RE: Not in my time

[jon]

Why do younger people start to answer a question with, 'so'.?

[Tim Streater]

Theey're obviously following the lead of the Met Police Commissioner, who was doing it all the time during his interview on Today this morning.

[Colin Bignell]

Or Robert Preston, political commentator for ITN. He has long started his answers with 'So...'

[Clive Arthur]

Um, well...

[Scott]

It's just like the way they speak like, like you know what I mean like.

[Bob Henson]

You know, er, yebut, nobut, iss normal, you know, innit, bro.

(So,) it's the result of a dying educational system and the increasing power of international electronic brainwashing?

[Davey]

Say it ain't So!

[Paul Herber]

... basically ...

[wasbit]

Dunno. Alas Smith & Jones, series 2, episode 6 -

[David]

So, you think it is only young people?

[Ian Jackson]

Sadly, it isn't. It drives me absolutely mad waiting for that inevitable "So...." at the start of nearly every reply (and occasionally even spontaneously and unprovoked during ordinary speech). However, although it seems to have spread through parts of the UK faster than a dose of Covid, there may be signs that it is burning itself out, as there are now occasions when I'm beginning to hear the old familiar "Well...." back again.

[Jeff Gaines]

No, it's BBC presenter as well :-(

[Ottavio Caruso]

Am 18/07/2023 um 10:58 schrieb Jeff Gaines:

All of them or just the peados?

[Clive Page]

I think it's because none of them have been on Keir Starmer's Oracy course. Or at least, not yet.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Is the idea to make everybody white? Or what colours are they actually dyeing the kids these days?

[Tim Streater]

Peston, Shirley?

[JNugent]

Pseudo-intellectualism?

I have heard a claim that it is an equivalent of the French "alors" or even "donc".

Mind you, I also heard that "innit?" was just a non-standard English translation of "n'est ce pas?".

[Scott]

So ...

[Colin Bignell]

I thought that was what I had typed.

[Bob Eager]

He died in 1987, I believe.