So, what is it with media personalities (TV/radio) nowadays?
Ditto with folks (often journalists!) being interviewed by same!
It seems like they INVARIABLY start their replies to any
inquiries with "so, ..."

So, this seems pretty unprofessional; as if they'd never had
any formal writing/speaking training. You hear it LESS often
when Joe-on-the-street is interviewed... more when someone
who SHOULD know how to construct a better reply is questioned.

So, is that, perhaps, how they are being taught, nowadays?
Or, like all pilots trying to emulate Yeager's casual form
of "incredible understatement", just a bad habit they've picked
up from some colleague?

So, listen more carefully and see how often you hear it
"on the street" vs. "from professional journalists"...

On Wed, 09 Dec 2015 22:20:08 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

So, what is it with media personalities (TV/radio) nowadays?
Ditto with folks (often journalists!) being interviewed by same!
It seems like they INVARIABLY start their replies to any
inquiries with "so, ..."

You're right. They do this all the time now.

I havfen't noticed it here, or in print anywhere, but I've sure
noticed it on the radio, including by some guy with an accent, who I
think lived in a non-English-speaking country!

This got commented on in an english usage ng about a year ago, but
before I'd noticed it.

So, this seems pretty unprofessional; as if they'd never had
any formal writing/speaking training. You hear it LESS often
when Joe-on-the-street is interviewed... more when someone
who SHOULD know how to construct a better reply is questioned.

So, is that, perhaps, how they are being taught, nowadays?
Or, like all pilots trying to emulate Yeager's casual form
of "incredible understatement", just a bad habit they've picked
up from some colleague?

At first. when it was described but I hadn't heard it, I thought it
had something to do with email and text interchanges, and people felt
like they were continuing a thought from a previous email or text, but
that doesn't account for most of it.

I think I've even heard it on C-Span when a couple people have
testified before congressional committees.

So, listen more carefully and see how often you hear it
"on the street" vs. "from professional journalists"...

On 12/9/2015 9:20 PM, Don Y wrote:
So, what is it with media personalities (TV/radio) nowadays?
Ditto with folks (often journalists!) being interviewed by same!
It seems like they INVARIABLY start their replies to any
inquiries with "so, ..."

So, this seems pretty unprofessional; as if they'd never had
any formal writing/speaking training. You hear it LESS often
when Joe-on-the-street is interviewed... more when someone
who SHOULD know how to construct a better reply is questioned.

So, is that, perhaps, how they are being taught, nowadays?
Or, like all pilots trying to emulate Yeager's casual form
of "incredible understatement", just a bad habit they've picked
up from some colleague?

So, listen more carefully and see how often you hear it
"on the street" vs. "from professional journalists"...

I noticed it a few years ago and it drives me crazy. Most often heard on
PBS both TV and Radio. Many time I turn it off as soon as it is said.

I found this blog relating to this problem, and see many others feel the
same way.

I follow the Arduino forum and see many posts by juveniles seeking help
and advice on projects. They write just like they talk: they always
start their description of their project with "so".

Then a month ago my youngest Grandson, age 20, was here for a visit and
he started every conversation with "so". I had to verbally berate him
over his grammar problem. It help a bit, but was still doing it on occasion.

My wife says I am too critical, but I can't help it.

Paul

On 12/10/2015 10:53 AM, Paul Drahn wrote:
On 12/9/2015 9:20 PM, Don Y wrote:
So, what is it with media personalities (TV/radio) nowadays?
Ditto with folks (often journalists!) being interviewed by same!
It seems like they INVARIABLY start their replies to any
inquiries with "so, ..."

So, this seems pretty unprofessional; as if they'd never had
any formal writing/speaking training. You hear it LESS often
when Joe-on-the-street is interviewed... more when someone
who SHOULD know how to construct a better reply is questioned.

So, is that, perhaps, how they are being taught, nowadays?
Or, like all pilots trying to emulate Yeager's casual form
of "incredible understatement", just a bad habit they've picked
up from some colleague?

So, listen more carefully and see how often you hear it
"on the street" vs. "from professional journalists"...

I noticed it a few years ago and it drives me crazy. Most often heard on PBS
both TV and Radio. Many time I turn it off as soon as it is said.

I've not tracked where (specifically) I've heard it. But, I can be completely
oblivious to whatever is being said/reported... UNTIL I hear that start
a sentence! Then, it grates on my brain.

I found this blog relating to this problem, and see many others feel the same way.

frown Do you have a pointer to it? Did you, perhaps, intend to include
that, here?

I follow the Arduino forum and see many posts by juveniles seeking help and
advice on projects. They write just like they talk: they always start their
description of their project with "so".

I was taught that "so" was the second half of a proposition (not preposition).
I.e., lay out some facts or conditions, *SO* present a query based on those
or a conclusion drawn from them. *So*, it acts as a conjunctive, of sorts...
coming in the *middle* of a discussion, not introducing one!

It would be like beginning a discussion: "Therefore, ..." or "Thus, ..."
or "As such, ..." -- which would sound ludicrous!

Then a month ago my youngest Grandson, age 20, was here for a visit and he
started every conversation with "so". I had to verbally berate him over his
grammar problem. It help a bit, but was still doing it on occasion.

My wife says I am too critical, but I can't help it.

frown "So, the kid thinks 4+4 is 5... what's the big deal??"
"So, the kid forgot to say 'Thank You'... you *know* he's grateful!"
"So, ..."

I've given up on the preposition-ended sentences; folks just aren't
that careful with their speech. OTOH, I expect a heckuvalot more
in *print*! (some of the "big" news sites seem to have laid off
all of their editors!)

