Page 8 | to absolutely hate the how people are speaking English!

exse24Londoner · 2026-02-03T16:35:47+00:00

I really hate how we have "suddenly" starting gifting presents rather than giving them as we did only a couple of years ago. Vacations - when did we start having vacations instead of holidays?????? The other day I saw an advert for pants - turned out to be trousers. Apparently when I speak to someone it is now liaising & if I call or text, I am reaching out..... the other day someone was talking about the front end, or as I prefer to call it - the beginning!!🙄 Dont get me wrong, I love the evolution of language & that generations make it their own but this isn't that this is not teenagers or cultures developing own language its...... weird management/pop psychology speak is it just me??

Whatinthedoopla · 04/02/2026 18:58

I hate that the date on my laptop now tells me the American dates.

We are slowly becoming American

nevernotmaybe · 04/02/2026 18:56

RitaIncognita · 04/02/2026 15:26

You don't understand the full meaning of the word "get." There is nothing wrong with "can I get" unless you want to quibble with the can/may distinction, which will probably be gone in a few years anyway. Get means "come to have or hold (something); receive."It does not have some sort of built in reflexive. To ask someone "can I get" can mean "can I receive".

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"Can I get" kept the traditional words meaning, and as a result was less polite because it did always mean to get it yourself.

The meanings of individual words change, but then on top phrases and usage of specific words in specific ways can keep different meanings depending on usage. And that happened in the case of "can I get".

Notmyreality · 04/02/2026 18:55

Language evolves. Get over it.

Doingtheboxerbeat · 04/02/2026 18:54

Helen1625 · 04/02/2026 18:48

Ah, mom is actually used more so than mum in the Midlands so it's not an Americanism, it's part of the dialect in some regions, much like mam is used in the North East of England.

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I'm not disputing this but as a West Midlander I have never seen or heard of this until MN, or rather I haven't seen it spelt this way. I don't have FB but if I was to see this now after 54 years of life I probably would assume American influenced.

Helen1625 · 04/02/2026 18:53

LizzybugMeeting · 04/02/2026 17:55

@Bowies Yes I feel the same about " you guys" when there is one or more females in the group that's being addressed.. But I've got a feeling young/ er people ( than me) perhaps don't care as much. And if it's a group of women and no men that's being referred to, I don't know what's an acceptable term now.

Can I say " see you tomorrow, ladies " or is that now so old -fashioned that you just don't use any word for the people? Is it just " see you tomorrow"? Or " see you tomorrow folk" ? Gawd knows. Problems, problems .

This one bugs me too. I was in a cafe with a friend a while ago, I'm in my 40s, she's 80. We were waiting to be served and the staff member said 'What can I get you guys?' I didn't react but I did inwardly cringe, I didn't think it was an appropriate thing to say to an elderly lady - it sounds disrespectful.

cantankerousoldcrone · 04/02/2026 18:51

Mulledjuice · 04/02/2026 13:03

Incorrect. "Gotten" is archaic. This has been done to death.

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Yes. Gotten is very commonly used in Ireland. It's perfectly normal usage.

Contrarymary30 · 04/02/2026 18:49

Echobelly · 03/02/2026 16:38

The worst thing is when fashion editors describe a pair of trousers as 'a pant' . Seriously.

There's also a lip 💋

WhitePudding · 04/02/2026 18:48

Our local rag likes to use cops for police officers.

I detest movie, it is a film!

Wrong tense annoys me. ‘We was’ seems to be creeping into everyday language more and more.

Helen1625 · 04/02/2026 18:48

Biggles27 · 04/02/2026 16:32

Mom it’s MUM, cell phone - it’s a mobile! Vacation - no it’s a holiday. Pants no trousers, pants are your underwear. Zucchini no it’s a courgette. Eggplant - ugh, it’s an aubergine

but the one that is currently winding me up is Mom!!!!

Ah, mom is actually used more so than mum in the Midlands so it's not an Americanism, it's part of the dialect in some regions, much like mam is used in the North East of England.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 04/02/2026 18:48

cantankerousoldcrone · 04/02/2026 18:44

Oh, is it not Santy anymore? That's sad

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I did attempt to continue it with my dc but it was santa everywhere. I did hold the line on mammy though. I was never a mummy, although that is much more common these days.

cantankerousoldcrone · 04/02/2026 18:44

OchonAgusOchonOh · 04/02/2026 18:24

I'm with you on the Santa one except it's the decline of Santy I'm sad about. I'm Irish and it was Santy here when I was a child.

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Oh, is it not Santy anymore? That's sad

ilovegranny · 04/02/2026 18:29

Agreed.

gifting…
invite instead of invitation
reaching out

The list goes on.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 04/02/2026 18:24

StinkerTroll · 04/02/2026 18:06

Language evolves and it irritates those that are slightly older, that's just life, the one I am v sad about though is the decline of Father Christmas and rise of Santa Claus, really noticeable over the last few years 😢

I'm with you on the Santa one except it's the decline of Santy I'm sad about. I'm Irish and it was Santy here when I was a child.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 04/02/2026 18:22

LizzybugMeeting · 04/02/2026 17:55

@Bowies Yes I feel the same about " you guys" when there is one or more females in the group that's being addressed.. But I've got a feeling young/ er people ( than me) perhaps don't care as much. And if it's a group of women and no men that's being referred to, I don't know what's an acceptable term now.

