

panjandrum said:
			
		

> Certainly not, it's coffee with milk, no foam, isn't it?
> 
> Might even have been a skinny flat white.


Can I get one of those??? LOL, skinny flat white? Where in the world did that come from.... the foam being or not being there?? Hmmmm, interesting indeed. Panj, my dear I like mine strong please. 
My kids use this term all the time.... now that this thread has been going for a bit I've been listening to see what is said.... my extended family uses it too. 
So I guess that this is just a case of commom informal usage then?  I can't see it being very formal at all...

Sweet T.


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## sound shift

I regard "Can I get a beer?" as an Americanism: ten years ago I never heard it here in the UK.


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## A90Six

panjandrum said:
			
		

> Certainly not, it's coffee with milk, no foam, isn't it?
> 
> Might even have been a skinny flat white.


"Grabbing a skinny flat white" carries a maximum custodial sentence of two years in the UK. I *got* 18 months!


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## cirrus

If it's any consolatoin it sticks in my ears too Panj.  On the other hand "Can you get me an x"  when you are asking if someone will go to the counter and bring it over to you because you can't be bothered queueing doesn't come across anything like as clunky.


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## MarcB

I have heard it from many English speakers worldwide. I remember as a child hearing yes you can get what ever you want but you may not. This was obviously to emphasis its incorrect use. Can and may have also lost their original meanings I am afraid.


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## foxfirebrand

In my corner of the AE world, "can I get a beer" is common enough, and does not belong in a particularly informal register.

But I don't "hear" it as polite, not at all.  In fact, it's not an expression one would use if he walked into the bar and the bartender came right up to him with that quizzical look on his face.

"A couple of cold ones...uh, PBR I guess."

But instead, say the guy walks into a bar and finds the bartender rather busy.  He waits while the guy scrambles around filling orders, expecting to be gotten around to eventually.

But the bartender has not noted his arrival-- at the end of the busy flurry he leans against the backbar and catches up on his oxygen intake.

The ignored guy says, in a slightly raised voice, "Can I get a beer?"  The expression is made more emphatic by adding _here_ at the end, oddly enough.  Can I get a beer here-- "over here" where you haven't been paying attention.

"Hey, can I get a beer here?"  I think the original and even ruder expression might've been "Hey, who do I have to [bleep!] to get a beer around here?"

"Can I have" is immediate, and the natural thing to say if the service is prompt.  "Can I _get_" hints at delay, as in "you're gonna _get_ it some day."  (For being so impatient and rude with hardworking service-sector jobholders.  Shame on you!)

I'm not saying that everyone who uses this expression is adding an impatient or petulant tone-- but that is what my ear picks up, and I've seen it acted out pretty often.
.
.


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## A90Six

MarcB said:
			
		

> I have heard it from many English speakers worldwide. I remember as a child hearing yes you can get what ever you want but you may not. This was obviously to emphasis its incorrect use. Can and may have also lost their original meanings I am afraid.


"It's possible, but are you allowed," is what I say to my seven-year-old son to remind him to adjust his enquiry. Can and may are still fairly distinct in this part of the world, although I admit they are becoming less so. I think most understand the difference (from their nagging parents), but fail to use it - in speech at least.


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## winklepicker

For sure it's not one-way traffic, but BE imports AE terms at a rate of knots. A fairly recent one is 'Can I get...?' used to a waiter or in similar circumstances. I get a barely controllable urge to reply: _'I don't know: can you?'_. (Brits would once have said 'May I have?' or 'Can I have?')

When I have heard this in the States it has sometimes seemed to me that those using it were not the most sophisticated speakers, but this may be my BE bias.

So, AE foreros, is 'Can I get...?' considered perfectly correct in your world?

EDIT: Drat. Should have searched the forums. There's no fool like an old fool.


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## panjandrum

Good evening winklepicker, and what an excellent question.
I've popped it onto the end of a previous thread on a very similar topic.


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## Paulfromitaly

winklepicker said:


> For sure it's not one-way traffic, but BE imports AE terms at a rate of knots. A fairly recent one is 'Can I get...?' used to a waiter or in similar circumstances. I get a barely controllable urge to reply: _'I don't know: can you?'_. (Brits would once have said 'May I have?' or 'Can I have?')
> 
> When I have heard this in the States it has sometimes seemed to me that those using it were not the most sophisticated speakers, but this may be my BE bias.
> 
> So, AE foreros, is 'Can I get...?' considered perfectly correct in your world?
> 
> EDIT: Drat. Should have searched the forums. There's no fool like an old fool.