[This followup was posted to alt.home.repair and a copy was sent to the
cited author.]

Don Y posted for all of us...



So, what is it with media personalities (TV/radio) nowadays?
Ditto with folks (often journalists!) being interviewed by same!
It seems like they INVARIABLY start their replies to any
inquiries with "so, ..."

So, this seems pretty unprofessional; as if they'd never had
any formal writing/speaking training. You hear it LESS often
when Joe-on-the-street is interviewed... more when someone
who SHOULD know how to construct a better reply is questioned.

So, is that, perhaps, how they are being taught, nowadays?
Or, like all pilots trying to emulate Yeager's casual form
of "incredible understatement", just a bad habit they've picked
up from some colleague?

So, listen more carefully and see how often you hear it
"on the street" vs. "from professional journalists"...

So. dude, everything is AMAZING! My job is AMAZING, my skills are AMAZING!

So, what is is your amazing problem? Do you have micro-aggression from the
blowback? So, the optics don't look good on your amazing analysis. So, when
are going to join those amazing marches for gun control, BLM, celebrity
opinions, etc. So, who is your candidate right, wrong, left, right? So,
what's wrong with ISIS?

--
Tekkie

On 12/09/2015 09:20 PM, Don Y wrote:
So, what is it with media personalities (TV/radio) nowadays?
Ditto with folks (often journalists!) being interviewed by same!
It seems like they INVARIABLY start their replies to any
inquiries with "so, ..."

So, this seems pretty unprofessional; as if they'd never had
any formal writing/speaking training. You hear it LESS often
when Joe-on-the-street is interviewed... more when someone
who SHOULD know how to construct a better reply is questioned.

So, is that, perhaps, how they are being taught, nowadays?
Or, like all pilots trying to emulate Yeager's casual form
of "incredible understatement", just a bad habit they've picked
up from some colleague?

So, listen more carefully and see how often you hear it
"on the street" vs. "from professional journalists"...


Seems to me I remember being told "so? Sew your pants!" by
my parents if I started a sentence with "so". Huh. And
not that you mentioned it, I do notice a lot of talking
heads starting an interview with "so".

On Thu, 10 Dec 2015 12:30:12 -0800, T wrote:

I do notice a lot of talking
heads starting an interview with "so".

I've noticed it for some years. My take is, "so let me explain it to
you" when answering a question. Geek's and nerds seem to do it the
most often. Like the answer is complicated or something, above the
head of the questioner. So. Let me tell you what

On 12/10/2015 12:50 PM, Oren wrote:
On Thu, 10 Dec 2015 12:30:12 -0800, T wrote:

I do notice a lot of talking
heads starting an interview with "so".

I've noticed it for some years. My take is, "so let me explain it to
you" when answering a question. Geek's and nerds seem to do it the
most often. Like the answer is complicated or something, above the
head of the questioner. So. Let me tell you what


A lot of my customers are getting the the age where their
brains do not work so well. Drives me a bit nuts trying
to fix things up for them without them having to learn
"anything new".

I have had two trouble calls this week where I knew I
could fix things with updates, but the newer version
look slightly different and I knew they couldn't
cope, so I am forced to patch up the older version.

Oh well, it is a living ...

If one catches themselves say "so", they might switch
to "okay" until they break themselves of the habbit.

The news media though have become nothing but political
hacks (American Pravda) and they love to start out
a poisoned question with "So, when did you last beat your
wife?"

On Thu, 10 Dec 2015 14:46:58 -0500, Tekkie®
wrote:

[This followup was posted to alt.home.repair and a copy was sent to the
cited author.]

Don Y posted for all of us...



So, what is it with media personalities (TV/radio) nowadays?
Ditto with folks (often journalists!) being interviewed by same!
It seems like they INVARIABLY start their replies to any
inquiries with "so, ..."

So, this seems pretty unprofessional; as if they'd never had
any formal writing/speaking training. You hear it LESS often
when Joe-on-the-street is interviewed... more when someone
who SHOULD know how to construct a better reply is questioned.

So, is that, perhaps, how they are being taught, nowadays?
Or, like all pilots trying to emulate Yeager's casual form
of "incredible understatement", just a bad habit they've picked
up from some colleague?

So, listen more carefully and see how often you hear it
"on the street" vs. "from professional journalists"...

So. dude, everything is AMAZING! My job is AMAZING, my skills are AMAZING!

Actually, it's not. It's actually rather mundane. It happens almost
every day, actually.

The reason is because we're young. Not that we're young but because
we are actually young, actually.

So, what is is your amazing problem? Do you have micro-aggression from the
blowback? So, the optics don't look good on your amazing analysis. So, when
are going to join those amazing marches for gun control, BLM, celebrity
opinions, etc. So, who is your candidate right, wrong, left, right? So,
what's wrong with ISIS?

easier

On Wed, 09 Dec 2015 22:20:08 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

So, what is it with media personalities (TV/radio) nowadays?
Ditto with folks (often journalists!) being interviewed by same!
It seems like they INVARIABLY start their replies to any
inquiries with "so, ..."

So, this seems pretty unprofessional; as if they'd never had
any formal writing/speaking training. You hear it LESS often
when Joe-on-the-street is interviewed... more when someone
who SHOULD know how to construct a better reply is questioned.

So, is that, perhaps, how they are being taught, nowadays?
Or, like all pilots trying to emulate Yeager's casual form
of "incredible understatement", just a bad habit they've picked
up from some colleague?

So, listen more carefully and see how often you hear it
"on the street" vs. "from professional journalists"...