At my (large, multinational, Germany-headquartered) employer, I frequently hear "on the one hand side… on the other hand side" by non-native speakers. This always sets my teeth on edge. However, I have heard it often enough coming from many different people that I'm getting unsure of my intuition. Then again, it could just be incorrect usage spreading from non-native speaker to non-native speaker.
Is "on the one hand side" accepted usage, or is my hunch correct that it isn't?
Best Answer
In places like NYC, where people from almost any country on the planet can find a neighborhood where their native language is spoken, it's common to hear "slightly-off idioms" that are characteristic among those who speak the same native tongue.
I suspect that they adapt what they hear from native speakers, so that it makes sense in the syntax of their own languages.
Sometimes, they just like the way it sounds - for instance: My grandparent's generation came from Italy to NYC. It was common to hear the phrase, "Bumper-to-bumper traffic," on the radio. Grandma and Grandpa (and their "paesans") used to say, "If we go to the beach, we gotta leave extra time 'cause you got the "bom-bidi-bom" out there." Among Italians in the area, "bom-bidi-bom" became synonymous with "heavy traffic.
I think your following assessment is correct: "...incorrect usage spreading from non-native speaker to non-native speaker."