Can I say " see you tomorrow, ladies " or is that now so old -fashioned that you just don't use any word for the people? Is it just " see you tomorrow"? Or " see you tomorrow folk" ? Gawd knows. Problems, problems .

I'm 60 and I use guys or lads for a mixed group. Tbh, I mainly only use it when addressing my student.

I wouldn't say see you tomorrow ladies but then I hate the word ladies. It just sounds overly genteel. I would say See you all tomorrow.

neitherleftnorright · 04/02/2026 18:12

JamesClyman · 03/02/2026 16:45

YANBU. There is no such word in English as "gotten". It's "got"!

Our ancestors all said "gotten". The people on the "Mayflower" carried on using the term and we didn't, that's all. They also carried on sounding the "r" in speech and we didn't. There are many other English words which have fallen out of use in this country but are still in use over the pond. So Americanisms are closer to our ancestral speech in some ways. They are not "wrong" just different to our modern (English) ears.

StinkerTroll · 04/02/2026 18:06

Language evolves and it irritates those that are slightly older, that's just life, the one I am v sad about though is the decline of Father Christmas and rise of Santa Claus, really noticeable over the last few years 😢

Aurelia53 · 04/02/2026 18:02

Echobelly · 03/02/2026 16:38

The worst thing is when fashion editors describe a pair of trousers as 'a pant' . Seriously.

And lip, as in "sporting a red lip"!

LizzybugMeeting · 04/02/2026 17:55

@Bowies Yes I feel the same about " you guys" when there is one or more females in the group that's being addressed.. But I've got a feeling young/ er people ( than me) perhaps don't care as much. And if it's a group of women and no men that's being referred to, I don't know what's an acceptable term now.

Can I say " see you tomorrow, ladies " or is that now so old -fashioned that you just don't use any word for the people? Is it just " see you tomorrow"? Or " see you tomorrow folk" ? Gawd knows. Problems, problems .

Mumteedum · 04/02/2026 17:43

Just to be even more of a pendant...'can I have...' should be 'may I have...'.

You're welcome. 😁

(I don't care in practice and may even say 'can I get....' ..but I always say please and thank you (.

Anmbord · 04/02/2026 17:39

JohnTheRevelator · 04/02/2026 16:54

My pet hate is people saying 'Can I get....' when asking for something in a cafe or coffee shop etc. No you can't get! The person serving you will get it,you say 'Can I have'. This seems to be a reasonably new phenomenon,I've only noticed it in the last couple of years. I thought it was only younger people at first but there are a lot of older people, even ones around my age (62) doing it. I mentioned it to a friend of mine a few months ago and he said 'Oh yes,that annoys me too'. Then when we were in a coffee shop a few days later he said 'Can I get' when he was being served!

’To get’ means ‘to receive’ in this context.
’Can I receive a coffee please?’

In the same way someone might say something like ‘I got a lovely present from DH for my birthday’.

RitaIncognita · 04/02/2026 17:19

JohnTheRevelator · 04/02/2026 16:54

My pet hate is people saying 'Can I get....' when asking for something in a cafe or coffee shop etc. No you can't get! The person serving you will get it,you say 'Can I have'. This seems to be a reasonably new phenomenon,I've only noticed it in the last couple of years. I thought it was only younger people at first but there are a lot of older people, even ones around my age (62) doing it. I mentioned it to a friend of mine a few months ago and he said 'Oh yes,that annoys me too'. Then when we were in a coffee shop a few days later he said 'Can I get' when he was being served!

I can get it if the barista gives it to me.

Look up the meaning of "get."

If I say to the barista at Starbucks, "can I get . . .", it doesn't mean that I expect them to let me take a flying leap over the counter and make it myself.

Mithral · 04/02/2026 17:09

JohnTheRevelator · 04/02/2026 16:56

And don't get me started on people saying 'cell phone'. It's a bloody mobile phone!

I think people normally just say phone now - I don't really hear cell or mobile these days.

JohnTheRevelator · 04/02/2026 16:56

And don't get me started on people saying 'cell phone'. It's a bloody mobile phone!

JohnTheRevelator · 04/02/2026 16:55

I also don't get the expression 'I could care less'. I always thought it was 'I couldn't care less'.

JohnTheRevelator · 04/02/2026 16:54

My pet hate is people saying 'Can I get....' when asking for something in a cafe or coffee shop etc. No you can't get! The person serving you will get it,you say 'Can I have'. This seems to be a reasonably new phenomenon,I've only noticed it in the last couple of years. I thought it was only younger people at first but there are a lot of older people, even ones around my age (62) doing it. I mentioned it to a friend of mine a few months ago and he said 'Oh yes,that annoys me too'. Then when we were in a coffee shop a few days later he said 'Can I get' when he was being served!