"Can I get a ...?"

Tony Burton tony at TONYBURTON.BIZ
Mon Jun 5 14:13:37 UTC 2006


As to the expression being strictly an Americanism, I was having lunch with
a stolidly Brit friend of mine in Germany a couple of years ago, and when
the waiter (who spoke English) arrived, my friend asked, "Can I get a beer
and the Vienna Schnitzel..."

And it was not a question of whether it was possible - the items were
clearly on the menu, which he had just read.

Tony Burton

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



More information about the Ads-l mailing list