I thought people criticised the speed of the tape machine.
I first noticed it amongst US academics talking about policy issues on the radio. It was quickly adopted by tech entrepreneurs in US and UK. I’ve noticed it too with younger British civil servants and those British politicians who care deeply about their social media profiles.
From the start I have thought of it as a kind of linguistic land grab, a technique used by the speaker in an attempt to establish their authority.
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Robert Peston has one of the strangest speech deliveries on UK TV, his peculiar repetition of some words, the long drawn out vowels, the weird timing, all eccentricities that I find very irritating. So much so I get the impression he fails to make his point in particular situations - the daily afternoon coronavirus updates that we had at the start of the UK outbreak come to mind.
I’m not a fan of ITV News & that means (thankfully) I don’t get to see him much
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Focussing on one recent thread that started with so: “So recently…”, not “So, recently…” I assume it means “very recently“.
Ditto. I have assumed it is his way of covering his thinking time, rather than saying “er, er, erm”.
I haven’t read through all 743 comments to see if this has been mentioned before, but I’m immediately put on my guard with anyone, mainly politicians, who begin a sentence with “Look…” in what in many languages would be translated as the imperative tense, followed by a pause.
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Here’s a better idea rather than get on our high horses, why not except that we’re not all from the UK or the same levels of education and worry more about the content of the post. In other words what they are trying to say. It’s a little humiliating having someone point out your errors. The forum is a board church made up of people from everywhere.
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I think that’s why the recent new thread was merged with this one, to keep such discussions under the one subject. I agree that criticism of individual members’ use of English needs to be done sensitively if at all, recognising that on the forum there is a proportion of non-first-language English speakers, and a proportion of non-British English speakers. Even with native British English speakers, poor spelling or grammar may not necessarily be through lack of care or interest by the individual, but may be a consequence of limited education, impediment of some sort, or even through the un-noticed consequence of ‘fat fingers’ on a smartphone “autocorrect” by software.
That would only work if words preceded the so. I bought it so recently that I’ve not got got used to it.
In Star Wars’ Yoda speak that might “So recently I bought it that used to it I’ve not got”.
So is the current take on sprinkling like in sentences, and making every statement a question? I wish it would stop, but it’s taken hold and too many people think it has a justification so looks like it’ll continue to happen.
It does have a use; your mate in the pub relating some lurid tale - “So there I was trousers at half mast and the police woman just stopped me in my tracks…”
So is usually a synonym for therefore. It was raining therefore I bought an umbrella has a v slight semantic difference to It was raining so I bought an umbrella. At the start of a sentence though, pub bores excepted, it has no place. If every dimwit contestant on Pointless responded with Therefore instead of So it would be immediately clear to all what a ridiculous construct it is.
Armstrong (for it is he): Welcome Amanda, tell us what do you do, what are you hobbies?
Amanda: Therefore I work for the council counting bin liners. In my spare time I shoot magpies.
Armstrong: Erm, fascinating. And how long have you been doing that?
Amanda: Therefore about 47 years.
Bonkers. Yet So I work for the council is being shoehorned in as acceptable, as it ‘introduces a thought’. Please stop. Every contestant on Pointless, every spokesman wheeled out onto Today to justify a position - tell us Mr Wilson why we should believe a word your office says. So Justin we believe that…
Gah. The biggest factor in its awfulness is that So rarely happens with the powerful, the well-briefed, dare I say it the more intelligent. It’s the preserve of the slightly unsure suddenly realising they’re on national tv about to tell us their hobby or lack of career progression, or the unwilling pushed forward to justify what their boss doesn’t fancy doing, and now it’s introducing threads on here. It’s catching on. Please stop. Please don’t begin a thread title or a sentence with So. It makes you look a little less capable, and although it’s the most most minor of minor victories I’ll never respond to a thread that begins So. My loss not yours obviously, but there you go. Someone has to defend good English, as opposed to finding a way to believe So is good way to construct a sentence.
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To be more concise: So develops a previous statement or thought. Where there is no previous thought or statement to develop, it becomes an orphan and has no use.
Interesting topic…I have definitely jumped in a little late.
I am a native English speaker
I work for a German multinational, our business language is English
I am currently based in Singapore, whose first language is suppose to be English, more often than not if they do not adjust their Singlish - I have no idea what they are saying, still.
I managed 11 teams across South and South East Asia
What have I learnt? As long as someone can communicate directly and without doubt - I no longer care how their grammar or spelling is. I find the use of well structured English a hindrance, non-native speakers are not used to it and it creates a lot of confusion, especially the use of implication.
I am definitely no longer stressed about ‘proposer english’ and am more interested in how it will involve going forward than anchoring to current rules. They way English is used is very interesting, a lot of Mandarin grammar and generally very efficient if with a lack of emotion. My favourite recently was like this via text. Me in my lengthy english: ‘Hi James, I am free this evening would you like to go for a drink after work?.’ James: ‘6 can’. Which obviously means - ‘Sure, great idea, lets get a beer at six o’clock’.
Also, I know the Panda did not leave after shooting.
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Time to change your friends 
It so doesn’t matter 
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But is it?
So you’ve bought a new car?
So where have all the chocolates gone?
I didn’t take Hungryhalibut’s thread as a personal attack on anyone in particular and I didn’t even know that a new poster had started a thread with the word ‘so’. Hungryhalibut made a generic comment about the use of the word and I agree, it is pretty irritating. It’s not a grammar issue, it’s a habit. It’s like starting a post with ‘Hey!’
P.S. Please don’t look at any grammar issues in my post, I don’t care if there are any.
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I don’t find other peoples incorrect English irritating. I do find using English in the clearest and most precise way a pleasure. I am always looking to learn and share my knowledge and opinion. That is why I get involved in this thread.
If I wanted to start a paragraph with the word so I would.
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That’s quite valid, it leads into a question. No issues with that at all. But…
Would you use that completely out of the blue? Doubtful. If you’ve overheard mention of this new car purchase you’re developing that idea or thought - it continues on from something, an awareness that A has bought a new car, which makes it a valid contruct. Same with the chocolates - there were some, they’ve gone, which leads on to the question of where they’ve gone.
Good: So you’ve bought a new car?
Bad: So I’ve bought a new car.
Good: So where have all the chocolates gone?
Bad: So there are no chocolates left. I’ve eaten them all.
I did say your mate, not mine. 