‘I am wanting/ they are wanting’ is the new ‘myself/ yourself’

[PinkMagpie]

I’ve noticed a real thing of people saying ‘I am wanting’ rather than ‘I want’

It seems like an attempt to over complicate a simple phrase to make it sound posher, as with people who say ‘myself’ rather than me. An attempt to sound important and professional that actually has the opposite effect because you’re messing up the grammar.

It’s fine to speak in simple, correct English and say ‘I want’ and ‘me.’

It’s the trying to sound fancy and getting things grammatically wrong that makes people sound daft.

I was just wanting to point that out 😆

Well exactly…. I want and I am wanting are both grammatically correct in this context. You can choose which you prefer. But personally I would consider “I am wanting” go be slightly more polite. You may also substitute “I would like” or “please can you help me find” or “I need”. There isn’t one correct answer. But the point is that “I am wanting” is one such correct answer. Language is beautiful and I personally love that each generation comes up with a new vernacular to make the language their own :)

I always thought when people said invite in that context they were just shortening the word invitation, like saying you work in a lab instead of laboratory 😂I definitely pronounce the two differently, although how to explain the two different ways in text form is hard. Same with the place Blackpool, there's a place in Ireland and a place in England called Blackpool and you can always tell which a person is referring to (at least when irish people say the word) there's more emphasis on the "Black" in the English place but more on the Pool part in the Irish place 😁

Oh - is this wrong? If I am talking to someone who doesn't know my kids by name and I want to talk about my youngest child, what should I refer to him as?

Not sure I have ever heard it the way you mean. Like, "can you bring myself back a can of coke?

No. 'Is it yourself, Mary?' like the other poster said. Used for slightly joky emphasis. 'You/yourself', 'me/myself' etc work differently in Irish, and have mapped over differently into Hiberno-English

Older/elder and younger if there are only two. Youngest/eldest implies more than two.

I think eldest is for more than 2 children so if you have 2 children it would be oldest? loads of people say that though

I am the other poster 😂 I mean how is myself/yourself used in England that people don't like?

Oh, sorry! Things like 'Who decided to go with that ad?' 'That was myself.' Or 'If you need more information on this, please revert to myself.' Used where 'me' should be used as a hyper-correction, because people think it's more formal.

Ahhh! Thank you

ah I see, thanks

I agree

I also hate the whole “reaching out” and “my bad” phrases! Just awful!

It may well be grammatically correct, but it sounds out of "The Kumar's at no 42".

Bring and take are also used differently in Hiberno-English as they’re influenced by the Irish language versions of those verbs and how they’re used.

When Facebook first came out this was rife because the status bar started with “(name) is….” So if you wanted something it was always “Kevin is wanting….”. Used to irritate the hell out of me.

My pet language hate is 'reach out'. Just say 'email' or 'contact'. 'Reach out' just sounds so grandiose as though sending an email is some huge endeavour 😆

Quite a few of my ESOL friends/family do things like this, but you're right, a lot of people are doing this now even if English is their only language.
Some people think that phrases which take longer sound more polite, or less snappy. I am going to meet up with her, versus: I'll meet her.
Or should we blame Maccys for starting the I'm loving it nonsense.

And the (very useful) 'I'm after doing X' which is a direct translation of 'Táim tar éis rud éigin a dhéanamh'.

And using 'and' for simultaneity, which is used in formal Irish, and which I really like eg take all your belongings with you 'agus tú ag fágáil an mbus'.

Overuse of language and silly phrases, valid thing to observe OP. Especially in business- I contact people, I don't reach out to them.

Perfect response. Thank you for your service.

I agree. Hideous. Along with the overuse of the word ‘emotional’. Why people cannot describe the emotion they are feeling I don’t know. Vocabulary is shrinking.

@MrMucker I’m actually not at all averse to change. You wouldn’t know that because you don’t actually know the first thing about me.

What annoys me about the phrase is what you’ve alluded to in your post which is that it is a little bit of fussiness added in to avoid saying “I want”

People think it sounds less demanding.

And that’s fine. I’m prepared to admit I am being grumpy and it’s mostly used by people being well meaning

Can I add 'I seen' to the pet hates when people are writing (especially) and talking? It's 'I saw', for heaven's sake. I must see 'I seen' on Mumsnet at least once or twice a day 😬