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Polite language got turned into legal language maybe? The first example that comes up when I google the word "payable" is "interest is payable on the money owing." And from Dictionary.com I get "...
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#2: Post edited
by
Jordan
·
2020-12-17T22:17:04Z (almost 4 years ago)
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- Polite language got turned into legal language maybe?
The first example that comes up when I google the word "payable" is...`"interest is payable on the money owing"`And from Dictionary.com I get...`"a loan payable in 30 days"`In both cases I can interpret "payable" in its literal sense: I am able to pay the interest, and I am able to pay off the loan in 30 days. My guess is that people started using payable to sound polite, like at a fancy cafe your waiter might say "you can pay at counter whenever you're ready" when she really means "you need to go to the counter to pay before you leave." It helps establish a level of trust or mutual respect when the waiter assumes that you want to pay and she only needs to tell you how, instead of assuming that someone needs to force you to pay for your coffee.
- Polite language got turned into legal language maybe?
- The first example that comes up when I google the word "payable" is **"interest is payable on the money owing."** And from Dictionary.com I get
- **"a loan payable in 30 days."** In both cases I can interpret "payable" in its literal sense: I am able to pay the interest, and I am able to pay off the loan in 30 days. My guess is that people started using payable to sound polite, like at a fancy cafe your waiter might say "you can pay at counter whenever you're ready" when she really means "you need to go to the counter to pay before you leave." It helps establish a level of trust or mutual respect when the waiter assumes that you want to pay and she only needs to tell you how, instead of assuming that someone needs to force you to pay for your coffee.
#1: Initial revision
by
Jordan
·
2020-12-12T22:55:13Z (almost 4 years ago)
Polite language got turned into legal language maybe? The first example that comes up when I google the word "payable" is... `"interest is payable on the money owing"` And from Dictionary.com I get... `"a loan payable in 30 days"` In both cases I can interpret "payable" in its literal sense: I am able to pay the interest, and I am able to pay off the loan in 30 days. My guess is that people started using payable to sound polite, like at a fancy cafe your waiter might say "you can pay at counter whenever you're ready" when she really means "you need to go to the counter to pay before you leave." It helps establish a level of trust or mutual respect when the waiter assumes that you want to pay and she only needs to tell you how, instead of assuming that someone needs to force you to pay for your coffee.