Starting spoken sentences with 'so'

suicide_circus

Anyone else notice an increase in this? Hearing it a lot on radio, podcasts etc

It seems to be the new trendy speech 'tick'...it's the new 'like'.

It's usually in response to a question, the 'so' indicating to the listener that they are about to receive a condescending education on something.

AndyBoBandy

So what...

circadian

So?

A lot of people have just become a performance..

What really wrecks my head is the emphatic hand movements..

suicide_circus

that's it, geddit outa yer system

Pinch Flat

Going forward, I'd wish people didn't use this.

Kaybaykwah

Here in Canuckistan, listening to radio, both Canadian and American, I noticed it about 3 years ago. I hadn't noticed it before that time and it sort of blossomed into current speech and found it odd. I also find it annoying.

suicide_circus

Kaybaykwah wrote: »

Here in Canuckistan, listening to radio, both Canadian and American, I noticed it about 3 years ago. I hadn't noticed it before that time and it sort of blossomed into current speech and found it odd. I also find it annoying.

Interesting. I've only noticed it gaining traction on this side of the pond in the last year.

Bricriu

You think initial 'So' is bad. What about the Mid-Atlantic Interrogative Intonation beloved of 'Irish' people:

https://youtu.be/yDZYCagHeqQ

Day Lewin

So what's your point?

whiskeyman

Em.

fyfe79

Yeah, no. Have/haven't noticed it.

Gregor Samsa

The first recorded use of “so” as a sentence opener is in Chaucer's “Troilus and Criseyde”, published in the 1380s.

Looking forward to the posts complaining about this “new trend” of using the word staycation in about 650 years time.

Bobblehats

whiskeyman wrote: »

Em.

Bu-temmmm...

markest

Can someone explain the "so" at the end of a sentence?
Eg. I'm going to town, so.

Bobblehats

markest wrote: »

Can someone explain the "so" at the end of a sentence?
Eg. I'm going to town, so.

...so.

I think that’s fairly self explanatory, is it not?

IAMAMORON

markest wrote: »

Can someone explain the "so" at the end of a sentence?
Eg. I'm going to town, so.

It is a definite or indefinite article.

Bobblehats

So so has’nt logged in since 2014

I trust he’s still so so.

Church on Tuesday

It's as bad as "lookit".

Capt'n Midnight

So, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow So

That second line is the lamest ever, very much in the 'If you can't say something nice...'

Brendan Flowers

So...

suicide_circus wrote: »

So Dublin City Council has finally started to evict tenants who are in arrears and refuse to pay. OVER HALF of all their tenants are in arrears totalling €33m.

suicide_circus wrote: »

so I was at party last weekend...

suicide_circus wrote: »

so people with EU licenses (except uk) pay higher premiums.

suicide_circus wrote: »

So i took the aircoach to dublin airport today

suicide_circus wrote: »

So my neighbors are airbnbing out a spare room in the apartment next to us.

suicide_circus wrote: »

so India is gonna send a mission to Mars.

suicide_circus wrote: »

So a woman was visiting her husband in Castlrea prison, due to what I imagine was a mix up in communication, proceeds to pull down her jeans and knickers while going through the metal detector.

suicide_circus wrote: »

So a study from the University of Amsterdamdraws a link between constant praise and narcissism in children.

suicide_circus wrote: »

So a study says 70%+ of voices on Irish radio are male and it is suggested that radio producers do not look at gender balance.

suicide_circus wrote: »

So if I book a taxi to the office for 14:00 and i get caught finishing a piece of work and only jump into the taxi at 14:10, invariably the meter will have been running for 10 minutes.

suicide_circus wrote: »

So it seems that Saturdays in July are the most dangerous time to go outside as your likelihood of falling over and suiting someone are much higher.

suicide_circus wrote: »

So this new act comes into force today, we now all have a legal right to defend our homes against intruders. About time!

suicide_circus wrote: »

So the majority of street names on Google Maps are in Irish. Unfortunately I cant read Irish, making this once handy app pretty useless

Day Lewin

L0usy so-and-so :-(

moonage

So many people today are critical of the way others speak.

dxhound2005

markest wrote: »

Can someone explain the "so" at the end of a sentence?
Eg. I'm going to town, so.

An abbreviated version of so I am, so it is.

IAMAMORON

It Ain’t What You Don’t Know That Gets You Into Trouble. It’s What You Know for Sure That Just Ain’t So.

Archeron

A child's got more bones than a grown ups got. Dem bones dem bones need,
Calcium.

McGinniesta

I'm sooooooooooo like ye know.

smellyoldboot

I do it a fair bit in work, usually cutting into someones convoluted bs excuse of why they didn't/couldn't follow simple procedures: "I was doing it it just like it said and...."
"So, if you refer back to the documentation, work sample and previous instruction provided, there shouldn't be an issue".

Capt. Autumn

smellyoldboot wrote: »

I do it a fair bit in work, usually cutting into someones convoluted bs excuse of why they didn't/couldn't follow simple procedures: "I was doing it it just like it said and...."
"So, if you refer back to the documentation, work sample and previous instruction provided, there shouldn't be an issue".

Why not use, 'But' or 'You need to understand' to start the sentence here.
Using 'so' to start a sentence makes you sound like a corporate dick-sucker and a bit of a twat

Capt. Autumn

Starting sentences with 'So' is an Americanism brought here via the corporate companies. I have been hearing it since the late nineties. Usually used by those who have totally sold their soul to the corporate culture, go-getters, career climbers, a***lickers and other names for middle management.

