Can I? or May I?
What's the difference? In common USA usage, "may I?' has almost totally disappeared. That could just be linguistic laziness or it could have psychological roots in the 1960's rebellion. "Can I?" asks if I am capable of doing something; "may I?" asks for permission. Could it be that we no longer feel that we need anybody's permission for anything?
Update: The billboard with the misspelled store location hasn't been corrected yet.
I wonder if anyone else noticed.
posted by Mrs.Cranky Yankee @ 7:59 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Very interesting! Your grammar theme caught my eye as I'm a stickler for it.
I've got the opposite habit/opinion when it comes to "can I" vs. "may I." I was encouraged to avoid "can I" by my parents as that implies I may not have the ability or determination to do something. I've grown up using "may I" instead as I know that I CAN do anything I set my mind to and asking "may I" is a very respectful way of asking for another's consent before taking an action that involves them.
Keep providing great info to educate us!
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