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So when will people stop beginning every statement with "so"?
Trådens avsändare: Tom in London
Tom in London
Tom in London
Storbritannien
Local time: 15:46
Medlem (2008)
Italienska till Engelska
Sep 5, 2013

So I've only noticed this lately, and it seems to be getting worse.

 
neilmac
neilmac
Spanien
Local time: 16:46
Spanska till Engelska
+ ...
Eye/ear of the beholder Sep 5, 2013

I perceive this kind of thing as merely another example of phatic communication, intended to indicate some sort of continuity (real or not) and not worth getting my knickers in a twist about. I get more upset about current obsessions like"twerking" and the Oxford online dictionary's eagerness to accept similar dodgy, fly-by-night terms as worthy of our attention.

[Edited at 2013-09-05 10:53 GMT]


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
Storbritannien
Local time: 15:46
Medlem (2008)
Italienska till Engelska
TOPIC STARTER
Possibly Sep 5, 2013

neilmac wrote:

I perceive this kind of thing as merely another example of phatic communication, intended to indicate some sort of continuity (real or not) and not worth getting my knickers in a twist about.


So it may pass? So the way people used to say everything as though it were a question? So that went on for a long time? So it seems to be dying out now? So I just need to be patient?


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Danmark
Local time: 16:46
Medlem (2003)
Danska till Engelska
+ ...
Erm... when they start using something else Sep 5, 2013

It seems to be a bad habit taken over from spoken language.

It's nothing new, but it may be more or less widespread/ fashionable in different layers of society.

"So vere's this geezer, goes inner a pub, dun 'e ...
So 'e ses ter ver bartender..."

... Add your own joke, mine are probably not funny

The exact equivalent in Danish is 'jamen' - = yes, but...

A silly
... See more
It seems to be a bad habit taken over from spoken language.

It's nothing new, but it may be more or less widespread/ fashionable in different layers of society.

"So vere's this geezer, goes inner a pub, dun 'e ...
So 'e ses ter ver bartender..."

... Add your own joke, mine are probably not funny

The exact equivalent in Danish is 'jamen' - = yes, but...

A silly way to start every sentence, but you will rarely find a politician or economist who doesn't do it frenquently, and almost anyone fluent in Danish is probably guilty of it now and then.

The 'so' thing sounds very familiar to me from my distant youth, so (sorry!) don't hold your breath while waiting for it to pass!
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John Holland
John Holland  Identity Verified
Frankrike
Local time: 16:46
Franska till Engelska
The bandwagon of our own uncertainty... Sep 5, 2013

So many questions, so little time?

So anyway, here's a video that I think might be relevant?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvey4uiuLO4


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
Storbritannien
Local time: 15:46
Medlem (2008)
Italienska till Engelska
TOPIC STARTER
My joke Sep 5, 2013

Christine Andersen wrote:

... Add your own joke, mine are probably not funny



An Irishman, a Welshman, and a Scotsman go into a bar.
The barman says "What is this- a joke?"


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
Storbritannien
Local time: 15:46
Medlem (2008)
Italienska till Engelska
TOPIC STARTER
Brilliant ! Sep 5, 2013

John Holland wrote:

So many questions, so little time?

So anyway, here's a video that I think might be relevant?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvey4uiuLO4


Thanks John- that's excellent !


 
LilianNekipelov
LilianNekipelov  Identity Verified
USA
Local time: 10:46
Ryska till Engelska
+ ...
When they get tired of it Sep 5, 2013

They may stop it when they get tired of it.

 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnien och Hercegovina
Local time: 16:46
Medlem (2009)
Engelska till Kroatiska
+ ...
They use it because it comes natural to them that way Sep 5, 2013

For the same reason they use "like", "right", or any other filler.

Our equivalent is "pa", a very frequent filler and it certainly does have a function when it comes to tone of voice. Just adds to a colloquial, informal and idiomatic tone (nonnative speakers will probably not use it or at least not as much).

Does the OP think we should all speak in the same manner or does he imply we already do? "People" is a collective noun?



[Edited at 2013-09-05
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For the same reason they use "like", "right", or any other filler.

Our equivalent is "pa", a very frequent filler and it certainly does have a function when it comes to tone of voice. Just adds to a colloquial, informal and idiomatic tone (nonnative speakers will probably not use it or at least not as much).

Does the OP think we should all speak in the same manner or does he imply we already do? "People" is a collective noun?



[Edited at 2013-09-05 12:10 GMT]
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Irene McClure
Irene McClure
Local time: 16:46
Franska till Engelska
+ ...
Using 'so' to manage conversations... Sep 5, 2013

Must be a hot topic, as I just today stumbled upon this article via Thesaurus.com while looking something else up. Interesting little analysis of why the 'initial so' is used in speech.

http://hotword.dictionary.com/sentence-initial-so/

There's also another article featuring today about the 'dangling so' which appears at the end of sentences. The link is in the
... See more
Must be a hot topic, as I just today stumbled upon this article via Thesaurus.com while looking something else up. Interesting little analysis of why the 'initial so' is used in speech.

http://hotword.dictionary.com/sentence-initial-so/

There's also another article featuring today about the 'dangling so' which appears at the end of sentences. The link is in the article above.

So, there we go.
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Marie-Helene Dubois
Marie-Helene Dubois  Identity Verified
Spanien
Local time: 16:46
Spanska till Engelska
+ ...
I get more irritated when people end a sentence with "so" Sep 5, 2013

(So) I see what you mean but I used to have a colleague who ended his sentences with "so" all the time which was highly irritating.

He'd say, "well I have 3 years' experience so..." or "this isn't on my schedule for today so...." or "I didn't say that, so..." and then just trail off into nothing. Grrr


 
George Hopkins
George Hopkins
Local time: 16:46
Svenska till Engelska
So Sep 5, 2013

So what?

An interesting question.


 
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz  Identity Verified
Polen
Local time: 16:46
Engelska till Polska
+ ...
Oh come on :P Sep 5, 2013

Tom in London wrote:

So I've only noticed this lately, and it seems to be getting worse.


 
John Fossey
John Fossey  Identity Verified
Kanada
Local time: 10:46
Medlem (2008)
Franska till Engelska
+ ...
So... Sep 5, 2013

So when Generation Z reaches their late teens they will say "so" is sooo last decade and it will be something else.

 
Helen Shiner
Helen Shiner  Identity Verified
Frankrike
Local time: 16:46
Medlem (2008)
Tyska till Engelska
+ ...
So .... Sep 5, 2013

I quite like it, and find it amusing. I do just see it as another way of saying, "Right then, ..." or "Now, ..." I am though thoroughly familiar with the German tendency to start sentences in this way, and I do tend to adopt a German accent (internally sometimes!) when using the formulation myself.

 
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So when will people stop beginning every statement with "so"?






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