What is this current obsession in England to answer a question by starting with 'so'?
For example you might ask one of the Diddymen where they came from. The answer would be 'So, I come from Knotty Ash'.
What is going on?
Why so?
Why not but, or, now, yes, how, lake, shed, Ocean, platelet or tide-mark. Anything but so!
I first noticed it last year in the world of radio science when boffins were asked to explain their latest research.
For example, Dr. Dolittle might be asked 'Doctor, how do you talk to the animals precisely?'
To which the Doc would reply 'So, its all to do with my mouth'.
I can sort of understand an expert using so. Its an impersonal touch to distance the already bamboozled audience even further in a fog of aloofness.
Now so has jumped into general speech like a bird flu virus.
Is there is no escape from the curse of so!
Have you come across this readers?
Perhaps it's just the habits of the younger set?When I hear my grand daughter talking with her friends, It sounds like ancient Babylonian mixed with Martian dialog.Can't understand a syllable of it.
ReplyDeleteyep, yoof speak, I suppose we all did it Brian. Teen words mixed in with local slang. the 'so' thong is different I reckon as it seems to be prevalent among University students and scientists for some reason!
DeleteIt is annoying. As is newsreaders saying 'train station' instead of 'railway station' and car parking machines telling me they are scanning my license plate when in fact they are scanning my number plate! Also, not everyone is a 'guy'! I'll stop there!
ReplyDeleteha ha, was that the beginnings of a rant Kev? Please don't answer with 'so'!
DeleteThe first thing I noticed when I went to work in Southern Ireland was that pretty much every statement ENDED with the word "So"!!! And by the time I returned to the UK, I was not only talking like them, but I had a slight Irish accent as well...
ReplyDeleteBut that is a story for another time So...
ha ha. yep Bill, we are like human sponges aren't we absorbing the local lingo into our own. I'm a strange vocal cocktail of Lancastrian, Yorkshire and German! By 'eck Flower verdammt Scheisse!
DeleteThis phenomenon has been widespread in the States for a while now. Here's an article describing it from 2011:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2011/12/02/so-it-turns-out-that-everyones-starting-sentences-with-so/
That article in turn points to another from 2010 in the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/22/us/22iht-currents.html
I agree with the authors that the misuse of "so" can be traced to the programming of National Public Radio, which features the highbrow arts and culture based programming. (I'm not sure but it might be considered our equivalent of Radio 4 based on my recollection from decades ago.)
very interesting Richard. Its fascinating that here its associated with scientists and in the States its arts and culture. Fabulous articles. Really enjoyed them Richard and its good to hear you again.
Delete