So how come everybody is beginning sentences with the word "so?"

[JEFF9K]

For a while there they were beginning sentences with "I mean." Ya' know?

[kwassa]

1. So?

[freshwest]

2. So you don't know? Since you just did so?

[JEFF9K]

3. why?

So why did I begin my sentence with the word "so?"

[freshwest]

10. As a joke? Although this is like a shell game, if you won't tell...

See, I didn't use the word 'so'.

So there!

I usually just start off with...

Eh, er, uh, um...

A substitute for Duh which is my mind skipping a bit.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

4. I've almost posted on this exact thing! It's driving me nuts-- when did it start???

"So" sounds like they're finishing a thought, not starting one.

It's like this:
Interviewer: "How can people best avoid getting the flu this season?"
Interviewee: "so, the best thing is to wash your hands frequently."
Interviewer: "Is it too late for a flu vaccination?"
Interviewee: "soooo... even as late as January flu shots can be valuable."

I'd rather they went back to the ol' Reagan "Well..."

[Tsiyu]

5. I have been complaining to myself about this for months

every twit with a book on NPR or doing an interview of some sort must start any sentence with "so."

Pseudo-professorial hopefuls? Bad habit from listening to teaching assistants? Arrogance?

It gets on my last nerve.

[Myrina]

6. I HATE it! At first I thought it was just an IT geek thing ...

... since that's what I'm around 40+ hours/wk but now I'm hearing it creeping into the rest of the world too. And it's disturbing! And Aggrivating!!

RAWR.

[pipi_k]

7. I have

done that for years.

And years.

"So....blah blah blah..."

Don't know why.

But if one little two letter word bugs people that much, I figure it's their problem, not mine.

[In_The_Wind]

8. so. is there a problem with that.

just sayin'

so you know.

[TrogL]

9. "So" is so much shorter than "once upon a time in a place far away"

[lastlib]

11. probably for the same reason they make every third word "like"....

"So, I mean, it's, like, fersure, yaknow?" Isn't that perfectly clear and meaningful to everybody?

. .

[warrprayer]

12. So I don't know

the answer to this question...

[Walk away]

13. Well, I don't know but I like "well" better as a sentence starter. nt

[kentauros]

20. Well, that's all fine and dandy,

but, 'so' is shorter

(I use 'well' more often, but it's almost neck and necktie now...)

[Walk away]

29. Apparently, you forgot the apparent bow tie!...nt

[kentauros]

30. "Bow ties are cool!"

[Walk away]

31. So, apparently, we can agree on neck wear....

Well, maybe not ascots! they are scary!

[JEFF9K]

14. The crazy thing ...

The crazy thing is that it's the educated people that are doing it!

[grasswire]

15. this is one of the pet peeves of our stalkers

The internet peeps who stalk DU and live to make comments on our writings are enraged by our use of "so" and some other of our words, such as "fridge" and "veggies."

[Downtown Hound]

26. All the more reason to continue doing it then.

I love driving them crazy.

[JEFF9K]

16. I mean

Why did starting sentences with "I mean" have such a short shelf life?

[DearHeart]

17. This has been driving me NUTS for months!!

I've seen new reporters doing this during an interview, and the person being interviewed was a DOCTOR and the DOCTOR did it also!
It's everywhere!!

Wondering how this stuff starts??

[Iggo]

18. So you're saying you don't know how to build a strawman?

[JEFF9K]

19. ?

? ? ?

[sheshe2]

21. Sooooooo

a needle pulling thread.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

22. when my boss starts an answer with 'so'

i know it is going to be complete and utter bullshit.

sP

[AsahinaKimi]

23. sou ka?

naruhodo.

[bif]

24. It's been driving me nuts lately!

I hear it on NPR all the time.

[bif]

25. I know, right?

That's the other one I hate.

[PoliticAverse]

27. So this really bothers you ? n/t

[JEFF9K]

28. doesn't

It doesn't bother me, but it is a worthy topic for discussion.

[PoliticAverse]

32. So it seems. n/t