An Ri rua

If it's just the usual vacuous whinge or mental excretion of a Silicon Docklands Dub or wannabes down the country, then it's heinous. And they should be disappeared or dropped from helicopters like somewhere super focking grotty and deep like Dublin Bay ok?
But if it's like setting the scene like an anally retentive Germanic Blofeld type before they elaborate on their mental machinations, well then it's just mega.

Example:

So. (Shortest position piece ever).

I don't expect you to talk Mr Bond, I expect you to die!!

Or some such bombastic technical treatise all heavily visualised prior to proceedings.

smellyoldboot

Capt. Autumn wrote: »

Starting sentences with 'So' is an Americanism brought here via the corporate companies. I have being hearing it since the late nineties. Usually used by those who have totally sold their soul to the corporate culture, go-getters, career climbers, a***lickers and other names for middle management.

They use it to give out to you too don't they?

Snickers Man

I so don't like it.

Capt. Autumn

smellyoldboot wrote: »

They use it to give out to you too don't they?

Yes they do. Usually though it's used to sound important and 'tuned into the company culture'. Whatever the f*** that means.

the purple tin

suicide_circus wrote: »

Interesting. I've only noticed it gaining traction on this side of the pond in the last year.

I noticed it here about 5 or 6 years ago, but not really in widespread use.
This last year or two it has spread like wildfire.

Ger Roe

I first noticed it, since the Covid pandemic. Most of the panelists at the nightly DOH press conference would answer a questions by first saying 'So'.... (pause) and then give the answer. I noticed it so often, that I thought it must have been a PR response technique that they were all trained in - maybe to give them a few seconds thinking time.

I never noticed it before, particularly, but it is widespread now.
So.... there

I'm terrible for this. Always have been though, nothing new. So it's not.

Brendan Flowers

The OP has gone very quiet.

topper75

Capt. Autumn wrote: »

Starting sentences with 'So' is an Americanism brought here via the corporate companies. I have been hearing it since the late nineties. Usually used by those who have totally sold their soul to the corporate culture, go-getters, career climbers, a***lickers and other names for middle management.

It is an 'old' phenomenon in Ireland at this stage. I was with an American shower here in the late 90s and there was a whole pile of words readily used by the bosses that we scoffed at. They called themselves team leads. A lead was something we thought you put on a dog. A person can lead (verb) but you can't be a lead. They brought us into meetings but then told us we were in a huddle. Maybe they were trying to make out the work was fun like basketball. They would raise their voices at the end of a sentence as though they were asking you a question.

I went on to work for companies from England and Germany and they were all the same: trying to pretend they were more important than they were and trying to pretend that what whey were doing is more important than it was. Ireland has drifted away from manufacturing and towards services. A whole lot of billoxology goes with that so we seemed doomed to suffer it.

Spanish Eyes

It has replaced "Well...." as the first word in an interview or answering a question etc. The pause to gather your thoughts.

redoctober

topper75 wrote: »

It is an 'old' phenomenon in Ireland at this stage. I was with an American shower here in the late 90s and there was a whole pile of words readily used by the bosses that we scoffed at. They called themselves team leads. A lead was something we thought you put on a dog. A person can lead (verb) but you can't be a lead. They brought us into meetings but then told us we were in a huddle. Maybe they were trying to make out the work was fun like basketball. They would raise their voices at the end of a sentence as though they were asking you a question.

I went on to work for companies from England and Germany and they were all the same: trying to pretend they were more important than they were and trying to pretend that what whey were doing is more important than it was. Ireland has drifted away from manufacturing and towards services. A whole lot of billoxology goes with that so we seemed doomed to suffer it.

So glad I found this thread. (pun intended) Corporate types and corporate speech go hand in hand don't they? Sadly it's everywhere.

What about the the whole california free spirited entrepreneurial thing that blossomed into huge controlling corporate behemoths all over the world - telling us how free we are as they monitor our every move.

redoctober

Church on Tuesday wrote: »

It's as bad as "lookit".

Does anyone else find it grating when people say "dya know?" instead of "you know?" with a faux west of Ireland accent...I've come across that a few times...

iamstop

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Going forward, I'd wish people didn't use this.

I'm dealing with a lad from from a potential supplier and he somehow manages to insert the phrase 'let's circle back' in to every email. :eek:

Bit cynical

Normally associated with people concerned to stay 'on message', the 'so' being a way of pausing while the correct preprepared answer is selected.

JasonStatham

iamstop wrote: »

I'm dealing with a lad from from a potential supplier and he somehow manages to insert the phrase 'let's circle back' in to every email. :eek:

Going forward, let's circle back?

jim salter

This thread is only so-so

Cee-Jay-Cee

Yer man Dr Houlihan started the trend here at the beginning of lockdown with his daily briefings and it seems to have caught on. Doesn’t bother me.

AllForIt

So, I was in Soho last night and it was only so-so so to speak.

Robsweezie

i get bull**** question dodging politician vibes from it

genius200iq

All the rage in Dalkey and Foxrock, if you don't know and use it you must be a pleb

Bricriu

JasonStatham wrote: »

Going forward, let's circle back?

...whilst stepping up to the plate!