The diversity of “get”

Devolution toward Simpler, Outsider's Perspective, Verbs

The verb “get” is amazingly diverse in its definitions.

“You can get a ticket.” means “You can receive a ticket.”

“You get to go.” means “You are allowed to go.”

“You get up at 8 o’clock?” means “You wake up at 8 o’clock?”

“Do you get it?” means “Do you understand it?”

“Get out of my way!” means “Move out of my way!”

“Could you get that for me?” means “Could you procure and bring that for me?”

“When do you get your hair cut?” means “When do you cause your hair to become cut?”

“Get her before she reaches the prison fence!” means “Seize her before she reaches the prison fence!”

“When do you get home?” means “When do you arrive home?”

And these are only some of the definitions of the verb “get”!

I believe that this diversity is consistent with my “Devolution toward Simpler” linguistic hypothesis. It is simpler to say or write “get” than to say or write the verbs that it replaces.

From an outsider’s perspective, though, the diversity of “get” must be challenging to master.