Why And When Did People Start Sentences With "So"

[barnaclebill58]

So it's rife regardless as to whether it is an opening gambit, a question or a reply.
Mike "So John when is football restarting?".
John "So that's something the PFA have been discussing today"
Anne "So Sainsburys will only let you buy two tins of soup"
Can't remember this being the norm until recently -Covid?

[fiction-factory]

elliemay- I agree. I would add "with respect..." and "I'm not racist, but..."

[douglas9401]

'Look' may be making a comeback, Vulcan, but I remember it as a must during the Blair era, especially when someone was on the ropes.

[tiggerblue10]

........end of!

;o)

[barnaclebill58]

Alavahalf -spot on .
So, you know, to be honest, I'll have to move with the times , like -do you know what I mean?

[THECORBYLOON]

If someone says to me, "At the end of the day...", I try to jump in with, "It gets dark". Can't say it's always appreciated.

[tiggerblue10]

My favourite government speak at the moment is 'let me be clear.....'.

[alavahalf]

Yup !

[EdmundD]

I mean, you know, so what.

[fiction-factory]

I've noticed that most of the cabinet members at the daily briefings, particularly Matt Hancock, start every answer from members of the public, and sometimes from the press, with "That's a really important question..."
I can see why people do it. Whether it's 'Look', 'Basically', 'Absolutely', 'So', 'Clearly' or "I'm glad you asked me that' , it's a sort of crux, to help start the sentence off- better than an "Erm" or long pause. I know I used to do it when facing an audience in business and I'm sure my students will have picked up on mannerisms and expressions I use regularly without realising when I'm teaching.

[elliemay1]

This is interesting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_(sentence_opener)#:~:text=Historical%20use,this%20world%20to%20pass)%3B

[Ken4155]

My pet hate is when Government ministers (whatever flavour they are) begin answers to questions with, "What we need to do is..." Surely it should be, "What we will do is..."

[Ken4155]

Feted Irish trainer Aiden O'Brien nearly always begins his sentences with, "Listen." Find it quite amusing.

[Spicerack]

Don't go drinking in Dublin. So is the beginning and end of the barmaid's conversation.

[Buenchico]

People have been complaining about (or, at least, commenting on) the use of 'so' to start a sentence periodically for over a decade on AB, so it's certainly not something new.

Young male Asian Londoners seem to have their own variation on it though (or at least the ones I've supervised on travel survey work do). Instead of using 'so', they use 'actually, as in walking up to someone and saying "Actually I'm doing a survey . . . ". It drives me up the wall!

[barnaclebill58]

Thecorbyloon . When sometimes says "to be honest" I sometimes say "I'd prefer you were" and to "do you know what I mean " No- you'll have to try again".

[Mexican18]

Another hate of mine is when weather presenters say ' localised flooding'!
Everywhere is local to somewhere! What they mean is it could flood anywhere!

[Bobnunton]

So, a deer, a female deer

[allenlondon]

No, “look” is far worse,, and almost exclusively used by ‘superiors’ to get the attention of subservients, or to make a point that they (the superiors) just KNOW is right, as in “Now just look here...” or “Look” (meaning ‘Listen’).

The proper answer to “Look...” is “Naff off.”

[daisypotter]

So doesn't bother me in the slightest.

[Bobbisox1]

The word ‘like’ that peppers frequently in one sentence ,grates on me