Of course you can say "can I get a beer?" in UK!!
Then the barman would expect that you jumped to the other side of the counter and help yourself, though..


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## panjandrum

This has definitely got worse here.
All my kids use it, including the one who still works in a restaurant.
All are graduates, have seen me wince at this expression, and still persist.
It is the norm now amongst those of ... ... ... I would say 35 and below?

Restaurant and bar staff respond entirely naturally.  I have never seen a hint of Paulfromitaly's suggested reaction.


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## Paulfromitaly

panjandrum said:


> Restaurant and bar staff respond entirely naturally.  I have never seen a hint of Paulfromitaly's suggested reaction.



I was joking of course, although, as a foreigner, my grasp of "can I get a beer?" would be "can I come on your side of the counter and pour one by myself?" (if I didn't know what people actually mean with "get a beer").


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## AngelEyes

Wow...all you guys are sweatin' the small stuff!

As long as it's cold and you serve me on bended knee, you can say any 'ol thing you'd like. 

And the more I drink, the more relaxed I tend to talk. Of course, by then, I care less than ever how I ask for it.



AngelEyes


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## panjandrum

AngelEyes said:


> Wow...all you guys are sweatin' the small stuff!
> As long as it's cold and you serve me on bended knee, you can say any 'ol thing you'd like.
> And the more I drink, the more relaxed I tend to talk. Of course, by then, I care less than ever how I ask for it.
> AngelEyes


Fair enough, AngelEyes, but would you ask by saying, "Could I get a beer?"?

It came to my attention again, very forcibly, when my kids and their assorted companions were all around over Christmas.
Hospitable Panj: "Would anyone like a drink?"
Family: "Could I get a ............."!
Weird.


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## AngelEyes

panjandrum said:


> Fair enough, AngelEyes, but would you ask by saying, "Could I get a beer?"?


 
That's an honest question. You want to know how I am? I very often reflect back on how I'm approached.

American waitresses are usually very informal in a simple bar setting. I'm not speaking about elegant dining rooms.

They might say, "What can I get ya?"

I might answer, "Whatcha got on tap?"

They'd probably say, "Got Miller Lite."

I'd say, "Sounds good."

In informal settings, everything's more relaxed and laid-back, including the conversational interplay.

In a formal dining room, I act more lady-like and my words are more refined. I'd also be ordering more expensive stuff. 

So, it all depends on the setting, how friendly the staff is, my mood, and the moon.


AngelEyes


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## river

winklepicker said:


> So, AE foreros, is 'Can I get...?' considered perfectly correct in your world?


 
As long as it's followed by "please."


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## panjandrum

river said:


> As long as it's followed by "please."


A good point, river.

Here, there is no sign of please. Instead, the question is posed with an antipodean terminal pitch uplift. This is presumed to take the place of please. Somewhat to my astonishment, that's how I hear it.

I think this comes from my appreciation that every antipodean comment is an apology, a request for forgiveness, an insecure acknowledgement that they are indeed antipodean. Hence, "Can I get a bear beer?" has the kind of plaintive beseeching desperation that conveys more than an added please ever could.

Buggrit, that should have been a beer.


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## zaffy

garryknight said:


> Oh, God, I hope so!!!  I hear this all the time in places like Starbucks: "Can I get a grande latte, please?" and I want to shout at them: "No, the guy behind the counter has to get it for you!"


That's interesting. So to native ears "get" sounds like the person would go over the counter and take/prepare/obtain the coffee themselves, right?


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## dojibear

No. That's just one person expressing their frustration.

In casual AE, "get" often means "obtain". It doesn't say how you obtain it. It could be a waiter brings it, or some other way.

In stores with servers (waiters, clerks) you place an order for the things you want.
There are various ways to order a grande latte. For example, you might say:

- I'd like to have a grande latte.
- Can I have a grande latte?
- I'll have a grande latte.
- Can I get a grande latte, please?
- One grande latte, please.
- I want a grande latte.
- I'm ordering a grande latte.


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## zaffy

dojibear said:


> No. That's just one person expressing their frustration.
> 
> In casual AE, "get" often means "obtain". It doesn't say how you obtain it. It could be a waiter brings it, or some other way.


I guess BE might find it confusing. I found this BE example in another thread. Is this scenario possible in AE as well?


