british english - Why is "can I get" replacing "could I have"?


I noticed the other day when serving the public that when asking for something, people were saying "Can I get an xyz, please". The previous time I had such a job it was "Could I have an xyz", or "May I have..." if they were being very polite.


Does anyone know when this trend started and what caused it?



Answer



I know the question is tagged “British English”, but for some historical perspective in American English, this kind of request, formulated as “Can I get”, is not exactly some new invention. Here is a passage from a novel written in 1859:



“Have you any work, sir?” was repeated in a still lower and more timid voice than that in which her request had at first been made.


“Yes, we have,” was the gruff reply.


“Can I get some?”



And here’s one from a 1906 novel:



Then our hero entered the place. “Can I get a room here for the night?” he asked of the clerk behind the desk.



And here, from a 1938 Time magazine article:



At one ticket counter a soft-voiced woman had the ear of a clerk. “Can I get two tickets to Boston?” she inquired. The clerk asked who the other passenger was.


“He’s in a hearse outside,” the woman explained.



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