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So whats with begining a sentence with So ?.

Discussion in 'Language Skills and Development' started by Heathen, Sep 26, 2020.

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  1. Heathen
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    Heathen Active Member

    Over the past few months people are begining a reply with So, its something i have noticed on TV and Radio, I first noticed it on the daily Covid briefings, im no expert on english either written or spoken, but it does my head in, So ;) does anyone know why :D ?.
    Heathen, Sep 26, 2020
    #1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  2. Aromulus
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    Aromulus The Don Staff Member

    So sorry, haven't got a clue...........
    Aromulus, Sep 26, 2020
    #2
  3. bigmac
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    bigmac Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    Prolly lundum speak
    bigmac, Sep 26, 2020
    #3
  4. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member

    Same as when you here people saying "can I get" when ordering a cup of coffee and the like! Does my head in also
    Mattecube, Sep 26, 2020
    #4
  5. Anon220806
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    Anon220806 Well-Known Member

    It has crept into our language in this manner in a prevalent way. I think it is a poor expression and unescessary. I first started to pick up on it in 2017 when watching a Well Engineer for Cuadrilla answering questions on what Cuadrilla were doing in Blackpool. She had picked it up as a bad habit, innit.
    Anon220806, Sep 26, 2020
    #5
  6. Jim
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    Jim Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    So what!
    Jim, Sep 26, 2020
    #6
  7. bigmac
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    bigmac Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    a pet hate of mine is how people address me.

    as in MacDonalds one time " ennyfin else fella ? "

    also--mush, cock, geezer.

    Sir is preferred..Mister is acceptable.
    bigmac, Sep 26, 2020
    #7
  8. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Well the first thing to do is check if this is true and I am in the privileged position to do so as I have access to the database.

    Query on "So, " and you get 86 messages out of 215,800 or so total messages, and only one of them was this year.

    upload_2020-9-26_15-53-17.png

    upload_2020-9-26_15-53-48.png


    Query on "So " and you get 734 messages out of 215,800 or so total messages, and only 23 are this year, two of which are joke replies in this thread.

    15 messages in this result set were posted after May 1st 2020.

    upload_2020-9-26_15-56-5.png

    upload_2020-9-26_15-56-33.png


    Personally I don't think 21 messages out of 215,800 is a significant trend.

    And I'm not naming the 'So posters' names although I have them ;) :D

    edit:

    Last time I started a post with 'So ' was Sept 22nd 2019 :D
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2020
    oss, Sep 26, 2020
    #8
  9. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    I hate the word 'fella' but I am weird and have many trigger points that make me want to kill :D

    It was quite popular around Liverpool the other year, not heard it so often recently.
    oss, Sep 26, 2020
    #9
  10. Druk1
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    Druk1 Well-Known Member

    Ending a sentence with LIKE, never done it even as a kid, but it's very common in parts of the north-east.
    Druk1, Sep 26, 2020
    #10
  11. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    People who stammer often use works such as 'like' as fillers to get them past the stammer.
    oss, Sep 26, 2020
    #11
    • Informative Informative x 1
  12. Druk1
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    Druk1 Well-Known Member

    90% of sunderland residents must Stammer like :)
    Druk1, Sep 26, 2020
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    • Funny Funny x 2
  13. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    I am speaking personally regards the stammer, there certainly are regional speech patterns and idiosyncrasies.

    Glaswegians often end sentences with 'but' and there is also a fair bit of 'like' as a sentence terminator.
    oss, Sep 26, 2020
    #13
  14. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    When it is 'So, ' with a comma, it is sort of used as a pause to prepare for the rest of the message to follow, an opportunity to focus.

    In replies, it depends on what follows, it can imply shock at the conclusion that is being drawn, it can be seeking to clarify whatever point was being made and so on.

    In forum replies I don't see anything wrong with it, it is conversational, forums generally use conversational English more than formal English, we all make grammatical errors which are only problematic when it makes the subject or reply ambiguous, it is easy to write in a way that can be misinterpreted we all do it.
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2020
    oss, Sep 26, 2020
    #14
  15. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member

    I dont think Paul @Heathen is referring to here this forum, I think he means that over the last couple of months he has heard responses or sentences being so, that is my reading of his OP.
    You do hear it very often on interviews where the interviewer asks a question and the interviewee responds "so etc etc"
    Mattecube, Sep 26, 2020
    #15
  16. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Well there you go ambiguity :D
    oss, Sep 26, 2020
    #16
  17. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member

    Ive been called worse
    Mattecube, Sep 26, 2020
    #17
  18. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    I'm talking about the thread, not about you, maybe I was ambiguous :D
    oss, Sep 26, 2020
    #18
  19. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Paul's opening post would have been really clear if it had said:

    "Over the past few months people in the media are beginning a reply with So, "

    And that's assuming that he is not in fact talking about posts on this forum ;)
    oss, Sep 26, 2020
    #19
  20. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member

    maybe my humorous (well I thought so) was wasted
    Mattecube, Sep 26, 2020
    #20
    • Funny Funny x 1
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