A guest in someone's home:

A: Can I get a cup of tea?
B: Yes, just go into the kitchen and you will find the kettle and the tea-bags.
A: Sorry, I meant can I have a cup of tea?
B: Yes, I will make you one.


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## Wordy McWordface

Yes, I agree with Garry. That's exactly what it sounds like to me. 

If I were behind the counter and someone said "Can I get a latte, please?", my answer  would be "Certainly not, young man. You shall stay exactly where you are, on your side of the counter, and you shall wait for me to serve you".

Mind you, that's probably why I failed my interview at Starbucks.


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## Wordy McWordface

zaffy said:


> I guess BE might find it confusing. I found this example in another thread. Is this scenario possible in AE as well?
> 
> 
> A guest in someone's home:
> 
> A: Can I get a cup of tea?
> B: Yes, just go into the kitchen and you will find the kettle and the tea-bags.
> A: Sorry, I meant can I have a cup of tea?
> B: Yes, I will make you one.


That isn't a possible scenario anywhere. No two people would actually have that conversation. It's just a demonstration of the difference in meaning between the two questions.


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## kentix

panjandrum said:


> Here, today, the standard request, ending with an antipodean terminal pitch uplift, seems to be:
> "Can I *get* a beer?"
> 
> *Please tell me this is a local perversion* that will fade away, soon.


It's not a local perversion - it's right there in the first, main definition of the word "get".

"To receive"

Put that in that sentence, in the OP, and it makes perfect sense.

"Can I receive a beer?"

There is no suggestion that anyone who says that has any intention or desire to go behind the bar.

"I got a new watch for Christmas from Jack" doesn't mean you bought it for yourself or rifled through Jack's things when he wasn't looking. It means you *received* it as a gift.


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## elroy

Yes, "get" can mean "receive" or "retrieve."  In this case, it means "receive."  It seems that for some people, it can only mean "retrieve" in this context, so it sounds odd to them when used to mean "receive."

In American English, "Can I get a beer?" is technically ambiguous between "receive" and "retrieve," but (as always) context makes the meaning clear 99% of the time.


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## zaffy

elroy said:


> In American English, "Can I get a beer?" is technically ambiguous between "receive" and "retrieve," but (as always) context makes the meaning clear 99% of the time.


I found this comment by an AE speaker in a different thread

_It's used in ordering food, too: "Can I get the bacon cheeseburger?" It always sounds amusing to me: of course you can, that's why it's on the menu. But people do it. _So there's some controversy too in AE.


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## elroy

zaffy said:


> _It's used in ordering food, too: "Can I get the bacon cheeseburger?" It always sounds amusing to me: of course you can, that's why it's on the menu. But people do it._


That's a very different "objection."  And it's one I don't agree with.  Even putting aside the fact that the phrase has a pragmatic function that goes beyond the literal meaning so it's not intended to be understood literally, "Can I get..." still makes sense because even if it's on the menu you may still not be able to get it.  At least two reasons come to mind:
(1) They're out of (some) ingredients, so you can't get it _right now_ even though you usually can.
(2) They do not wish to serve it to you, for whatever reason (I assume that's their prerogative).
Literally, the phrase is related to (2); you are essentially asking them if they will (agree to) serve it to you; (2) is a rare situation so that can't be the origin of the expression.  Like I said, though, the phrase has a pragmatic function unrelated to its actual literal meaning: it's simply a polite way to make the request.  Similarly, "Good morning" doesn't literally mean that you wish the other person a good morning; it's just a greeting (that's its pragmatic function).


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## Hermione Golightly

I don't see it as 'controversy'. No more than saying "I feel like a biscuit" can be understood as meaning the person is convinced he's a chocolate digestive. (Unless the context is severe mental illness)
Is it time to use the word 'over-thinking'?


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## elroy

Hermione Golightly said:


> I don't see it as 'controversy'. No more than saying "I feel like a biscuit" can be understand as meaning the person is convinced he's a chocolate digestive.


I'm with you on that one.  
Wait, does that mean I'm physically in London right now and we are both standing on top of some object?


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## kentix

panjandrum said:


> It must be an age thing.
> Once upon a time, people in bars would say
> "I would like a ...", or
> *"Could I have a ..."*, or
> "Mine's a ...", or
> "For God's sake get me a...".


The next time you come into my bar and ask me "Could I have a beer?" I'm going to tell you, "No, you have to pay for it like everyone else."


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